Innkeeping with Murder by Tim Myers Page B

Bean’s familiar openness, but he rarely made it into town
during tourist season, and Sandra never wanted to eat at Mamma’s
even if he was free.
    There was no one at the front, so Alex
started looking for an empty table when he felt two arms embrace
him. He looked down to see Irma herself giving him the bear hug of
his life. She was a short thin woman who somehow managed to keep
her slight figure around all the heavy sauces and rich desserts the
restaurant served. Though Irma was a tiny woman, she had the
longest reach Alex had ever seen, and the warmest heart, too.
    “It’s been too long since I’ve seen you,
Alexander.”
    Alex said, “Hi, Irma. I’d like to introduce
you to Elise Danton.”
    Irma released her grip on Alex and took
Elise’s hand in hers. “You’re the girl who’s been cooking for the
Dantons? An hour ago they told me your veal picata was better than
mine.”
    Elisa offered tentatively, “I’m sure your
picata is marvelous.”
    “When it comes to cooking, I’m always willing
to learn. So, are you going to share your secret with me?”
    “Well, it’s really all in the—”
    Irma held up her hand and shushed Elise. “Not
here,
    I don’t want everyone listening in. Let’s go
back to the kitchen, and you can tell me there.”
    Elise offered Alex a quick smile. “Excuse us,
will you?” To Irma, she said, “I’m ready if you are. It’s easier to
show than explain, anyway.”
    Irma slapped Alex on the back. “I like this
girl. Go find a table and eat some breadsticks. We’ll be with you
in a bit.”
    Alex made his way to an open table and
sampled the homemade bread while he waited for Elise to finish up
in the kitchen. He saw a few glances come his way, and he knew that
if Sandra were in town, she would have heard about the dinner
before they were finished with dessert. It was like that, living in
a small town. Alex knew he would have to make a preemptive strike
and tell Sandra about the business dinner first himself. Not that
he had to justify his every action to her.
    When Elise came back to the table, she let a
slight grin slip out as Alex jumped up to grab her chair.
    As she sat down in the offered seat, Elise
said, “You really are quite the gentleman, aren’t you?”
    Alex said, “I’ve been trying to break the
habit, but I’m not having much luck. To be honest with you, I’m
sick of being lectured about what a modern woman will or will not
put up with. I was raised to be polite to ladies and older folks.
My mother wouldn’t have any luck understanding the world
today.”
    Elise caught and held his eye, and Alex felt
the intensity of her look. In a serious tone, Elise said, “I think
your manners are refreshing. Don’t try to change them on my
account.”
    “Thank God. It’ll be wonderful just being
myself.”
    Elise added, “Just don’t treat me any
differently than you did Marisa while we’re at the inn, okay?”
    Alex smiled slightly. “I kept a clean
handkerchief available for her crying jags. Do I need to offer the
same service to you?”
    “No, but thanks for asking. Marisa is
something else, isn’t she?”
    “That’s one way of putting it.” Alex opened
his menu and studied the offerings. When he looked up, he noticed
Elise was looking at him instead of the menu.
    Alex said, “What’s the matter, do I have
bread crumbs on my face?”
    “No, it’s just that I took the liberty of
ordering for us. Irma wanted to see how I prepared my picata, so I
made three.”
    Alex smiled. “She’s a hard woman to resist,
isn’t she? I’ve never been able to say no to her myself.”
    “I think she’s delightful.”
    As if on cue, Irma came to their table
carrying two steaming plates filled with all of his favorites. Irma
knew what Alex liked, since he always ordered the same thing every
time he came to the restaurant He noticed that there was also a
small portion of veal picata on his plate, along with the spaghetti
and the ravioli combination platter he normally