“Yeah, probably not,” she chuckled. “But at least it doesn’t feel snobby in here. The staff seems nice, and the guests seem pleasant too. People are smiling and laughing and enjoying themselves. I like it.”
“Good,” said Archer with a smile, as he tightened his arm around her shoulders, keeping her much smaller body tucked close to the warmth of his masculine frame. They followed the Maître d’ to the intimate table for two and Archer pulled out her chair for her, making her feel like one of those old-fashioned actresses like Grace Kelly being treated to the gentlemanly attentions of the handsome suitor. Something about this restaurant made Kady feel like she was in another place, or time. Somewhere more glamorous than what she could ever imagine on her own.
“So, what do they do about those candles burning down in the middle of the meal?” Kady chuckled.
“A fancy waiter waltzes right in with a fresh candelabra and swipes away the old one, replacing it with the fresh one just as fast as he would refill your water glass. For that matter, it’s probably the same waiter who does both.”
“Oh, okay,” Kady chuckled, trying to picture it like some choreographed play. “And does he also dance away the dishes when we’re gone?”
“How should I know that if I’m gone when he does it?” Archer pointed out, his foot now without a shoe as he rubbed it down her silk stockings.
“Hey! Stop that!” Kady hissed softly in surprise, using her other foot to slap his leg.
“Just making sure your leg feels better,” he said innocently.
“So how does it feel?” Kady asked, already wise to his next line.
“Feels really good to me.”
“Archer! Archer! I didn’t know you were coming here tonight!” called an all-too-familiar voice from across the room. A high pitched, annoying voice they’d only just escaped earlier. Kady froze as her stomach dropped, that lead ball of dislike morphing into something bigger, just like a canon ball. And she really wished she could shoot it at the approaching figure, anything to recapture the soft romance that had twined around them before the rude interruption.
“What the hell is she doing here?” Kady asked, clenching her teeth to keep from shouting the words.
“I have no idea,” he answered, the tone of his voice testament to the fact that he was just as displeased as she was. “I’m beginning to think she’s following me or something.”
“Well, get rid of her then.”
“I will,” he said, his expression deadly serious as he got to his feet and surreptitiously slipping his shoe on again.
Mia practically ran up to their table and latched onto Archer’s arm. With barely concealed disgust, he tolerated the touch as he gallantly said, “Ah, Mia, I had no idea you’d be here, either. I mean, what are the odds of finding you here immediately after seeing you in my home?”
“Yes, it’s amazing, right?” she agreed, completely missing the feral light in his dark eyes. “Almost like fate trying to intervene, yes?”
“No,” he replied tersely. “Definitely not. So who did you come here with?”
“Oh, it’s nobody important,” she said with a little shrug. “It’s just David.”
“Who is David?” asked Kady sweetly.
“He’s my next door neighbor,” she giggled. “His date canceled, so he asked me to come instead. I took pity on him, though. I mean, who would want to be caught dining alone in here?”
“Shouldn’t you be returning to your dinner companion then, Mia?” Archer said sternly. “It would be much preferred to standing here while you manhandle my arm.” He had to physically pry her fingers off of his arm, stepping away from her as soon as she was dislodged.
Mia scowled, pointedly ignoring Kady. “Yes, you’re right, I should get back over there. Enjoy your meal, Archer. Even with such a companion, the food is still good, right?”
“Oh! I can’t believe this!” Kady fumed, temper flaring hot and fast at her terrible words. She got to her feet, pushing the scheming Mia out of her way, her clutch swinging into Mia’s eye as she tried to move around her as she shouted, “That’s it! I’m going home! Get rid of her already.”
Then she stormed out of the restaurant and headed for the stairs. Archer was ready to run off right behind her, except that Mia began to wail exaggeratedly as she clutched his arm with one hand and her eye with the other. Several waiters came running. Unfortunately, so did Archer’s mother.
“What on earth is going on here?” she demanded. “This is how you keep a low profile while we wait for trial? And who is this woman anyway?”
“Who are you?” asked Mia, hiccupping to stop the flow of her noisy tears.
“His mother,” she replied.
“I’m Archer’s girlfriend,” said Mia, offering her a hand. “That woman was so jealous of us that she punched me in the eye. It was terrible.”
“You’re my—what?” Archer said angrily. “Mia, you are not, nor will you ever be, my girlfriend. Now let my arm go so I can make sure Kady is okay.”