Page 51 of Rewrites of the Heart

“And we’re two fictional characters from a romance novel. What’s your point?"

“No point, I guess. No point at all.”

Finally, they slinked their way over to the booth across from JJ and Kenn. They hurriedly slid into the benches.

“Just in time.” Alex said. And not a moment too soon. The maître d’ had reached the booth with the family of four. He was startled to discover it already occupied.

“Who are…” he began. He stopped in midsentence, displaying all the grace and confidence of a true professional and steered his diners to the next booth, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

On his return to the podium, he glared at the couple. She sweetly smiled back; Blake tipped his hat.

“Here, hurry. Open your menu and hold it up to hide your face.” She opened Blake’s menu for him and stuck it in front of his face.

“Again?”

“Yes, again.”

He dutifully obliged. He waited a moment, then stuck his head out of the side of the large book-like menu.

“Psst! Alex.” Her pose identical to his, she strained to hear JJ’s conversation with Kenn.

“Psst! Sweetheart,” he repeated.

“What?” The exclamation came out a little louder than she had intended. Then she whispered, “Can’t you see I’m trying to listen?”

“Quite frankly, I can’t see a bloody thing with this menu in front of me like this.”

She fleetingly poked her head out of her menu. “That’s a good thing. That means they can’t see you.” Her head bobbed back behind her makeshift fortress.

“I’m still going to have the spaghetti.” He laid the menu down. “Garçon! Garçon!” he suddenly called out, holding his right hand above his head, and snapping his fingers.

“Don’t!” She frantically tried to shove the menu back in his face and reached for his arm to pull it down.

Chapter 37

“Have you any idea what you’re going to order?” JJ asked, as she looked over the candlelit table. She still couldn’t believe she was on a real date, giving romance a second chance.

“Everything sounds so good—” Kenn began.

“Garçon! Garçon!” The man in the booth across from them shouted again. Kenn laughed at the cartoonish character.

“What a comical pair,” he said, then paused. “There’s something oddly familiar about them. I think I know them.”

JJ looked their way, and gasped.

“You look like you’ve just seen a ghost,” Kenn said. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yes, I’m fine.” She continued to stare at the booth directly across from them.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Isn’t that…” He jumped up with enthusiasm and bounded over to the couple.

JJ quickly picked up her menu to hide her face. “Has everyone completely lost their minds?” she said out loud. A part of her couldn’t watch the impending encounter. Yet, another part of her was fascinated by the events. She peeked out the side of the menu, hypnotized in a mystified horror.

Just as Kenn approached the booth, the maître d’ came into sight, walking with a purposeful determination. But Hawkman didn’t come alone this time. Hustling up from behind, trying hard to keep up with his long-legged strides were Mario and Luigi. For every step Hawkman took, the brothers took three.

“Them.” Hawkman dramatically swung his arm, pointing his long, bony finger at Alex and Blake, looking over his half-glasses. “Theyshould not be there.”

She watched Alex fidget in her seat, adjusting the menu in a vain attempt to hide her face. Either the finger of fate carried some unnamed magic power that caused her to wriggle uncontrollably or she was trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. The former seemed unlikely, and the latter nearly impossible, JJ thought ruefully.

---