Free To Love Twice by Heather McCoubrey Page B

with fine china and crystal
glassware.  To give the tables some color, the chairs were a turquoise
suede.  The salt and pepper mills were the only thing on the tables that
even hinted at Italian cuisine.  This did not look promising.
    “May I help you?” The hostess asked.
    “Uh, yes.  I’d like a table please,” Kate said.
    “Do you have a reservation?”
    “No, I don’t.  Do I need one?”
    “Well, it is recommended, however we aren’t incredibly busy
yet this evening.”
    “It’s just me,” Kate smiled.  “I’m sorry, but I’m so
curious.  Can you tell me what happened to Pappagallo’s?”
    “They closed about three months ago.  My husband and I
bought the restaurant and gave it a facelift.  My husband is the chef.”
    Standing in front of her was a woman of Japanese
descent.  Her black hair fell straight down her back.  Her almond
shaped eyes were wide-spaced and a deep chocolate brown.  Her cheekbones
were angled sharply and she had a beauty mark at the corner of her right
eye.  She wore the traditional Japanese kimono, and Kate wondered what
she’d gotten herself into.  “Do you serve Japanese cuisine?”
    The hostess smiled.  “Not entirely.  We serve
Italian food with a Japanese flair.  Would you care to follow me to your
table?”
    “Yes, why not,” Kate shrugged again.  She was starving
and willing to give the place a chance.
    “Enjoy your meal,” the hostess told her.
    Kate placed her napkin in her lap and looked around. 
She had to admit that the light coming through the windows was beautiful. 
It made the crystal on the tables shimmer, casting a million rainbows all over
the room.
    “Hello ma’am!  Welcome to Tempo!  My name is
Ricardo and I’ll be your server this evening.  Here is our menu for this
evening.  Our chef is preparing a roasted organic salmon with monk’s beard
and salsa verde.  Pan-fried scallops with golden beetroot, lemon and
chili.  And finally we have roasted duck breast with wild garlic mash,
green kale, blood orange and red wine.  May I get you something to drink?”
    “Yes, please.  I’d like a chilled chardonnay and an ice
water, no lemon.”
    “I’ll get those for you right away.  Would you care for
a moment to review our menu?”
    “Please,” Kate said.  She watched the waiter walk away
and was surprised at how eager and excited he was about the restaurant, the
menu and it seemed, even his job.  They must pay well, or he gets
incredible tips!  
    Kate looked over the menu and sighed a sad sigh.  None
of the menu items were traditional Italian dishes.  She was really craving
a hearty lasagna but she didn’t even see that option on the menu.  Looking
each option over carefully, Kate finally settled on Cappesante.  They were
pan-fried scallops married with golden beetroot, lemon and chili. 
Scallops were her favorite seafood, she was curious to see how this restaurant
would prepare them. 
    While she waited for Ricardo to return, Kate gazed around
the restaurant.  There were a few couples in the restaurant and Kate
wondered if they had ever dined at Pappagallo’s and like her were trying out
this new place.  She was willing to try this new restaurant, but she
missed Pappagallo’s.  She wondered what happened to Mama Maria and Papa
Don.  She hoped they were okay.
    “Here we are ma’am,” Ricardo said as he placed her drinks on
the table.  “Have you decided what you’d like?”
    “Yes.  I’d like the Cappesante, please.  I’d also
like an order of the roast potatoes.”
    “Certainly.  If there’s anything else you need, just
let me know.”
    “Actually, I do have a question.  Do you happen to know
anything about the owners of Pappagallo’s?  Where they might be, what they
might be doing?”
    Ricardo’s face fell and Kate felt her heart clutch. 
“Papa Don died a few months ago and Mama Maria couldn’t bear the thought of
keeping the restaurant open.  When she took Papa Don back to Italy,