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She described the house to the woman, who was familiar with the neighborhood.
“You will like it here. Come sit.” The woman showed them to a table and handed them menus. “What can I get you to drink?”
“What do you have in the way of wine?” Gilmour asked.
“We have nice Greek wine. Not sweet,” she said. She motioned that she would be right back. In just a few minutes, she returned with two glasses and a bottle of Volcanic Slopes from Santorini. “You taste. You like. You no like, we try something else.”
Gilmour and Melanie swirled the honey-colored potion, sniffed, and tasted. “I like. You like?” he asked Melanie.
“Yes.” She studied the bottle. It was made from the Assyr-tiko variety of grapes.
“Kalós,” the woman responded, meaning “good” in Greek. “We have delicious fish tonight.” She recited the menu, which was filled with delectable entrees.
They ordered a platter of dips with hummus, taramasalata, and tzatziki, with spanakopita, and grilled octopus on the side.
Melanie was animated as she discussed her plans for the house. Gilmour saw Melanie Drake in a completely different light. For once, she was thinking about herself. He chuckled.
She stopped short. “What’s so funny?”
“You. Your excitement is charming.”
“Charming? Me?” Melanie peered over her forkful of octopus.
“Yes, you.” Gilmour felt as if he were encountering a side of Melanie he hadn’t met before. “You’re always business. Facts. News. Real news. You do your homework. What I find fascinating is you are quite meticulous and methodical, but you decided to buy a house within, what, fifteen minutes?”
Melanie placed her fork on the table. “You know how sometimes you just know something? We do it all the time with our job. Sometimes knowledge and experience mesh to help us interpret certain situations.”
“There you go. I rest my case.” He continued to savor his dinner.
“But you’re right. It was a quick decision, but I made it based on what I wanted, what I could afford, and how it felt.”
“Intuition?” he asked.
“Gut feeling,” she answered, knowing those two words always settled better with men.
He smiled, knowing she was patronizing him. “I’m really happy for you, Mel. You have a new job and soon a new house.”
“With two German shepherds.” She raised her eyebrows. “You are going to have to help me figure out a bathroom area for them.”
“As a matter of fact, I did my research. They make artificial grass for outdoor dog potty use.”
“Dog potty use?” Melanie snorted. She lowered her voice as the waitress brought their entrees.
Gilmour reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. “It was on the same posting with the dogs. I guess they want to make it easier for people to say yes. I went to the website and downloaded the PDF. They use it to train dogs, and it can be used outdoors.”
“You have done your homework.”
“I had to. I’m getting two puppies, remember?”
Melanie studied the ad for the fake grass. “I can partition it off with landscaping. They’ll have a private potty.” She had a big grin on her face. “I’m not going to be in the house for at least six weeks. Where will Cosmo and Kramer live until then?”
“Believe it or not, they are going through debriefing, and of course medical exams. If you’re not ready when they’re released, I’ll keep them until you are. You’ll can come by every night.”
Melanie shook her head. “Let’s not forget soccer practice.”
“Can you bring the dogs to school?”
“Huh. Good question.”
