Page 40 of The Talk Around Town

Silence descended when, as one, everyone in the entire bar turnedand stared.

Emma swallowed and forced a smile onto her mouth. This was even worse than the first night she’d walked in with Darby. She glanced at Pete and received an affirming pat on her forearm.

A real, full-blown smile split her lips because of Pete’s silent support. How ridiculous for all these people to be here, staring at her like this.

A beaming Max moved toward them from across the wide dance floor.

“Evening Pete, Emma. If you’ll follow me, I have the best table in the house ready for you.”

He spun and made his way back the way he’d come, stopping in front of a booth next to one of the wide-open, double-hung windows overlooking both the bistro and gardens outside.

Beautifully crafted handmade place mats were laid with silver flatware, a cut-crystal vase containing a single white rose standing between the two place settings. Wine glasses gleamed in the soft, muted light from the dimmed spotlights overhead.

Max seated Emma and handed out the menus.

“I’ll leave you to decide what you’ll have. Any requests for drinks?”

Emma flicked her gaze over the fancy menu in her hands, new from the last time she’d been here, only two weeks ago.

Max smiled at her when she looked up at him questioningly. “I change the menu once a month. Keeps things more interesting. I had these ones made special for tonight.”

Emma shook her head and pushed her fringe out of her eyes. “What a shame it was wasted on me. The normal one would’ve been fine.”

A conspiratorial grin wound onto Max’s mouth as he leaned down. “Pete told me it was him. I wanted to give you guys a good meal. You have quite a kitty to use up. It’s going to take more than one night to get through it. What can I get you to drink?”

*

Emma pushed asideher plate. Determined as she was, she just couldn’t finish the amount of food on it. She loved food and always tended to order too much, but this time she believed it wasn’t her over-orderingthat was the problem.

Max was intent on giving them value for their money, and by the looks of the food still on her plate he must think that meant fattening her up.

Sighing heavily, she sat back and groaned aloud.

“Too much for you, my dear?” Pete’s amusement sparkled in his faded-brown eyes.

“You could say that.”

Emma took in the amount of food left on Pete’s plate. There was none. His helping had looked significantly smaller than hers when they’d brought them over. When she’d queried Gabe, he’d shrugged a shoulder and told her to ask Max.

“Excuse me, Pete, but I need to visit the ladies’ room. I’ll be back soon.”

Moving through the packed bar and dining area, Emma felt eyes watching her every step. Placing her hand on the bathroom door to push it open, she raised her gaze to see who it was that had her so on edge.

Gabe.

He stood behind the bar, wiping down a stack of newly washed, steaming glasses, his eyes firmly on her. A slight smile widened his delicious mouth and he nodded once. He stared a moment longer, then turned to place the glass behind him.

Emma shoved the door hard and walked into the bathroom, going to the last stall. The man had been weird all night. He hadn’t spoken to her, other than offering the most basic of courtesies.

The main door to the ladies’ room opened several times, the last of which had hurried footsteps rushing to the stalls beside her. Doors slammed. Voices rose over the sound of the flushing toilet.

Emma stepped out, set her small bag on the counter and washed her hands, pushing at her hair to make sure it would stay up in its twist and not fall out all over the place like it usually did. She smoothed her hands down the front of her dress, straightening her skirt and turning in the mirror to check that it still looked okay.

As the water slowed, the voices became distinguishable. One voice in particular stood out.

“You’d think she’d have the decency to pick someone her own age.”

Millie.

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