Nora smiled. “I live here, Emil. My life is here, yours is not. I don’t think trying to plan another dinner is worth either of our time, is it?”
He frowned. “Things change.”
She arched her brow and held her ground. “Not that much, they don’t. Please, have a safe trip to LA.” She stepped to the side and gestured toward the door. With one last look, he apologized again, then left. She watched his form move down the sidewalk, then she turned to the host. “I will take the table, but if you charge any part of my meal to that man, you will regret it.” She softened her comment with a smile, and the man grinned.
“He was an ass. I know I shouldn’t say that about a customer—”
“He wasn’t a customer, though, was he?” Nora countered.
The grin turned into a smile. “He was not. And I hope he regrets standing you up. You, on the other hand, are going to have a night you will never forget. I’ll make sure of it.”
Nora smiled back and was about to follow him to a cozy table tucked in the corner when she heard someone call her name. Turning, she saw a man standing at the door.
“Nora, it is you! How are you?”
Nora blinked, her mind racing. When it caught up, she smiled, a genuine smile. “Charlie, how are you?” He approached and dropped a kiss on her cheek before wrapping her in a hug. “How long has it been?” she asked when he pulled away.
“Fifteen years or so,” he answered. “Are you still in the area?”
Nora glanced at the host, who was standing politely by his lectern, a menu in hand.
“I am. I live just north of the city. My date for the night did a runner. If you don’t have plans for tonight, and Constance won’t mind, would you care to join me?” She and Charlie had dated for close to two years during college. Their relationship had ended senior year and a few years after, he’d married Constance, his high school sweetheart.
“Connie and I divorced last year, and I’d love to join you.”
A gleam of interest came into his eyes, and Nora’s heart sank. Dinner with a newly single ex-boyfriend wasn’t high on her wish list. Having dinner with an old married friend would have been much better. Unfortunately, it was too late to withdraw the invitation.
She glanced at the host again, who flashed her a sympathetic look. The man was more observant than most. That thought had her smiling, as if the two of them were accomplices in this farce of an evening.
“I’ll grab another menu,” he said. Nora murmured a thank-you, and Charlie beamed. In all fairness, he hadn’t changed much from their younger days. He was still fit, had most of his hair, and had aged just the right amount. If she’d felt anything other than friendliness toward him, the dinner could prove interesting. Unfortunately, she didn’t think that would be the case.
Two and a half hours later, her prediction had come true. In an attempt to rekindle their young affair, he spent most of the time explaining to her how great it was to be single again. And how much more he appreciated it now that he was such a successful lawyer with money and prestige to spare. He asked a sum total of four questions about her. And yes, she counted.
“Nora?”
She looked up to see Lucian standing behind Charlie. So lost in her own thoughts, she hadn’t even noticed his approach. She frowned and looked at her watch.
“I’m a little early. I can grab a coffee or something,” he offered.
She shook her head. Maybe a little too quickly, because Charlie turned in his chair to glare at Lucian. “Charlie Henderson,” he said, rising and holding out his hand.
Lucian looked down, then to Nora, before finally shaking it. “Lucian Salvitto,” he said. “Friend of Nora’s and her ride.”
“I’ll give her a ride,” Charlie said.
Nora’s eyebrows shot up at the presumption, and when Lucian looked at her, she gave a little shake of her head. “We’re working together in Western Massachusetts for a few weeks, and it’s several hours away,” Lucian said.
Charlie started to say something but stopped when Nora rose. “Thank you for joining me tonight, Charlie,” she said. “But Lucian is right. We have a long drive ahead of us.”
Charlie’s gaze bounced between the two, then landed on Lucian. “Are you related to Six? Same last name and all.”
Lucian nodded but didn’t say anything. Charlie switched his attention to Nora. “Maybe we can meet up again soon?”
She had no interest in meeting up with Charlie again. And definitely not in the way the gleam in his eye was suggesting. But it wasn’t worth discussing now. “I’m out of town for the next several weeks,” she reminded him. Disappointment flashed across his features, and Nora almost smiled. He’d anticipated an easy conquest. She doubted his interest would hold for the next few weeks. At least she hoped it wouldn’t.
He nodded. “Well, it was good to see you, Nora. You look amazing. As always. And thank you for dinner.”
She was batting zero for two tonight. She didn’t begrudge paying for their meal—a luxury she had—but to not even offer to pay seemed, well, presumptuous. She always offered to pay, at least for her part of meals, when eating out with friends.