The Gentlemen's Hour

166

Boone beats the sun out of bed.

He carefully disentangles himself from Petra, so as not to wake her, pulls the sheet back up around her neck, then throws on a sweatshirt, jeans, and sandals and walks into the kitchen to write her a note.

He steps outside into the still-dark morning, gets into the Deuce, and pulls off the pier onto the PCH. His route takes him right past the spot where the Dawn Patrol goes out, and in the faint light that is just now gathering, he can see their forms on the beach, performing the morning ritual of waxing and stretching and quiet conversation.

He doesn’t stop, but keeps driving north.