“Oh, really? Good things I hope?” Jess said.
“Yes, she said you’re going to be a formidable lawyer one day.”
Mel watched Jess’s face turn pink. Apparently, Mel wasn’t the only one who Vanessa’s charms worked on.
Vanessa turned to Mel and handed her the flowers. “These are for you.”
“Thanks. They’re beautiful.” Mel held them up to her nose and breathed deeply. They smelled as wonderful as they looked.
“So, what do you have planned for Mel’s birthday?” Jess asked Vanessa.
“Quite a bit. I’m going to spoil her more than anyone ever has spoiled her before.” Vanessa said.
“Well, try to keep her out of trouble,” Jess joked.
“I can’t make any promises.” Vanessa shot Mel a suggestive glance.
Jess smirked, a knowing look on her face.
“Don’t you have a bus to catch, Jess?” Mel said. “You know, at the other side of campus?”
“Okay, I get the hint. Have fun tonight.” Jess turned back to Vanessa. “It was lovely to meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine,” Vanessa replied.
Jess giggled. “Bye, Melanie. Don’t forget about brunch on Sunday. I want to hear all about your evening.”
“Okay, bye, Jess,” Mel said through gritted teeth. She watched Jess disappear around the corner.
Vanessa walked around the car and opened the passenger side door. “Your friend seems nice.”
Mel grumbled wordlessly and sat down.
Vanessa took the flowers from Mel’s hands and placed them in the back seat. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Mmmm,” Mel set down her fork and leaned back in her chair. “This is delicious.”
“Isn’t it divine?” Vanessa said. “This is one of the best restaurants in the city. It’s very hard to get a table. Luckily, I know the chef.”
“You went through all this trouble for me?”
“All I did was call in a favor. It’s nothing, really.”
“This is not nothing.”
The small, intimate restaurant was finer than any that Mel had ever been to. From the shiny silver cutlery to the crisp, white tablecloths, everything in the room was pristine and rich. Their dinner, which they were halfway through, ran several courses. And there were no other diners. They had the whole restaurant to themselves.
“And I seem to remember saying ‘nothing over the top,’” Mel said. “Is booking out an entire restaurant your idea of low key?”
“Trust me, this isn’t over the top,” Vanessa replied. “If I had my way, we’d be on a flight to Paris right now.”
“You’re not even joking, are you?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Vanessa poured them both another glass of wine, hand-picked by the restaurant’s sommelier. The bottle was almost empty already.
“Thank you,” Mel said. “For all of this.” Mel appreciated being able to spend some one-on-one time with Vanessa that didn’t involve Mel getting tied to something. Not that she minded that part. But it was a welcome change of pace.
Vanessa smiled. “Didn’t I tell you that you would love it?”