“Did he go to the bank to get the money?” Lynne asked.
“No. I didn’t know anything about it at the time, but the bank was closed and it won’t reopen until Monday morning. They had a lot of damage from the blizzard and they have cleanup and repair work to do.”
“Oh boy!” Lynne gave a little gasp. “Ross must have been furious when he found out. Did he come back to confront you?”
Hannah shook her head. “No. Mike was there by that time and if Ross came back, he didn’t come inside.”
“He probably saw Mike’s cruiser and decided that flight was the better option,” Sally offered her opinion. “Have you heard from him again, Hannah?”
“No, and I hope I don’t. He was really nasty and I was actually afraid that he might hurt me.”
“That’s a possibility,” Lynne told her. “He wasn’t exactly gentle with me when he stormed out of our apartment. I had bruises for weeks from where he grabbed me.”
Hannah drew a deep breath. “In that case, I’m glad Mike decided to detail some bodyguards for me.”
Sally looked puzzled. “But you’re here alone tonight,” she pointed out. “Where’s your bodyguard?”
“Right here,” the voice came from outside the booth.
Sally reached out to pull back the curtain. “Norman?”
“Hi, Sally.” Norman turned to Lynne and Hannah. “I’m detailed to Hannah tonight. Do you mind if I sit down?”
“Not at all!” Lynne said quickly. “Please join us for dinner, Norman. It’s good to see you again.”
“It’s good to see you, too, but I didn’t mean to intrude. I just wanted Hannah to know that I’m here and I’ll take her back to the condo.”
“But I drove and I don’t want to leave my cookie truck here.”
“You won’t have to. Lonnie and Michelle rode out here with me. They’re going to have dinner and then they’re going to drive your truck back to the condo. Lonnie’s going to stay there with Michelle because Mike doesn’t want to take any chances that Ross might show up there.”
“That makes sense,” Sally said. “From what Hannah’s told us, Ross could be dangerous.”
“That’s what Mike thinks, too.” Norman turned back to Lynne. “Thank you for the invitation, Lynne, but I’m going to join Michelle and Lonnie for dinner. I’ll come back here to have dessert with you and Hannah if that’s okay.”
“That’s just fine!” Lynne told him. “Sally’s going to join us for dessert too, and she’s got something new for us to try . . . right, Sally?”
“Right, and it’s a surprise so I’m not going to tell you what it is.”
Norman smiled and slid out of the booth. “I’ll be thinking about your dessert all through my dinner, Sally. Can you give us just a little hint about what it is?”
“It’s a cake,” Sally said, also sliding out of the booth. “And it was inspired by Hannah’s Bundt cakes. Wait for me, Norman. I’ll walk you to Lonnie and Michelle’s table.” She turned back to Lynne and Hannah. “Bye, girls. I’d better leave now because you’ll be hungry soon and I want you to try my new appetizers.”
“I love your appetizers!” Hannah said quickly. “What are they tonight, Sally?”
“Rusty’s Cheese and Garlic Stuffed Mushrooms. Rusty was one of Dick’s friends in college, and he used to make these every time they watched football on television.”
“I love stuffed mushrooms!” Lynne said, taking another sip of her lemonade. “How long do we have to wait, Sally?”
“No more than fifteen minutes. And in the meantime, I’ll have Dot bring you tonight’s menu. We have quite a few specials. Would you two like wine with dinner?”
“I would,” Lynne said.
Hannah smiled. “So would I. I don’t have to worry about drinking, now that I’m going to be riding with Norman.”
“And I don’t have to worry about drinking because all I have to do is take the elevator upstairs,” Lynne added.
Sally gave a little wave. “I’ll be back with your appetizers.”
Once Sally and Norman had left and the curtains were back in place, Hannah turned to Lynne. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to see Tom. He came with you, didn’t he?”
“He did. But he’s gone . . . again.”
Uh-oh! Back off! Hannah’s mind warned her. Lynne didn’t sound happy about the fact that her husband wasn’t with her tonight. But Lynne was her friend and this time around, Hannah ignored her mind’s warning. “Is there something wrong, Lynne?”
Lynne nodded and a tear slipped down her cheek. And even though Lynne was an actress and Hannah knew that her friend could cry on demand, this tear was no act. “What’s wrong? Can you tell me?”
“I . . . just a minute,” Lynne said, pointing to the curtain, which was being pulled back by a feminine hand.
“Hi!” Dot, Sally’s receptionist, head waitress, and dining room manager, stuck her head inside. “Are you two ready for menus?”
“Yes, we are,” Lynne said, smiling the sunniest smile that Hannah had ever seen. Lynne was, indeed, an excellent actress, and Hannah felt almost as if she’d imagined that tear and the quaver of distress in Lynne’s voice.
“Good to see you again, Mrs. Larchmont,” Dot said, pushing the curtain back and stepping in. “We have several specials tonight and I’ll let you read all about them. And please, if you have any questions, just ring for me and I’ll be glad to answer them.”
“Oh!” Hannah commented as Dot set a small intercom on the table. “That’s new!”
“Yes, it is. Sally thought it would be convenient and she was right. Otherwise people in these booths have to wait until the busboy or the waitress comes by to ask questions about the food or request additional service. With this,” Dot tapped the intercom, “you just press the red button and I’ll answer.”
“Very nice,” Lynne agreed, “but do you find many people abuse the fact that they can contact you?”
Dot shook her head. “No, not at all. This is Lake Eden. People here are usually very polite and patient. They’re not going to buzz me if they don’t get a second bread basket right away, or if they want a refill on their iced tea.”
“You’re lucky,” Lynne said with a laugh. “You couldn’t use something like this in Los Angeles. People would call for you if they dropped their napkin and didn’t feel like picking it up themselves.”
Dot laughed. “I’m glad I don’t work there. Our customers use the intercom mainly for questions about the items on the menu.”
“Actually, I do have a question, and since you’re here, I don’t have to use the intercom,” Lynne told her.
“Okay. What is it?”
“Which white wine would you recommend for us tonight?”
“That may depend on your entrée. What were you thinking of ordering?”
“Hannah?” Lynne asked, turning to her.
“I’ll probably have the Cornish game hens. I love the way they do those out here.”
“With apricot glaze? Or raspberry glaze?” Dot asked.
“Apricot, please.”
“Then white wine would be all right for you tonight?” Lynne asked Hannah.
“Yes, I’d prefer it. The only time I really want red is when I have an entrée with beef.”
Lynne smiled. “Good! I prefer white wine with any entrée.” She turned to Dot. “Do you have a white wine that’s a bit dry and fruity?”
Dot opened the wine list and pointed to a wine. “How about this? Dick says it’s excellent with chicken or pork.”
“We’ll try it, then,” Lynne decided. “Thank you, Dot.”
When Dot had left and the privacy curtains were closed again, Hannah turned to Lynne. “Would you like to talk about what’s happening with Tom?”
Lynne nodded and Hannah could tell that she was close to tearing up again. “It’s just that we don’t talk anymore. Tom doesn’t seem to care what I think or how I feel. We used to be close, but now we’re like strangers who barely know each other. He’s always gone, Hannah. And his business is more important to him than I am. That’s why I wanted to come here early. I was hoping we could work things out.”