I stopped there, and no one else raised a voice to contradict me.
Markie picked up her suitcase and started for the door. At the last moment, though, she turned back to me and I could see tears in her eyes.
"I can't argue with what you're saying, Skeeve," she said, "but I can't help wishing you had settled for hitting me and let me join."
There was total silence as she made her departure.
"The young lady has raised a valid point," Chumley said at last. "What is our position on new members?"
"If we're open, I'd like to put Vic's name up for consideration," Massha chimed in.
"First we've got to decide if we need anyone else," Tananda corrected.
"That raises the whole question of free-lance vs. exclusive contracts," Nunzio said. "I don't think that it's realistic to have all our shares equal."
"I've been doodling up a plan on just that point, Nunzio," Bunny called, waving the napkin she had been scribbling on. "If you can hold on for a few minutes, I'll have something to propose officially."
As interested as I was in the proceedings, I had trouble concentrating on what was being said. For some reason, Markie's face kept crowding into my mind.
Sure, what I said was rough, but it was necessary. If you're going to run a business or a team, you've got to set a standard and adhere to it. There's no room for sentimentality. I had done the right thing, hadn't I?
Hadn't I?