Winners by Danielle Steel

anyone in several days. He hadn’t even left the apartment, and he had had two stiff scotches that night to steel his nerve.
    “Joe? It’s Bill. I’m sorry to call so late. I just flew into town from Europe. You haven’t called me in ages, but I wanted to let you know I’m here.” It took Joe a minute to find his voice. Bill had been one of his closest friends. He was six years younger than Joe, but they had gone to business school together, and Bill had given him good advice at the beginning of the mess with his partner, and then, too embarrassed to call him again, Joe had faded away, as he had done with everyone else. It was hard to lose the respect of his colleagues and friends, and he knew he had, although Bill had always been a good friend, and hadn’t been judgmental when he gave him advice. And some of what Bill had suggested had helped Joe extricate himself with less damage than there might have been otherwise. Bill knew the late hours Joe had always kept, so he had dared to call him at that hour, which he wouldn’t have done with someone else. “How are Karen and the boys?” Bill added, and Joe let out a long slow sigh, as he realized they hadn’t spoken in a year. He sat staring at the gun on the desk, in the light of the streetlamps outside.
    There was so much to tell him to bring him up to speed that Joe didn’t know where to start. He had let Bill know when his expartner went to prison, but Joe hadn’t contacted Bill again after that. “What are you doing in town?” was all Joe could think of to say at first, by rote, responding with a question instead of answering Bill’s inquiry about his wife and sons.
    “I’m here with Lily. It’s a long story,” Bill said, sounding tired. “I was wondering if you want to have dinner with us tomorrow night. Karen too, of course, if she’s in town.” Bill thought she was more than a little wacky now, but after all, she was Joe’s wife, and he had liked her in the past, before she found her guru, traveled to India, and became somewhat nuts. He had great respect for Eastern religions, but Karen had seemed “off” to him for years.
    “She’s not here.” Joe said quietly. “We’re divorced. I just got the final papers last week. She’s living in Nepal.”
    “Oh dear.” Bill wasn’t entirely surprised. “I’m sorry to hear it. But she’s been on that path for a long time,” he said practically, and thought Joe was better off, although he wasn’t sure how Joe felt about it.
    “Yes, she has. And the boys are fine. Still in Cleveland and Atlanta. We finally settled all the lawsuits, I’m sorry I didn’t keep you abreast of that. It was a royal mess, and it closed down the business, but at least it’s over. And Roger is in prison, where he belongs. Actually, it’s been kind of a clean sweep. No wife, no business, no career.” He wanted to add “no future” and “kids who don’t need me,” but out of pride if nothing else, he didn’t want his old friend to know how depressed he was. The gun lay gleaming in the light from outside, and Joe ran a finger gently along the barrel, planning to pick it up again and use it at the end of the call.
    “I’m sorry you had such a tough time,” Bill said sincerely. “I should have called, but somehow time slips by for all of us, I guess.” It was a poor excuse, but they both knew it was true.
    “What about you? How is beautiful Lily?” Joe asked, as he thought of her. She had always been a golden child. She was years younger than his children, who were in their thirties, but he could still remember how thrilled Bill had been when she was born, and ever since, justifiably so. He had never met as enchanting a child and, later, young woman.
    “I’m actually here for her,” Bill said in a somber voice. It was late for him, after the trip from Europe, and he knew he didn’t have to put a good face on it for Joe. They had always been honest with each other. Or at least that was what Bill