Chapter 23 Summary

As Dick and Elsie begin to see each other regularly, she talks of her earlier sex life, and admits that she noticed when Dick looked at her thighs at the clambake. He feels uncomfortable thinking about that and also about how his son looked at her thighs also.

But, in general, he enjoys their talks and their lazy afternoons together at her house. His only feelings of discomfort come when she seems to be able to pull things out of Dick that he wished he could keep to himself.

Dick slacks up on the boat work with other things now keeping him busy. He finds that Joxer Goode is still not buying crabs, but that he is finally installing the new refrigeration units in his warehouse. Joxer now talks to Dick almost as an equal, but Dick knows he hasn't risen in status...