all the enthusiasm with which she’d probably regard a rat.
“Hello,” she said, looking down her nose at me and refusing to shake my hand.
I pumped it up and down anyway, as if I were shaking an invisible hand, to show her just how rude I thought she was being. Yes, I’m a smart aleck, but only in the face of blatant impropriety.
Gopher didn’t seem to notice; instead he moved me over to a young, good-looking guy with shoulder-length black hair, olive skin, high cheekbones, lots of turquoise jewelry, and a small white feather dangling from one earlobe. “And this is Heath Whitefeather,” he said.
Heath reached out his hand first and we shook, exchanging big, toothy smiles. “Hi!” he said, and I immediately liked him.
“Hi, yourself,” I said.
“Now that we’re all here,” Gopher announced, addressing the entire group, “let’s head next door for dinner.”
We all tagged along behind Gopher toward the Salazar Bistro, adjacent to the Duke, and my stomach growled as I caught a whiff of something delicious wafting out from inside the restaurant. “Man, am I hungry,” I said as we approached.
“All food is included, so feel free to chow down,” Gilley said to my right, and I noticed he was keeping a bit of distance from me. I gave him a smile that said we were on better terms, and he melted. “I’m really sorry!” he whispered, moving in to give my shoulder a bump with his own.
“I know,” I said gently. “Just next time, sweetheart, can you please think first and talk second?”
“You know that’s always been a challenge for me.” He grinned.
“Yes, but the challenging part isn’t just for you; it’s for the rest of us who suffer for it.”
“Okay, okay,” he said. “I get it. Now let’s drop it and enjoy dinner.”
“Deal,” I agreed.
The hostess led our troop to a table at the back of the restaurant large enough for everyone to sit down without feeling cramped. Gilley chose a seat right next to Gopher, ( quelle surprise ), and I went for the seat next to Gil. My chair was pulled out for me, and I turned my head to see Steven doing his usual chivalry thing. “Thanks, sweetie,” I said, and he gave my cheek a buss before taking the seat next to me.
Across from me I noticed that Bernard had taken his seat just to the left of Madam Hateful, and on the other side of him sat Heath.
I tried to ignore Bernard’s renewed attempts to ogle my chest (I’m “blessed” in that area, and I find that around lecherous old guys my boobs have the magical ability to lower a few IQ points) and opened my menu with enthusiasm, while using it as a prop to block Bernard.
“What looks good to you?” Steven murmured after a moment of looking at the menu.
“Everything,” I said with a grin. “But I think I’m going to go for the sautéed monkfish.”
“Good choice,” he agreed. “I was trying to decide between that and the braised short ribs.”
“Ooh,” I said, darting my eyes down the menu. “That sounds really good too. Why don’t you get that and I’ll get the monkfish and we’ll share?”
“Perfect,” Steven said, closing his menu.
I set mine down too, and that was when I became aware of the buzz around the table. “Yes, I agree,” Bernard was saying to Madam Hateful. “I too picked up a suicide.”
“Her lover left her,” said Angelica, and the way she spoke you couldn’t help but think she found herself incredibly important. “There was another woman, of course, and this caused the poor wretch to leap to her death.”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Gilley staring at me the way a hungry dog stares when it really, really wants to take a bite out of your steak. I turned my head and lowered my eyebrows in that don’t you dare say a word! way, and he dropped his eyes to the table and sighed.
Gopher said, “Angelica and Bernard, do you think you might be able to contact this poor woman?”
“Oh, but I already have,” replied Madam Hateful with a wave of
“Hello,” she said, looking down her nose at me and refusing to shake my hand.
I pumped it up and down anyway, as if I were shaking an invisible hand, to show her just how rude I thought she was being. Yes, I’m a smart aleck, but only in the face of blatant impropriety.
Gopher didn’t seem to notice; instead he moved me over to a young, good-looking guy with shoulder-length black hair, olive skin, high cheekbones, lots of turquoise jewelry, and a small white feather dangling from one earlobe. “And this is Heath Whitefeather,” he said.
Heath reached out his hand first and we shook, exchanging big, toothy smiles. “Hi!” he said, and I immediately liked him.
“Hi, yourself,” I said.
“Now that we’re all here,” Gopher announced, addressing the entire group, “let’s head next door for dinner.”
We all tagged along behind Gopher toward the Salazar Bistro, adjacent to the Duke, and my stomach growled as I caught a whiff of something delicious wafting out from inside the restaurant. “Man, am I hungry,” I said as we approached.
“All food is included, so feel free to chow down,” Gilley said to my right, and I noticed he was keeping a bit of distance from me. I gave him a smile that said we were on better terms, and he melted. “I’m really sorry!” he whispered, moving in to give my shoulder a bump with his own.
“I know,” I said gently. “Just next time, sweetheart, can you please think first and talk second?”
“You know that’s always been a challenge for me.” He grinned.
“Yes, but the challenging part isn’t just for you; it’s for the rest of us who suffer for it.”
“Okay, okay,” he said. “I get it. Now let’s drop it and enjoy dinner.”
“Deal,” I agreed.
The hostess led our troop to a table at the back of the restaurant large enough for everyone to sit down without feeling cramped. Gilley chose a seat right next to Gopher, ( quelle surprise ), and I went for the seat next to Gil. My chair was pulled out for me, and I turned my head to see Steven doing his usual chivalry thing. “Thanks, sweetie,” I said, and he gave my cheek a buss before taking the seat next to me.
Across from me I noticed that Bernard had taken his seat just to the left of Madam Hateful, and on the other side of him sat Heath.
I tried to ignore Bernard’s renewed attempts to ogle my chest (I’m “blessed” in that area, and I find that around lecherous old guys my boobs have the magical ability to lower a few IQ points) and opened my menu with enthusiasm, while using it as a prop to block Bernard.
“What looks good to you?” Steven murmured after a moment of looking at the menu.
“Everything,” I said with a grin. “But I think I’m going to go for the sautéed monkfish.”
“Good choice,” he agreed. “I was trying to decide between that and the braised short ribs.”
“Ooh,” I said, darting my eyes down the menu. “That sounds really good too. Why don’t you get that and I’ll get the monkfish and we’ll share?”
“Perfect,” Steven said, closing his menu.
I set mine down too, and that was when I became aware of the buzz around the table. “Yes, I agree,” Bernard was saying to Madam Hateful. “I too picked up a suicide.”
“Her lover left her,” said Angelica, and the way she spoke you couldn’t help but think she found herself incredibly important. “There was another woman, of course, and this caused the poor wretch to leap to her death.”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Gilley staring at me the way a hungry dog stares when it really, really wants to take a bite out of your steak. I turned my head and lowered my eyebrows in that don’t you dare say a word! way, and he dropped his eyes to the table and sighed.
Gopher said, “Angelica and Bernard, do you think you might be able to contact this poor woman?”
“Oh, but I already have,” replied Madam Hateful with a wave of
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