Page 29 of The Main Event

“They’re vampire bats,” Lux replied. “Of course they’ve been drinking blood.”

“I see.” I didn’t see. I didn’t want to offend her, though, because the bats were oddly mesmerizing. “This place is cool,” I offered as I took the menu from her. “Have you been in Salem long?”

“I’ve been here all my life,” Lux replied. “My future husband just moved over from Boston about two years ago. He took a bit of time to adjust to the Salem way of life. He’s finally coming around, though.”

“He lived in Boston?” She had my full attention now. “That’s where I’m from.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Lux said. “You both have that ‘I’ve got something stuck in my butt’ thing going for you. Jesse has lost his stick. Maybe you will, too.” She gave me a hard hit to the shoulder before moving away from the table. “Your waitress will be with you shortly.” She gave Daisy an evil grin before walking away.

When Daisy turned her attention to me, I was expectant. “What was that smile about?” I asked.

“What smile?” Daisy was suddenly the picture of innocence. “I wasn’t smiling.”

“You’re a terrible liar.” I flipped open the menu and started perusing it. “Huh,” I said after a beat.

“That sounds like a loaded ‘huh’,” Daisy said. Her gaze felt heavy on me. “What is that ‘huh’ supposed to mean?”

“It just means that the menu surprises me,” I answered truthfully. “Actually, the menu looks a little schizophrenic. There are things like fried cheese curds but also things like baked oysters with spinach and artichoke hearts offset with squash ribbons. I mean … that’s a specific appetizer there.”

Daisy’s laugh had me going warm all over. “Jesse—that’s Lux’s fiancé—always wanted to be a revered chef. Everybody in his family owns restaurants in Boston, and he wanted to break out on his own and do the same.”

“Wait … Jesse Crane?” I knew the name.

“Yeah.” Surprise registered on Daisy’s face. “You know him?”

“We went to the same gym together in Boston. I know his family. His older brother is a trip.”

“Errol? Yeah. He’s funny … and flirty.”

It was the last word that had something nasty triggering in my stomach. Had she dated Errol? I didn’t like that idea one little bit. Why didn’t I like that idea? I didn’t think about it long. Instead, I focused on the menu. “What’s good here?”

“Everything is good. If you’ll notice, everything is branded for Halloween too.”

“How does that work when it’s not Halloween?”

“People still come here even when it’s not Halloween. Halloween is just our big hurrah.”

“Right. What about boaters? I’m guessing there are a lot of boaters around because of the proximity to the water.”

“Sure. Salem has a specific schtick, though. You can’t change the schtick. You have to embrace it.”

Lux was the one who returned when it was time to order. “I’ll handle you guys,” she said. “The waitstaff is having a meeting with Jesse in the back. We’re not busy yet, so I’m more than happy to serve as your waitress for the evening.” She winked at me. “I expect a big tip, though.”

I should’ve been annoyed. If someone else had said that to me, I would give them the bare twenty percent and move on. There was something charming about her attitude, though. “I’ll have the porterhouse and whatever is on tap.”

“Oh, we have a lot of things on tap,” Lux said. “You’ll have to be more specific.”

“Do you have a pale ale?”

“A few. How does Amber Pale Ale sound?”

“I’ll take it.”

Lux kept her gaze on me a beat longer and then turned to Daisy. “How about you?”

“I’ll have the scallops and squash,” Daisy replied. “Can I have one of those yummy pomegranate martinis, too?”

“Absolutely.” Lux bobbed her head and collected our menus.

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