“You don’t like it?” She asked in a tone of voice filled with the anticipation of being hurt. It made him cringe. She was so young, he reminded himself and wondered if his friends were right, but he smiled and slung an arm warmly around her shoulders. “I never said that.” He gave his most reassuring, easy-going grin while her trepidation vanished to be replaced by a look of cautious excitement. “I’m so glad! I know I’m not as sophisticated as your wife, so, I wasn’t sure if it was, like, classy enough for you.” She glanced away at the sound of wings flapping as a small flock of pigeons were unsettled by pedestrians across the square from them.

He was relieved that she couldn’t see him restrain his reaction to her words. She had done two things which set his teeth on edge; mentioned Simone and used teen-aged slang. Both of those two things made him feel old and tired. She was legal, he reminded himself. “You mean my ex-wife. And don’t compare yourself to her, Selena, I love you and not her.”