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Way to go, Blue. What if etiquette rules were upgraded since then?
She’d heard of the table setting etiquette of the rich but hadn’t studied it in great detail, thinking she would never have to worry about having to dine with royalty or a head of state. Not that the Romeros were royals or heads of state.
They just lived like it.
It must be incredible to have such wealth and power as they had. She wondered how much it would cost to heat a massive entity like Romero Manor. She wondered what their monthly utility bill would set her back. Probably the amount of her annual income times ten thousand!
“Ah, Miss Monroe. Glad you could join us for dinner,” Toni Romero’s cheery voice greeted her as she and Courtney walked into the dining room.
“Th-thank you,” Blue stuttered. She felt flustered and almost lost her ability to breathe. In. Out. In. Out. Well, look at this place, she thought to herself. It was a spacious room with dim lighting provided by the enormous crystal chandelier hanging in the center. An intricately-carved oak dining table was flanked by of rows of neat, matching tall-back chairs. Blue couldn’t count the seats but she guessed it could very easily seat twenty people around the long table. What looked like expensive China plates were placed in front of each of the seats in addition to a tall empty glasses and rows of sparkling knives and forks.
Okay. She felt so out of her element here.
Was there a special occasion? Had she intruded on an already planned special family dinner?
“We often get together once a month to have a family dinner,” Toni spoke up as if he could somehow read her mind. Not that it did much to ease her anxiety. “You happen to be here at a fortunate time, Blue.” Toni continued, motioning Blue and Courtney to be seated.
She was glad there was another young lady who appeared to be Courtney’s age. Blue had already been introduced to the Romero family on another occasion so she knew who most of the family members were.
But where was Zack?
Her stomach felt uneasy. She needed Zack to be there. She felt so comfortable around him. Protected. It was weird. Blue couldn’t make sense of it. But Zack had that kind of effect on her. A connection. Though he could be distant at times, there was something about his aura and her being that just…clicked.
“Will Zack be here soon?” she asked politely.
Toni paused momentarily.
Blue felt as if she wished the ground could open up and swallow her whole. Did she ask the wrong question? Oh, God! Did she come off as desperate or attracted to Zack?
“He invited us to dinner with you, so I thought…” Blue clarified, trying to win over the moment again.
“Oh, nothing to worry about, dear. Zack had to attend to another matter but he should be joining us shortly,” Toni said matter-of-factly. She thought she caught the elder Romero raising a brow to his wife, Shelly. What was that about? Oh, God! Blue hoped they didn’t think anything was going on with her and Zack. God forbid. Not that she could ever really be with an out-of-her-league man like Zack.
“Oh, good,” she said, trying to hide her relief.
“By the way, we’re sorry to hear about what happened to you earlier this evening. How are you feeling, dear?” Toni asked with genuine concern.
“Oh, I’m okay. Just a little shaken. But no broken bones,” she said softly, trying to put on a brave face.
“We’re glad you’re okay. I hope they catch that fool who did that.”
Blue smiled appreciatively.
“Hi, I’m Melissa,” the young woman at the table said to Courtney as she sat down beside her.
Shelly, Toni’s wife, also greeted Courtney. “Courtney, this is my niece. She’s staying with us for the summer. We have a program running for young college students.”
“Oh, that sounds cool,” Courtney chimed in. “I’ve heard about the Rom Res.”
“The what?” Shelly said in unison with Blue.
“Oh, it’s what it’s called by a group of us. It’s a nickname.” Melissa playfully rolled her eyes. Courtney grinned. They both seemed to hit it off right away.
Inside, Blue was more than thankful her little sister had made a new friend. Just over an hour ago, Courtney was in such a distress when she found out that Blue was at the ER after the accident. Courtney finally calmed down when Blue had assured her she was safe and everything was okay. She didn’t feel the need to get her worried about the other part of the story, so she omitted telling her that someone had tried to kill her.
