It was a perfect—albeit pricey—choice for a cold late-January weeknight. The warmth of the fire validated the expense, as did the way Dhara sat close to me as we sipped our over-named cocktails. “This place is really nice,” she said. “Yeah, I come here all the time.” “You think you’re pretty classy for a guy who still plays with action figures.” “Whoa…whoa…whoa,” I said in faux outrage. “First of all, I do promotional marketing for the toy industry. It’s an eleven-billion-dollar-a-year category, and next month’s Toy Fair is its biggest annual event…” “You better camp out,” she continued to tease, “so you can be the first to get your little toys.” “Collectible figurines.” “So,” she said with a pause, “there’s a holiday coming up…Should we celebrate it?” “Presidents’ Day?”
