Page 173 of Thorns of Malice

I take a sip of mimosa and smile, relaying, "My best friend is in town, and she needs a table for two on Friday night. She tried to make a reservation and was told that we're booked for eight months?"

"That's correct, Ms. Ford," he states.

"But you can make sure she gets the best table we have this upcoming Friday night, correct?"

A moment of silence occurs. I wait him out.

He answers, "Yes, Ms. Ford. I'll make that happen. What's her name?"

"Wonderful. Thank you, Ronaldo. It's Lilly?—"

"Have him put it in Jaxon's name," Lilly interjects.

I clear my throat and instruct, "Actually, put it under Jaxon Savoia."

"Jaxon Savoia?"

"Yes. J-A-X-O-N S-A-V-O-I-A." I spell out the name for him.

"Okay, Ms. Ford. Is nine o'clock okay for them?"

"Hold on a minute." I put my hand over the phone and ask Lilly, "Is nine o'clock okay?"

Lilly nods. "Yeah."

I return to my call. "That's great, Ronaldo, thank you so much."

"No problem," he claims.

"Have a great day," I chirp.

"You too, Ms. Ford."

I hang up.

Lilly claps her hands. "Yay. You're amazing."

"No problem. So when do you think you're leaving town? Friday is several days away. I'm assuming Jaxon's staying longer too?"

"I sure am," Jaxon answers as he slides into the booth next to Lilly.

She turns and beams at him. "What are you doing here?"

He kisses her quickly, replying, "I finished my work early. I thought I'd meet you two for lunch."

He slips his arm around her, smiles at me, then his face turns serious. "Ivy, are you okay?"

"I am. Looks like you two are getting along?" I wiggle my eyebrows.

He chuckles and then glances at Lilly. His eyes dart to her lips. "We're getting along perfectly, right, Lilly?"

"We sure are," she agrees and then gives him another kiss.

I tease, "All right, you two, break it up."

He chuckles.

Lilly blurts out, "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we have a double date tonight?"

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