A Year of Extraordinary Moments by Bette Lee Crosby

Author:Bette Lee Crosby [Crosby, Bette Lee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781503904705
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Published: 2018-10-15T16:00:00+00:00

The reservation was for six o’clock, so Tracy changed into her dress and freshened her makeup. Then they were off.

Rumored to be as good as Atlanta’s Le Bilboquet, the restaurant was everything Tracy expected and more. The tables, dressed in white cloths, were decorated with candle globes, gold-trimmed china, and sparkling crystal. There was the sound of a violin, and muffled conversation.

Tracy gave a whispered sigh. “Beautiful.”

Hand in hand, they followed the maître d’ back to a table tucked into a romantic alcove; the maître d’ then stopped, slid the burgundy velvet chair back from the table, looked at Tracy, and said, “Madame.”

As Tracy sat, Gabriel shook hands with him and said, “Thank you, Henri. We were hoping to take in the fair tonight, so if the rain stops, please let me know.”

“Most certainly, monsieur.”

As soon as Henri was beyond hearing distance, Tracy said, “You know him?”

Gabriel gave a sheepish grin and shrugged. “I knew you were really disappointed about the fair, so I tried to pick someplace special. I drove over this afternoon to check it out, and Henri let me reserve this table.”

The thought of Gabriel going to such trouble to plan a date night made it all the more special. Tracy planted a kiss on the tip of her finger, then reached across and transferred it to his cheek. “Thank you,” she said in a breathy whisper.

Moments later, a bottle of pinot noir was delivered to the table, and they toasted. As they sat and talked, she told the story of how at the top of the Ferris wheel she’d gotten a cinder in her eye and had never seen her “forever.” “I doubt Daddy’s tale was true anyway,” she said and laughed. “Meghan swore she saw the Richmond Times-Dispatch, but she didn’t become a journalist after all.”

Gabriel smiled. “Since we didn’t know each other then, I’m sort of glad you didn’t see your future, because it might not have included me.”

He stretched his arm across the table and took her hand in his. As they talked about first one thing and then another, the waiters came and went like silent shadows. They were there when you needed them, invisible when you didn’t. They refilled the wine glasses, delivered a platter of Chateaubriand, and disappeared.

Partway through the meal, Henri came by and said the rain had stopped.

As they left the restaurant, Tracy felt a chill in the air. A slight breeze had come up and puddles were scattered about, but the streets were mostly dry.

Gabriel wrapped his arm around her shoulders, then glanced at his watch. “If you’re not too cold, it’s early and the fairground is only a ten-minute drive; we can still go if you’d like.”

A grin brightened Tracy’s face. “Absolutely!”

When they arrived at the fairground, Gabriel parked the car, and they headed for the south-side entrance. As they neared the ticket booth, she heard the calliope music from the carousel. It was not a tune she could identify but one that she somehow remembered.

“I love this,” she said with a shiver of excitement.

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