Silver Dreams Read Online Free Page A

"gorgeous" then, was bound at her neck with a ribbon and fell in one hastily heated wave down her back.
     
    Still, it rankled to see that vacant look in his eyes, especially when she suddenly realized she was staring at him in open-mouthed awe. In the light of day, Mr. Max Cassidy was undeniably handsome.
     
    There was such energy about him that it seemed he might bolt at any moment. Elizabeth had the impression that if anyone expected to hold Cassidy's attention, he'd better talk fast and have something interesting to say. Otherwise Max would be off on more pressing concerns. He narrowed his eyes and studied her face. "Do I know you?" he finally asked.
     
    "Well, yes, actually you do. We met the other night. I'm Eliz..."
     
    "Betsy!" he shouted jubilantly. "From the Dorchester."  He grabbed her hand and pumped it. "How're you doing?"
     
    "It's Eliz...oh well, never mind. I'm fine. I'd like to talk to you if I could." She held up her copy of the Gazette as if the paper gave her legitimacy for interrupting his day.
     
    Max seemed pleased. "Somehow I didn't figure you for a reader, but in this business I’ve learned that you can never tell about people."
     
    "I'm not really a reader. This is the first copy I've ever bought."
     
    "Yeah?"  His deep blue eyes sparkled with interest. "What'd you think?  Did you see yourself in the article about the craps game?"
     
    He could have knocked her over with a flick of his finger. She was in the article? Good heavens, what would her father think if he heard about this? "You mentioned me?"
     
    "Sure."  He took the paper from her and turned to the correct page. "Here it is." He pointed to the end of the story. "It says right here that I was rescued from my pursuers by a female benefactor."
     
    She should have been relieved by the anonymous reference, but all she felt was resentment at the obvious slight. "A female benefactor," she shot back. "That's all you could think to say?  I saved your life!"
     
    "Well, you sure helped me. But I don't know if I'd go so far as to say you saved my life. If you hadn't been there, I'd probably have found another way."  He winked at her, just as he'd done the other night. "I can be slippery when I have to."
     
    She bristled. Obviously Max Cassidy thought he was invincible. She tried to return to her reason for being there. "Mr. Cassidy..."
     
    "Call me Max. After all, you did almost save my life."
     
    "All right, Max. I want to talk to you about this story. There's something I don't understand."
     
    "Have you had lunch?"
     
    "Lunch?  No."
     
    "Then that's where you can talk all you want."  He glanced at his watch. "I have about forty-five minutes, then I've got an important appointment on Delancey Street. You like Irish stew?"
     
    "Well enough I guess."
     
    "Good. I'm on my way to Flanagan's Tavern. Come with me, Betsy, and I'll buy you a bowl and a beer. It's the least I can do for my getaway girl."
     
                                  
     
    Flanagan's was less than a block away. Voices from noontime patrons spilled out the open doorway to the crowded sidewalk. Tantalizing smells of spices and warm bread drifted in the air. Inside, at least half of the rowdy crowd seemed to know Max.
     
    He took Elizabeth's elbow and guided her to a booth in the back. Along the way he waved to patrons who joked about the "red-headed hen" he'd brought with him. A buxom waitress in a flouncing skirt and apron greeted the customer she obviously knew well.       
     
    When he and Elizabeth were seated across from each other, a man with long bushy sideburns and full beard approached their booth. He wore a snapped front cap pulled so low on his forehead, Elizabeth couldn’t see his eyes. The bulk of him would have made two of the more slightly-built Max. Ignoring Elizabeth for the moment, the man leaned over the table and spoke in a low, gravelly voice to Max.
     
    "You’re not forgettin' about the fight tomorrow