And he’d had to let her go.
That didn’t seem right. Fair. Something. Until he thought of the situation from Audra’s perspective. He couldn’t offer her anything permanent. Until his own life settled down a bit he couldn’t even think about finding his own Mabel Fortune. So from time to time he’d miss Audra. But he’d have to deal with it.
He took a breath and glanced out of the window at the beautiful landscape, realizing why Mark had built his estate this far out in the country and why he worked from his home office. The peace and tranquility of the area seemed to seep into Donminic’s soul.
The road wound through farmland, occasionally disturbed by a small town, until the ratio of small towns to farms shifted. On the edge of the final town before Dominic’s driver would have eased onto the highway into Boston, an enormous sign announced Gina’s Italian Restaurant.
Normally the sign wouldn’t have caught his attention, but taking in the scenery as he had been, he couldn’t miss it. Just then he saw a car like Audra’s in the parking lot. It wasn’t the only gray car of that make he’d ever seen with a bright-red bumper sticker, but if the bumper sticker said Wedding Belles, then he pretty much figured Audra was in the restaurant.
On impulse, he leaned forward, tapped Jimmy’s shoulder and said, “Pull in there.”
As Jimmy maneuvered around the lot, he said, “Drive by that car. See if you can read the bumper sticker.”
Jimmy laughed. “The bumper sticker?”
“It should say something about wedding planners—”
Jimmy’s eyes narrowed as he looked ahead at the car Dominic thought was Audra’s. “No wedding planners… Wedding Belles…”
“That’s it,” Dominic said with a laugh. “Drop me off at the door. I won’t be long.” He just wanted to say hello. Really. Just say hello and see her. Just for a minute.
“Yes, sir.”
He couldn’t imagine why she’d have lunch this late…or at a restaurant so far out of town. But here she was and he couldn’t resist stopping.
He stepped out of his car and walked to the door. When he pushed it open, darkness greeted him. As his eyes adjusted, he saw neon lights advertising different brands of beer above a dimly lit wood bar, but the only light in the rest of the room came from candles on the center of tables covered with red-and-white checked tablecloths.
It was close to two o’clock in the afternoon. Lunch was over and dinnertime wasn’t for a few hours, but the bar was packed. And the clientele didn’t look the best in the world. Denim, leather vests and jackets, biker chains and boots dominated the room.
A roar of laughter erupted from the area beyond the bar, and Dominic saw three or four guys playing pool.
Ignoring that, he scanned the restaurant section, looking for Audra. It took a few scans before he found her, sitting at the last table in the corner of the otherwise empty dining room. Alone.
Alone? She’d come to an out-of-town restaurant alone? A restaurant that had this kind of crowd?
A short, bald man approached. A huge red apron covered his white shirt and black trousers. “Can I help you, sir?”
“Uh…” He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been to a restaurant were the maître d’ didn’t know his name. Or the last time he’d gone to a restaurant without a reservation. Worse, he hadn’t come here for food.
He pointed to the far corner where Audra sat. “Do you know that woman back there?”
He followed Dominic’s line of vision and smiled. “Audra.”
“Audra Greene?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Can I sit with her?”
He laughed. “I’d say that’s up to her.” He grabbed a menu and led Dominic through the maze of tables, stopping at Audra’s. Up close Dominic could see her laptop open at the place beside hers. Though there was a salad in front of her, her gaze was on the papers to her right.
As they approached, she glanced up. “Dominic?”
“Hey.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I saw your car as I was driving by. Bumper sticker gives you away.”
She winced. “I guess.”
“A little advertising never hurt anyone.” He pointed at the empty place. “Mind if I sit?”
She scrambled to gather her papers, but he stopped her. “Don’t worry about it. I just want a cup of coffee—”
He turned to the man in the apron as he said that, and the man scurried away. Sitting on the chair across from her, he said, “What’s up?”
She took a breath. “I’m working.”
“This is Wedding Belles’ office?”