Their time together had been an idyllic interlude beyond either of their imaginations, but it was over now. They understood how mature adults were expected to deal with romantic interludes and were scrupulously polite and practical. After all, they both had very busy lives. In fact, they worked during part of the flight home. After landing in San Francisco, Johnny said to Nicky, “Joseph took your car to your place, so if it’s okay with you, we’ll go to my house first, and then I’ll drive you home.” She wasn’t about to argue, inclined to play out the dream as long as possible. It wasn’t that she was naive enough to have expectations. It was more about savoring every last drop of pleasure. After Jordi and Vernie were settled in with Maria and her mother, after Nicky had said good-bye to all of them, Johnny took her home. The trip was quiet, neither capable of glib small talk even though they both understood the pertinent rules governing temporary liaisons: Say good-bye politely; don’t make any demands; pretend the future doesn’t exist; never allude to anything even remotely personal.
