Chapter 48
When Roberto opened a door and waved her through, Mary Ellen was delighted to find herself in a bookstore. The office to which he showed her was small and cluttered, the desk covered with review guides and catalogs and magazines. “Excuse the mess,” he muttered, hastily clearing a chair. Mary Ellen was secretly relieved; among Grandmother Owen’s horrible and antiquated prejudices were certain very strict standards about housekeeping, and even though the old lady wasn’t there with her, Mary Ellen had felt obligated to maintain the house’s almost painful tidiness.
Roberto dug out a phone book for her and showed her the phone, then politely excused himself back to the running of his store while she made her calls.