Excerpt from Table for Two by Amor Towles, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

"Someone else ..."

Mr. Sarkis took the ensuing silence as an encouragement.

"My client is a man of fine sensibilities, Mr. Skinner, but he is also a pragmatist. As such, he would be more than happy to compensate a professional whose mediation led to the successful acquisition of a DiDomenico."

"To what extent?"

"To what extent would the professional have to mediate?"

"To what extent would he be compensated."

"Ah, yes. Well, naturally, that would depend upon the size and quality of the work. But I should think an introduction that led to a purchase might be worth a finder's fee of say ... fifteen percent?"

The elevator arrived.

"Let me think on it," I said.

"Take your time. I will be in town until the first of the year. You can reach me at the Carlyle in room 401."

He boarded the waiting elevator. I closed the door to my apartment, carried the tea service back into the kitchen, and stood at the sink thinking: Well, well, well.

Excerpted from Table for Two by Amor Towles. Copyright © 2024 by Amor Towles. Excerpted by permission of Viking. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.