"Any special dessert?"

"You really have to ask?" Mattie replied.

"Right! Anything with chocolate. And the more the better."

Harry went back to his desk as Mattie went back to scanning the news. "You know, they never did find those Xena and Gabrielle look-alikes who broke out of jail last week."

"I thought the Xena one sprung the Gabrielle one."

"Yeah, but they're still out there. Maybe we ought to look for them, you know, to give us more credibility with the cops."

"Is there a reward for them?"

"I don't think so."

"No pay, no work."

"Okay," Mattie said, and clicked on the link for the next page.

At 11:15 they heard Harry yell out that he was leaving to go after lunch. He knew what they both liked, and it would take three stops to get what he was after, including the one for the double Dutch chocolate cake he knew Mattie liked so much.

Harry was reasonably content to be the second banana. He loved them both, and the memories of being with both of them, both emotionally and sexually, gave him the glimmer of hope that maybe someday things might change back. He knew they depended on him for the more mundane things in their lives, such as bringing them coffee and donuts in the morning, and going after lunch, and answering the phone at work. He also did most of the cooking and cleaning at home. He knew they appreciated him, in their own way.

Harry's first stop was for the spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread from the Italian restaurant Mattie loved. His second stop was for the take-out sirloin steak (well done) with grilled onions, baked potato with sour cream, and Caesar salad for Annie. His last stop was at a bakery that specialized in unique desserts for the cake. It also had a section set aside for sit-down customers who liked to savor their distinctive desserts along with their own line of exotic coffees. Unfortunately, there was more of a crowd than he expected, the owner was short handed, and he was getting impatient having to wait, knowing the food in the car was getting cold.

"Come on!" he yelled out to the woman behind the counter. "I'm a regular here. How about a little service!"