Free Broken Lives by Brenda Kennedy Page B

ready?” 
    “ It is. She is getting your
drinks for you now.” 
    “ Perfect, thank
you.” 
    I watch as the hostess leaves and I look over
at Alec. He is watching me with a slight smile on his lips. “Let me
guess, call-ahead seating?” I say, joking.
    “ No, Emma, I put a little
more thought in it than that,” he says, reaching across the table
for my hand.
    “ I can see that. What’s the
special occasion?” 
    The waitress comes over with two glasses and
a bottle of champagne. I try to release the hold of Alec’s hand but
he tightens his hold on mine. I look up at him and he is watching
me. The waitress pours the champagne and leaves immediately after.
I was expecting her to tell us the specials or at least give us
menus. 
    “ Is this our anniversary?” I
finally ask. 
    He smiles, “No, Baby, we don’t have an
anniversary, yet.” 
    “ Did you do something that
you need to apologize for?” 
    “ I hope
not.” 
    “ This is Tuesday night,
right?” I ask, as I place the white linen napkin across my
lap.
    “ Yes, Emma, it’s Tuesday. A
toast?” he asks, raising his champagne glass. 
    I raise my glass to his. “To
happiness?” 
    He clinks his glass to mine, “To a lifetime
of happiness,” he says.
    The server comes back and places two
beautiful green salads on the table with some bread and dipping
oil. “Fresh ground pepper for your salads?” she asks.
    We both decline and she smiles and
leaves.
    I watch Alec as he places his napkin on his
lap. “They make a wonderful Italian dressing. I also went ahead and
ordered our meal. I hope you like everything.” 
    “ It smells wonderful, and I
am sure I will.” I cut my salad and take a bite. “It is delicious.”
I decide to just go with the events of the night. Alec has put a
lot of time and thought into it, and he has excellent
taste.
    The waitress comes by the table to refill our
champagne several times throughout the meal, but she never lingers
for too long. I’m sure those are strict orders from Alec. 
    Our meals arrives and it is filet mignon,
rosemary rice, and fresh snow peas. It smells delicious and my
mouth begins to water. I close my eyes and inhale again. When I
open my eyes, Alec is smiling at me. “It’s as good as it
smells.” 
    “ I’m sure it is.”
    He watches me as I cut my steak and take the
first bite. I close my eyes again and Alec laughs, quietly. “Should
I give you a moment?” 
    I open my eyes and smile. “Yes, please. This
is so good.” 
    “ I know.” 
    I look at his untouched plate. “You haven’t
tasted it yet.” 
    “ I don’t have to. A great
chef always cooks to perfection. I’ve been here enough to know that
this will be just as delicious as it was the last time I was
here . I am savoring
the anticipation.” 
    “ You do have excellent
taste.”
    “ Thank you. You look
absolutely beautiful this evening, Emma.” 
    “ I was talking about the
food, but thank you. I wish I had known we were coming to such a
fancy restaurant. I feel underdressed again,” I say, sitting up a
little straighter and flattening out my napkin on my
lap. 
    He just watches me and says, “You look
stunning.” 
    As we eat our meal, we talk about families,
vacations, and holiday traditions. Alec keeps the conversation
light and positive.
    After our delicious dinner, the waitress
brings out a piece of lemon torte, two forks, and two cups of
coffee. I watch as Alec nods slightly to dismiss her. He squares
his shoulders and leans up slightly in his chair. “They have
excellent dessert here; however, I thought we would both be too
full to have dessert, so I thought we could share a piece. I wanted
you to get the full experience of this meal.” 
    “ Thank you. Alec, this whole
meal was wonderful. Even without the dessert, I would say I got the
full experience.” 
    “ You say that now, but you
haven’t tasted the torte yet.” He lifts both forks and hands me
one. 
    I take the first bite and a moan escapes