Suspects(22)

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She wasn’t there yet when he arrived, and he decided to wait for her outside. He had reserved a booth. At five after eight, a chauffeur-driven SUV stopped in front of the diner. Theo got out, wearing black jeans and a black sweater, with high heels and a black cashmere peacoat. She hadn’t had time to change after her meetings, and had answered work emails and phone calls instead. She had washed her face and put on lipstick and brushed her dark hair until it shone. She smiled when she saw him waiting for her.

“You helped me impress my young designers. They thought I was very cool when I told them where I was having dinner. It sounds like fun,” she said to him with a smile, as he looked at her. He felt as though someone had pulled all the bones out of his body and dumped them on the street. He’d had the same feeling the first time he saw her, hiding in the back room. “Thank you for inviting me,” she said politely. They walked into the diner together, and she grinned when she saw the authentic décor. “I love it! Thank you for not taking me someplace fancy. I like this so much better.” She thought how much Axel would have liked it as they sat down in their booth, but she didn’t say it.

“Thank you for making the time to see me,” he said, unable to take his eyes off her. Just knowing what she had been through and survived as a whole human being made him respect her more, and he wanted to protect her from anything like it ever happening again.

“What kind of law do you practice?” she asked him after they both ordered burgers with everything on them. He was about to say “criminal” but didn’t want to scare her.

“Just business law: tax, estate, labor issues. I’m more of a general practitioner, for select clients.”

“That must be interesting,” she said. There was something so gentle about his eyes, which she found unusual, as though he could speak to her without talking, and she’d understand him. He felt the same about her, they had an instant connection, as though he had known her forever, or in a past life, which he didn’t really believe in. He was more pragmatic than that. But there was something very special about her. He could feel it every time she spoke.

“Sometimes it’s interesting,” he said about his real job. “I used to deal with some very exciting cases, but the higher you rise, the more sedate it gets. I don’t always enjoy that. What you do with fashion seems like more fun.”

“I used to love it,” she admitted as a cloud of sadness crossed her eyes, “and I’m starting to again. I like L.A., and Dallas is always fun. I hadn’t been there in a long time. I have more time to travel now.” She said it simply. She didn’t know if he knew her recent history, but she had the feeling he did, and she didn’t want to explain it to him tonight and spoil the evening with such painful subjects. “Do you travel for work?”

“Sometimes. I have a client in Paris,” he suddenly invented, in case an opportunity came to visit her at some point and he’d need an excuse to go there. “Do you miss living in the States?” he asked her, and she shook her head.

“No, not anymore. I’ve lived in Paris for fifteen years. I moved there when I got married, and it’s home now. I don’t have family here anymore.” She no longer had family in Paris either. She kept bumping into delicate subjects she wanted to avoid, but he didn’t pursue them. He was being careful too. He wanted her to have a nice time. He realized as they sat there that he hadn’t been on a date in months. He didn’t have time, nor met anyone interesting lately. He felt out of practice and so did she. She hadn’t been on a date in fifteen years. But she told herself it was just dinner with a new friend. Her wedding band was still very much in evidence as their burgers arrived and they both ate them. They were delicious, and she ate almost all of hers. He had ordered the large size and finished it off. They shared a plate of fries, and he had brought a roll of quarters, so they could play songs on the jukebox. They made their selections at the table and laughed at each other’s choices. He liked country and western, and she played hit songs from the seventies and eighties.

He talked about being in the navy, and in Iraq.

“When did you go to law school?” she asked with interest.

“After the navy,” he said, thinking of CIA training in Langley.

“I wanted to go to business school after college, but I never went. My business had already taken off by then, and I got married,” she explained.

“It sounds like you managed fine without it.” He smiled at her, and she grinned.

“That was the best cheeseburger I’ve ever eaten.” The waitress came to take their dessert order and Theo looked shy for a minute, then laughed. “I want a banana split, but I don’t want you to think I’m a complete pig. I haven’t had one since I was a kid, and I love them. I don’t think I can finish it though. Do you want to share one?” She smiled and he ordered it.

It arrived minutes later, looking like a mountain of ice cream, whipped cream, strawberry, chocolate, and marshmallow sauces, with nuts and a cherry on top. They each dug in at opposite ends, and he laughed when she got a whipped cream mustache on her upper lip.

“You’re laughing at me,” she accused him, and he chuckled.

“Actually, yes, I am. I never figured you for a banana-split person.” She fed the jukebox again with his quarters and she looked happy.