KILLER DATE (SCANDALS) (7 page)

“I’d rather park and walk than valet my car,” she told me.  “I don’t want them to make fun of her next to all the
Beemers and Mercedes.”

“I’m okay with a walk.”

The evening was warm so after we parked in a nearby lot, we took our time strolling down the sidewalk and to the front door.  Paul was standing at the host stand conferring with the hostess.  As soon as he saw us, he rushed forward.  He reached his hand out, then quickly transitioned into a one-armed semi-embrace that lasted barely less than the unhealthy two second limit and was accompanied by a firm slap on my back.  “It is so good to see you again, Reno.  I’m glad you finally found someone in Austin you aren’t related to.”  He laughed out loud at his joke.

“Are you done?”  I tried to act indignant
, but it was nice going someplace where someone knew who I was.  It was sort of the
Cheers
thing…you know, where everybody knows your name.  After the relative anonymity of Vegas, this was a comfortable feeling.

“I think so. 
We’re glad you decided to join us tonight.  Are you celebrating something special?”

I glanced over at J
enny who looked a little uneasy.  “No, just finishing up a case,” I told him and saw her relax.  She wasn’t any more ready to classify our relationship than I was.  “Paul, this is Jenny.”

Paul smiled and took her hand.  Instead of shaking it, he lifted it to his lips and planted a courtly kiss on the back of it.  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Jenny.”

His gentlemanly manner melted her nerves, and she returned his smile.  “Thank you.  I’m excited to be here.  I’ve always wanted to try it.”

“
Paul is one of the reasons why Earl’s is the finest steakhouse in Austin,” I told her.  I didn’t elaborate on the fact that it was the
only
steakhouse I’d eaten at in Austin.

“Flattery will get you the best table in the house,” Paul responded with a twinkle.
  He checked with the seating chart at the podium, then said, “Please follow me.” 

As we threaded our way through the restaurant toward a cozy booth in the corner, he leaned toward me and added,
“I was shocked to hear about what happened to you kids last Saturday night.  I tried to make it to the wake, but I couldn’t get away.  That’s the restaurant business on a weekend.” 

“
Probably better you didn’t.”

“
I couldn’t believe Terry killed Roger.  My God, he was playing that night you kids were in here!  Is everyone okay?”

“
Just an overnight in the hospital,” I told him, “and a splitting headache the next day.  But we’re all okay now.”

“
You kids are in for a treat tonight.  Antonio has a special seared salmon dressed with a honey chipotle glaze, a fresh lump of crab Pico de Gallo served with pepper jack polenta and creamy succotash.  Or if you prefer to hoof it, he has prepared an aged Angus filet mignon dusted in Cajun spices, topped with gorgonzola gratin, and set in a rich Buerre rouge with pepper jack polenta and asparagus.  The kitchen will be glad to cut your meat to order.”  He barely paused to take breath before adding, “Amber will be your server, and she can answer any questions you have about the menu.”  He handed me a wine list.  “Here are tonight’s wine selections.  The seasonal wines are on the right and on the left are the best of the last three year’s Texas wines…foreign brands are on the next two pages.”  Paul smiled and walked away.

Jenny
looked a little dazed. 

I was afraid she was feeling uncomfortable and leaned toward her. 
“What?”

“That’s about the longest greeting at a restaurant I’
ve ever seen.  My experience has mostly consisted of
Do you want fries with that?
”

I
laughed.  “They’re really nice here.”

“
Have you known Paul long?”

“I met him
just a couple weeks ago when my brothers and sisters and I came here for dinner.  Apparently, Roger…my dad…,” I hesitated…it felt really weird to call him that, “and Paul were old friends.  I think I heard something about how Roger helped put this place on the map, and he got all his fellow musicians to sing here for free.”

“So, that Terry guy was one of your dad’s friends?”

I nodded.  “They were bandmates and best friends for years.  But apparently, song rights, a Grammy and a shitload of cash trumps friendship.”

Someone approached our table, and I looked up to see a very attractive redhead that I recognized from our last visit here.  She was definitely my type. 
My gaze swept up her body, pausing briefly on her breasts that threatened to fall out the top of her deceptively modest uniform.  All the staff wore man-cut suits, but the women wore short skirts and no shirts, so the V-necks of their jackets plunged dangerously low.  Amber tilted her head and gave me a flirtatious wink.  Instantly, a wave of guilt hit me and I looked at Jenny to see if she had noticed. 

Of course she had. 

She’d been leaning toward me, but now she pulled away as far back as her chair allowed.

“
Good evening, Reno, and welcome back.”

“Thanks, Amber,” I said, struggling to save the day.  “This is my date, Jenny.”

Politely, she turned to Jenny.  “Hello and welcome.”

Jenny’s smile was stiff.  “Hi…and this is
n’t a date.  It’s a…uh…business meeting.”

Amber seemed to like that answer. 
“I understand Paul shared tonight’s specials and gave you today’s wine list.  Did you see something that you’d like to try?”

The double entendre was not lost on either of us at the table.  “I’ll just have
a Corona,” I told her, then focused on Jenny.

“I’ll take
a lemonade.”  Jenny barely glanced at Amber as she ordered.

“Virgin or with alcohol?
” Amber asked.  “We have a special drink called a Summer Splash that has lemonade, sweet and sour mix and Bacardi Limon.”

Jenny paused,
then shrugged.  “Sure…why not?”

“
I’ll leave the menus with you so you can see all of our selections.  Jonathon will bring your water.  Still or tap?”

Jenny
didn’t indicate a preference, so I said, “Tap is fine, with ice.”

“Very good,” Amber turned and walked away.

An awkward silence stretched as we opened our menus and tried to focus on the variety of items.  I knew the next thing I said would be pivotal in our relationship…not that we had a relationship…but if there was any chance we ever would have one, this could be a deal breaker.  I must have read through the menu a half dozen times without registering anything.  I glanced over at Jenny and saw that she was completely buried behind the huge, leather-covered menu.

“
I think I’ll try the filet Paul suggested.  How about you?”  I gave up and closed the menu.

“Maybe just a salad.”

“Oh, come on.  You can get a salad at Denny’s.  Do you like salmon?”

“If I want a salad, I’ll get a salad,” she stated defensively.

Shit, I just kept digging the hole deeper.  “Of course you can get whatever you want.  I was just trying to make this…”

“Maybe if I eat quickly, Amber will get off work, and you can take her home.”  As soon as the words spilled out, I could tell she regretted them.  After her quick denial that this was a date, it sounded to me like she cared a little more than she wanted to admit.

Suddenly, I felt better.  Jealousy meant emotion.  And I could deal with that.

“Forget Amber.  She gets better tips if she flirts,” I explained.  “I’d rather be here with you.”  To my surprise, I realized it was actually true. 

Jenny lowered her menu enough so I could see her eyes that had darkened to a deep jade.  They reflected the confusion and vulnerability she was trying so hard to hide.  For almost a minute, she studied me with a soul-searching intensity.

She must have seen something that convinced her I was telling the truth.  “Not that it matters who you date.”  She tried to dismiss it with a little wave.
  “But I’d rather it didn’t happen while I’m around.”

“I totally get that.  And I have never even thought about dating Amber.  I’ve known a lot of servers and bartenders in Vegas, and they can be a little…unfaithful.”

“Oh, come on.  I’m sure you’re not celibate.”

I was just regaining her trust.  How could I tell her that I had had an active sex life until the last two
weeks.  But then, how could I
not
be honest?

“Uh…I’m a dude,” I told her, hoping she’d accept that. 

She didn’t.

“I’ve hear
d prostitution is legal in Nevada,” she commented.

I straightened.  “I have never paid for sex.”

“So, you’ve had a lot of girlfriends?”

“No one ser
ious.  I’m not into the happily-ever-after thing.”

“Oh.”

One little word that said so much. 

She looked back at the menu.  “Actually,
I think I
am
hungry.  I’ve never had lobster.  Tonight’s the night I’m going to try it.”

Jonathon arrived with our waters and our bar drinks which he placed in front of us.

Jenny picked up her glass and sucked in a big drink through the colorful straw.

“
Hmmm, this is good.”

I took a swallow of my Corona.  Amber returned as if on cue and took our
meal orders.  I made it a point not to look at her at all.  Jenny seemed to appreciate that.

She took another big drink of her lemonade.  “So, tell me about your brothers and sisters.  I read something in the newspaper.  But it wasn’t clear as to how it all happened.”

“It’s pretty simple,” I told her with a wry grin. “He was a young country star during a time when it was all about sex, drugs and partying while on the road.  Apparently, he fell in love…a lot.  We’re all kind of trying to deal with the fact that our moms were groupies.  It’s not the sort of thing you think about your mom, you know?”

Jenny gave me a sympathetic smile.  “I remember being horrified when I found out that my parents still had sex when I was a teenager.”

“I wish I could say that about my mother.  She had sex with everyone…and she wasn’t secretive about it.  There were at least a dozen men in and out of her life…some she actually married.”  I paused.  It was not a part of my life I liked to think about, but for some reason, I wanted Jenny to know about my background.  “She always said my father was the love of her life, but I had no idea he was a famous singer.”

“I’ve heard his music on the oldies station.  He was really good.”

“Yeah, I guess.  I’m not into country, so it all sounds the same to me.”

“Really?
  I love country music.  Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryant, Miranda Lambert.”

“Taylor Swift?” I added
, remembering her ring tone.

“I’ve got a
couple of her songs on my iPod, but I think she’s more pop than country.”

“Anyway, Roger retired and started the detective agency after helping a few of his friends with sensitive problems that they didn’t want the press to find out about.  It apparently was
pretty successful because he lived well.  Lots of cars.  He stayed in an amazing mansion out on Lake Travis.  It actually belongs to…another musician…,” I almost slipped and told her his name, but stopped just in time, “…who let Roger live there, rent free.”

“And all that time, you had no idea he was your father?”

“Not a clue.  It wasn’t until a lawyer named Harlan tracked me down at the casino where I was bartending and asked me to take a DNA test.”  I remembered that day clearly.  My first thought was that some chick from my past was pregnant, but Harlan had assured me it had nothing to do with anything I had done.  “I took the test, and then I got a package with some airline tickets and instructions on traveling to Austin for an important meeting that had something to do with me.”

“Weren’t you suspicious?”

“Of course, I was.  I never believed in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy, so I certainly didn’t believe in an inheritance being dropped into my lap.  But I figured I didn’t have anything to lose, and I’d never been to Austin.”

Our salads arrived, which temporarily interrupted my story.  If I thought Jenny wasn’t really paying attention to my story, I was wrong.

There was genuine sadness in her eyes when she said, “You really didn’t believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy?”

I felt sort of silly for admitting that. 
I had never told anyone that before.  “Yeah, well, my childhood wasn’t exactly typical.”

She put down her fork, reached across the table and took my hand.  “That’s awful.  Every kid needs to have that sense of fantasy and wonder.  It’s how we learn to dream about things that are big and exciting.  My parents always made a big deal about every holiday.  My sister and I loved it.  It was one of the things we miss most…now.  Without your family, the holidays aren’t so special.”