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“Nice to meet you,” Annabelle said.
“I am happy to finally meet you. He has spoken very highly of you, but I won’t embarrass him.” Dolly looked fondly at Dante while continuing to hold on to Annabelle’s hand. “Do you know your husband is very hard-headed?”
“I thought you weren’t going to embarrass me,” Dante reminded her.
“Hard-headed? That comes as no surprise,” Annabelle said.
Dante glowered at her, and both women laughed.
“Did he tell you that he wanted to move us to a new building?”
“Yes, he did.”
“He’s always trying to do something for us, and we keep telling him he does not owe us anything. So now he hires us to cater business meetings, and once a year at Christmas, he buys out the restaurant for an entire day, and everyone at the homeless shelter nearby eats for free.” She patted Annabelle’s hand. “Please take good care of him. He is a good man.”
“I will,” Annabelle said in a solemn tone, meeting Dante’s eyes.
“I will leave you both to your meal. Dante, it is good to see you, as always. I’ll tell Rafe you stopped by.”
They sat down, and Annabelle stared at Dante from across the table.
“What do you want to ask?”
She carefully straightened her napkin across her lap. “I don’t know how to say this without sounding selfish, I guess. But you never brought me here before, even when we were first married. Why?” Instead of waiting for a response, she answered for him. “Let me guess—because you didn’t think I’d appreciate this kind of place.”
“That’s not why.”
“No? We both know you had a low opinion of me.” She sounded hurt.
“On the contrary, I didn’t have a low opinion ofyou. Perhaps I had a low opinion of myself.”
Her eyes softened and the corners of her mouth twitched. “You shouldn’t have. I married you, didn’t I?’
A smile curved his lips. “Yes, you did.”
26
Ray returned with their drinks—an El Salvadorean horchata cocktail for Dante and a ginger and basil cocktail for Annabelle. She took a sip of her drink and her eyes widened.
“Oh my goodness, this is good.”
“They don’t make bad food or drinks here.” He had tasted every item on the menu and never been disappointed with a single one.
“How is this place not better known?” She looked around.
A third of the tables were empty.
“By choice. Some people are satisfied with what they have. They don’t feel compelled to work harder and strive for greater achievements. Dolly and Rafe are genuinely good people who exemplify this mindset. They are happy and comfortable in their current situation.”
That’s why he willingly supported them in any way he could. They had given back to the community for years without seeking anything in return.
Dante sipped his horchata and shifted gears. “Have you heard from Albert since the last time you saw him?”
Annabelle shook her head. “Not a peep. Are you ever going to tell me what you said to him?”
“I made sure he understood not to approach you again.”
“Well, he hasn’t. I half expected him to kick up a fuss when the board voted for me, but Daddy said they had a long talk over dinner one night—before he talked to the board. Albert was furious and tried to change his mind. He left the dinner early and told my father that he’d regret his decision. Daddy thought what he said might have been a threat, but he wasn’t sure.”
