"Believe me, I would most definitely take you up on the offer," he replied with a smile, glad to see that she was willing to return tit for tat. That was how Julian operated in life - you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. Sometimes, though, he got his back scratched a lot more often.
"And I know what you mean about the business," he continued as they strolled through the filled parking lot, heading toward the front door of the restaurant/dance hall. "It's a constant uphill battle, but you just have to keep fighting it. It'll happen eventually, or at least that's what I kept telling myself!" He left out the note that having a supportive spouse was another boon, but since no one at Pax knew about her just yet, he believed it was better to let sleeping dogs lie.
Upon reaching the front doors of Woody's Wharf, he held it open for his companion for the evening, instantly blasting them both with the sound of the band and of loud conversation.