He shook her hand and said, “Yup. When Naomi told me about her little scheme, I couldn’t refuse. It was nice to meet you and David, and now this lady and I are off to the museum.”
“Are you sure we have to go?” Naomi whined. “Why don’t we get the dogs and take them for a long walk down by the river?”
“Oh, no, I told you if I play along, you’re coming to the museum with me,” Frank took Naomi’s hand and waved to Stella and David. “See ya later.”
Stella didn’t see any luggage or bags. “Where’s all your stuff?”
“In a hotel across the street. I came in a few hours ago and wanted to take a quick shower. It was the hardest thing not to come to you right away, knowing you’re only fifteen minutes away. But it was Naomi’s first condition for helping me. Can you forgive me?” He kissed her.
“Of course, but now let’s get your things and go home.”
“There’s another condition,” he said as they started walking.
“Do I want to know?”
“She made reservations for dinner at seven o’clock tonight. She’s bringing Frank. Do you mind?”
“I don’t care if she’s bringing Frank or Rumpelstiltskin. As long as you’re with me. And yes, it’s fine, because I don’t have anything at home for dinner but a can of soup.”
Stella had never eaten at City Tavern. In her opinion, it was reserved for tourists.
But as soon as she walked into the restaurant, she fell in love with the ambiance and was delighted to see the staff wearing eighteenth-century clothes. She knew the original building had been razed in the 1850s, but the tavern was rebuilt in the 1970s, and patrons dined in an accurate and astonishing replica of the historical building where many of the Founding Fathers were frequent guests.
“It’s said this building is haunted by two ghosts. One is a waiter, and the other one a bride who died upstairs in a fire on her wedding day,” she told David.
Naomi gave her a piercing look. “Listen, missy. Leave your ghost stories at the front door, if you don’t mind. We’re here to enjoy a nice meal, and we don’t need any apparitions.”
David kissed Stella. “You can tell me later. But I’m also looking forward to a quiet meal with friends. And with my love.” He kissed her again.
“Is this how it’s going to be from now on?” Naomi made kissy noises.
Frank turned her to face him and placed a kiss on her lips before he said, “Leave ’em alone.”
“Thank you, Frank. I’ve heard she’s difficult to shut up,” David said and ducked when Naomi tried to smack him on the head.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her. She’ll be as quiet as a mouse.”
“Are you out of your—” Naomi started...and was silenced again.
This’ll be fun to watch. Has Naomi met her match?
While they chatted over appetizers and enjoyed a first round of drinks, Stella observed her friend closely. Frank wasn’t the type of man Naomi usually dated. He was much more casual and seemed very easygoing. She’d have to quiz her later.
Putting down her menu, Stella said, “So, tell me, Nam, why was going out to dinner one of your requirements for helping David?”
“Well, I’ve never eaten here, and I figured your lover would want to celebrate with us. If I left you two to your own devices, you wouldn’t leave your house for the whole weekend. What I did is called intervention.”
“You’re allowed to use his real name every now and then.” It was annoying when Naomi referred to David as “Troubadour,” and Stella didn’t want “Lover” to become her latest nickname for him. “And I don’t think we need any interventions. But…thank you for picking this restaurant. Why did we never come here?”
“Too much history oozing out of the walls and floors in this place”—Naomi grinned at Frank—“but now I’m getting a totally new appreciation for it.”
“After one visit to a history museum? Wow,” Stella teased, and studied her menu again. “I don’t know what to order. The veal cutlet looks good, the beef tips sound amazing, and the filet mignon, too.”
“Order the veal cutlet, and I’ll get the beef tips. Halfway through, we’ll swap. Remember our dinner in Paris?” David suggested.
“How could I forget?” she grinned.
“David, dahhling! I saw you walk in. Oh, my God, to run into you here, of all places!”
A woman approached their table and leaned down to kiss his cheek. Her platinum blonde hair was styled in an asymmetrical, chin-length bob. Dressed in slim-fitting black pants and a silver top, she was stylish, but the low-cut top, which offered a generous view of two of her clearly enhanced assets, ruined the first impression and gave her an overall unpleasant appearance.
If she was wearing eighteenth-century garb and wig, she would’ve been a convincing harlot. Yet even a high-end restaurant like this wouldn’t go to such lengths for the sake of recreating past times.
The woman kept going, “It’s hard to keep track of you these days. You’re never long enough in one place to catch up with you.” Her manicured fingers rested on David’s shoulder and her calculating stare slid over Stella first, then over Naomi, until she stopped at Frank, where the look turned coquettish. “Oh, am I interrupting something? Davy, I don’t think I’ve met your friends before.”
“What are you doing here?” His skin had taken on a grayish-greenish shade, and his cold voice gave Stella chills. She was surprised he hadn’t even said hello to their intruder.
A terrible sense of foreboding settled in Stella’s stomach. No, this couldn’t be…
The woman ignored his question and rattled on, “I’ve wanted to talk to you for several months. Your phone number doesn’t work anymore, and I tried to get your new one from Aaron, but that man is as useless as ever. I even explained to
