Free Tapas on the Ramblas by Anthony Bidulka Page A

been called upon to wear scrubby-but brand name-jeans and pricey-purchased not rented-evening wear in the same twenty-four hour period. They want the opportunity to dance, drink and suntan to excess--although in truth, rarely do."
    Rob and Scott in particular were nodding appreciatively at Richard's incisive descriptions.
    "You seem to know your customers quite well," I complimented, having to crane my neck to see his face past Phyllis.
    "It's my favourite part of what I do," he said with a comfortable smile and-maybe I was imagining this part-a bit of a leer. "Getting to know my clients."
    At that moment the sommelier arrived and stole Richard's attention from me. Errall leaned into me and whispered, "Help me."
    "What is it?" I whispered back.
    "We have to switch seats. These two next to me. One's a financial planner. The other is an accountant.
    Thrillsville."
    I grinned at her and stole a quick peek at Rob and Scott. "They're very cute though."
    "Which means absolutely nothing to me," she said dryly.
    "What are you two buzzing about?" Phyllis plowed her head of curls into our personal space like a Pekinese looking for some kibble. "If it's about me, I'll kill you. If it's about someone else, I want to hear it."
    Right then Captain Bagnato appeared at our table. Although gracious and courteous to all and sincerely wanting to know if our evening was progressing well, most of her interest seemed focused on one thing: Errall.
    And so the meal progressed in a pleasant manner aided by some nice Italian wines selected by our table's host; first a tangy San Orsola Parallelo Primitivo del Salento from Puglia and then an oaky Frescobaldi Lucente from Tuscany which, according to Richard, was stylish and polished but lacked a bit of concentration. I thought it was dandy. Afterwards Richard suggested we all repair to Munchkin Land for entertainment and after-dinner drinks. En route, Errall pulled up alongside me and murmured into my ear, "You know he's going to be too busy dealing with his clients to spend any time with you."
    A smile flitted onto my lips before I could stop it. To offset it, I said harshly, "Don't be an idiot. Come on, let's hurry and get good seats."
    And a good seat I got - right next to Richard. The seating in the Munchkin Land Auditorium was booth-style on a theatre-like incline. Errall, Phyllis, Richard and I squeezed into one banquette; the other two couples found another a level down from us.
    I made as good a survey of the room as its dim lighting would allow, hoping for another sighting of the Wisers. I found them sitting together in a grouping of booths down and to my right, but too far away for me to gather any useful information other than their presence. Even though I knew Charity wanted to hold off on a meeting until the next day, I was feeling a bit antsy to get started on my case. As pleasant as all of this was, especially meeting Richard, I was here to work. And yet, sitting next to the man, I couldn't help but enjoy the deep, rich smell of his cologne. One of the Creed scents, he told me when he noticed me sniffing around. I, on the other hand, was wearing something light, airy and inexpensive from Calvin Klein. Anthony would shoot me if he knew.
    "You seem to be having a good time," Richard said to me, once Errall and Phyllis were entrenched in an argument over the quality of the MTM spinoff series named for the wacky downstairs neighbour.
    "Why do you think that?" I asked with what I hoped was a beguiling look.
    "You're smiling a lot. Or maybe you always smile this much?"
    I shrugged. "Well,” I said, "This is my first cruise. I'm really enjoying it."
    His warm eyes hugged mine. "I'm so glad you chose this trip as your maiden voyage."
    Yup. Flirting. He was definitely flirting. I was thinking up an appropriate response, something with the words "maiden" and "virgin" in it, when the lights dimmed and Judy Smythwicke appeared on stage. She had changed into a dazzlingly red sequined cocktail dress and