“Over there…” She said and pointed at the bin behind me. I flicked the butt and it went straight in.

“Sorry… it’s a habit…” I said to her about my little littering problem.

“Don’t worry about it… So uhm, How’s living with Carmen going?” She asked me. Her hands occupied with tongs and a brush putting some sort of paste on the chicken.

“Uhh… it’s good… she’s nice… she uhh… keeps it clean you know…” I cursed at my self thinking how stupid it sounded. I looked over at the four girls chatting away and making quick glances at me.

“So uhm, what do you do Bette…” I made an effort.

“Well, I’m the head art director at the CAC… so uhm, I choose which artists to display their works at our place… you know boring stuff…” She joked and I smiled.

“That sounds very interesting… I don’t know much about art but uhm, my dad… he collects some paintings and sculptures…” I said and remembered my place back in up state New York.

“Oh really, do you know what he collects?” She asked me and seems interested.

 “Uhh… I think he mentioned something about Rembrandt and he had one of his works flown over from I think… the Netherlands… He always tells me about him and it doesn’t really get my attention…” I laughed.

“Oh Wow… Rembrandt, that’s really impressive… it must’ve cost him a fortune for one of his work…” She said impressed with what I just said. It’s true though my dad is a bit of an art fart underneath that mob exterior.

“I guess so…” I said. I took another cigarette out from the pack and lit it up. Bette doesn’t seem too happy to see me smoking next to her food and I excused my self to the corner. I stood there where there was little light and looked at the garden around me.

I saw Carmen and Alice made their way into the kitchen. I wanted to know what they were talking about.