Plain Jane by Fern Michaels

Author:Fern Michaels
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Published: 2011-04-26T22:00:00+00:00

11

The air was downright frosty, perfect Christmas weather, Jane thought when she climbed out of her car and handed the keys over to the young man in charge of valet parking. She looked around, thinking the restaurant looked different somehow. Maybe the owners had given the building a face-lift. It had been years since she’d been there, and then it had been at night. The food was exceptional, that much she did remember.

The building was long and narrow, with banquet rooms in the back. At first glance it looked like something the architect had given up on. Gray fieldstone and Tudor windows added to the architectural discord.

Its saving grace was its festive outdoor decor. The restaurant had gone all out on its Christmas decorations. On every door, on every window, in every nook and cranny there were tiny white lights intertwined in the greenery and finished off with red-velvet bows. The interior was dim and fragrant, with the scent of balsam wafting in all directions. Jane sniffed appreciatively. The moment she walked into the foyer she could hear the hum of conversation and the clink of silver and glassware. This was the busiest time of year for restaurant owners. She eyed the tree in the corner, with its expensive gold ornaments. In her opinion, her hardware-store tree looked a thousand times better. Or maybe it was just because she liked things simple rather than glitzy. She sat down in the waiting area and glanced at her watch. She hoped Todd Prentice didn’t decide to stand her up.

Five minutes later, he came through the door on a gust of wind. “Jane, I hope I haven’t kept you waiting,” he said, running his hand over his hair.

“No, as a matter of fact, I just got here myself,” she said, discreetly eyeing his cashmere overcoat and pricey shoes. The tie alone probably cost a couple of hundred dollars. She would have had to be blind to miss the monogrammed cuffs of the pristine white shirt that showed at the wrist as he handed over his coat to the hatcheck girl. He deftly switched the manila envelope he was carrying from one hand to the other as he reached for Jane’s coat and smiled. He cupped her elbow in his hand to usher her into the dining room, totally ignoring the hostess.

“The firm keeps a table at the back of the room. My father-in-law pays handsomely for the privilege,” he confided.

“How nice,” she intoned woodenly.

“It is nice, believe me. This place really jams, and it’s nice to walk in and know you have a table and don’t have to wait or tip the hostess. The CFO of the firm holds a percentage of the restaurant, but that’s a private matter.”

Prentice led the way to the back of the restaurant, stopping momentarily to say hello to other people or just to pat someone’s shoulder as he strode by. He was right, it was the best table in the house, Jane thought, as he held the chair for her.

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