Page 9 of The Neighborhood Vampire

“Look,” he said.

Alice turned to see what stopped Hugo in his tracks. The awning forAntonio’s Italian Ristorante—normally red, green, and white stripes—was now black with a single crimson stripe down the middle.

“Why would he change it?” Alice said.

“Let’s ask him,” Hugo replied.

They approached the door and stopped once more. They both focused on the gold lettering on the door.Sylvia’s Bistro.

Hugo examined the front of the building, double checking the awnings along the strip. “This is the right place, right?”

“That’s our table, but it’s occupied,” Alice said. “I thought you made reservations.”

“I did.”

A waitress handed a couple two menus as they sat down for their Saturday night dinner at their table. Their special table. He reexamined the gold lettering of the door.Sylvia’s. He had passed through the door countless times before—it was unmistakable to him. This was the correct place, but not the right restaurant.

They checked with each other, a sense of foreboding in their eyes.

“Maybe Sylvia is his daughter or relative,” Hugo said.

“It seems sudden,” Alice replied. “Let’s find out.”

Hugo held the door as Alice entered. He hurried behind.

This was the same restaurant, only different. The walls were a darker, greenish-black paint. Crimson red curtains were pulled back in the windows. The white tablecloths were replaced with ones matching the curtains. The glass tea light candleholders, once on every table, had been replaced with black candlesticks holding melting red candles. The soft sounds of crooners entertaining guests was replaced by the symphonic melodies of classical piano.

“Welcome to Sylvia’s. How many?” the hostess asked.

While he wasn’t on a first-name basis with everyone, Hugo had spent enough time in Antonio’s to recognize the faces of the employees.He scanned the restaurant, but didn’t recognize a single face of the waitstaff.

“How many?”

“I believe we have a reservation,” Alice said. “It should be under Dodds.”

“Ah, yes. This way, please.” The hostess picked up two menus and guided them around the corner to the back of the restaurant.

Alice followed, but Hugo didn’t.

“Everything okay?” Alice whispered to Hugo.

“It feels . . . odd,” Hugo whispered back.

“I’m sure it’s fine. Let’s go sit down,” Alice said.

They followed the hostess.

The hostess placed the menus on the square table. “Enjoy,” she said before returning to the front.

He pulled out Alice’s chair, inviting her to sit.

“Still a gentleman,” Alice said.

“Always.”

Alice removed her hat and tailcoat, handing them both to Hugo before sitting down.

Hugo draped the coat over his arm and held onto her hat. Using them as a shield from Alice’s prying eyes, he moved the velvet box from his jacket to his pant pocket. He moved to hang up their coats, but stopped. He searched, but couldn’t find any coat racks. Unable to find any, he pulled out an empty chair, set her hat down in the seat, and draped the coats over the chairback.

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