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Lauren rolled her car up in front of the valet parking podium at The Harbor House. The same two valets who’d worked last Saturday were on duty. Tall Valet ran and opened her door, took one look at her, and winced. Oh, goody. He remembered her.
“Yep, it’s me,” Lauren said. She gave him her keys and a big smile and watched in amusement as his face turned the color of an eggplant. “You take good care of my car, you hear?” she said in a sweet voice that would make Momma proud.
“Yes, ma’am!”
She smoothed down her dress, a sleeveless red poplin number with a dropped waist and pleated skirt. She’d paired it tonight with a matching jacket and pearls. Instead of blow-drying her hair, she’d let it air dry, leaving it a little wild and curly. She carefully navigated the short distance into the restaurant. Her four inch heels were a bit extreme maybe, but like last Saturday, this date gave her an opportunity to wear something she normally couldn’t in her everyday life. She’d bought the black peep toe pumps (still in their original box!) for ten dollars at a Goodwill store in Pensacola on a weekend trip last month. So while they pinched her heels just a tad, they made her legs look better than what they really were, as well as giving the illusion of height.
Lauren took a deep breath and opened the door to the restaurant.
Free food. Chance to wear the shoes.
She gave her name to the hostess who seated her at… Oh, Lanie wasn’t Satan’s helper. She was Satan. It was the same exact table overlooking the water where Nate and Jessica sat last week.
Like a perfect gentleman, Nate stood when he saw her. He wore tan dress slacks and a long sleeved blue shirt open at the collar. A much more casual look than last week, but then this was a much more casual date. Although he’d obviously been waiting for her, he looked a little surprised to see her, too. Lauren had to admit, she’d had her doubts Nate would show up tonight. After their encounter at his office, she was positive neither of them had been looking forward to this date. She vaguely wondered if Lanie had threatened him, too. She wouldn’t doubt it.
Lauren, being her Momma’s daughter, smiled at him, because she could certainly be polite, and she could fake nice all day long if she had to. It was warm in the restaurant, so she took off her jacket. Their hands accidentally touched as he helped her in her seat and a little tingle ran up her spine. Probably from nerves. What on earth were they going to talk about for the next hour? Why had she agreed to this date, again? Oh, yes. This was going to get Momma off her back.
Free food. Chance to wear the shoes.
The hostess glanced between them. She looked startled, then quickly composed herself and gave them each a menu. It was obvious she recognized them from last weekend. “You’ve both dined with us recently?”
“Very recently,” Nate said.
His dry tone made Lauren smile. Good to know there was a sense of humor somewhere beneath that stiff exterior of his.
The hostess quickly went over the drink specials then scurried off.
“It’s moments like these that make me glad I’m an only child,” Lauren said. “I take it this table isn’t a coincidence?”
“Lanie has it in her head that the only way I’m going to get past last weekend is to hop right back into the ring. Or some silly analogy like that.”
“She told me you needed get back on the horse.”
He nodded. “That’s Lanie.”
Lauren took a moment to glance around the crowded dining room. With the exception of a few servers who were openly gawking at them, most of the restaurant’s patrons were minding their own business. Or at least, pretending to. “Maybe she’s right. You have to admit, this place doesn’t hold the best of memories for either one of us.”
“Except your night isn’t available to be seen twenty-four/seven on YouTube.” He looked at her and smiled (Nate Miller smiled!) and a…dimple popped out on his cheek.
Lauren quickly glanced down at the menu. “True,” she said. “Isn’t there any way you can make them take it down?”
He shrugged. “I suppose there must be. I really haven’t had time to look into it.”
If someone had plastered an unflattering video of her on YouTube, Lauren would have made the time to investigate. But maybe Nate really didn’t care what people thought of him. In some ways, it was refreshing.
Neither of them said anything for the next couple of minutes as they perused the menu. Their server, a twenty-something-ish guy came and took their drink orders. A glass of Pinot Noir for Lauren, beer for Nate. She’d stick to one drink. Order the simplest thing on the menu. Eat half of it, have the server box the other half, then she’d thank him for a lovely evening and they’d go their separate ways. Forty-five more minutes, tops.
Their drinks, thank God, came quickly. “Have you decided what you’d like?” Their server kept a straight face but there was a twinkle in his eye that told Lauren he knew exactly what had gone done at this table just a week ago. He wasn’t rude about it…but at the same time Lauren wanted to smack that gleam out of his eye.
“Would you like an appetizer?” Nate asked her.
“Oh, no, that’s not necessary. Unless, you’d like one?”
The server said, “I can recommend tonight’s special, Coquille St. Jacques. Very tasty.”
“Sounds good,” Nate said.
“Sure, why not?” Lauren mentally tacked another thirty minutes to the meal. Thankfully, it wasn’t too horribly awkward. At least, not yet. The server left and she decided to go ahead and put it out there. “About the other day in your office, I didn’t mean to insult you. So, sorry about that. I realize you were just doing your job.”
