Chapter 79
When Bethany came home, Dana met her at the door with a glass of wine in hand. “Happy V Day,” she said, giving her friend a peck on the cheek. Even that quick kiss set her heart racing. If they ever actually didhave sex, Dana thought she’d die of a heart attack right then and there.
At least I’ll go with a smile on my face, she thought, struggling to tamp down her grin.
Bethany took a large swallow of wine and sighed. “I hope you mean Valentine’s and not venereal disease,” she joked. “Is this—”
“Your favorite,” Dana confirmed, retrieving her own glass from the counter as Bethany dropped her messenger bag by the door and kicked off her shoes. “Don’t tell me there’s a National Venereal Disease Day out there I don’t know about.”
“Why not? There’s one for everything else.” Suddenly Bethany came up behind Dana and wrapped her arms around Dana’s waist, pulling her into a tight hug. “Missed you. Did you like the chocolates?”
“Ate half already. Kidding.” Dana nodded at the open box on the counter. “Help yourself. I saved the cherry coated ones for you. Warning—one of them doeshave a thumbprint in it because I squished it to make sure it was cherry before biting into it and having that nasty mess squirt down my throat.”
With a laugh, Bethany reached over, plucked the smushed piece of candy out of the box, and popped it into her mouth. “Then I’ll eat that one first.”
Dana scrunched up her nose in disgust. “How you can eat those, I’ll never know. So…” She turned around to lean back against the counter, and found herself impossibly close to Bethany, whose hips bumped against hers. “Where are we going for dinner?”
The corners of Bethany’s lips curled mischievously. “You’ll see. Let me freshen up—don’t eat any more chocolates! I’ll be ready to go in five minutes.”
With a playful tug on Bethany’s coat, Dana promised, “I’ll be waiting.”
* * * *
Bethany had reservations at a small French bistro in the theater district, someplace Dana would’ve never gone on her own simply because nothing on the menu was under thirty dollars. But it was Valentine’s, an evening to splurge, and the place was packed. When the server handed them menus, Bethany took Dana’s away and handed them back. “I’ll be ordering for the both of us,” she said with a smile. “I have something special planned.”
“Très bien,” the server replied. “Can I start you off with—”
But Bethany interrupted him in flawless French. He stared at her a moment, taken aback, before he scrambled for his pad and pen to jot down whatever it was she was saying. Raising her water glass to her lips, Dana snickered into it, amused. She’d never eaten anything French before that she could remember—she was pretty sure French fries didn’t count—but even if she didn’t like the meal, this scene right here was definitely worth the exorbitant cost.
After the server walked away, Dana leaned across the table to tell her friend, “That was priceless.”
“It’s a French restaurant in New York City, of all places,” Bethany said, trying—and failing—to suppress a grin. “He should’ve been prepared for someone who actually spokeFrench.”
“So what’d you order?” Dana asked.
Bethany’s grin turned enigmatic. “You’ll see.”
First came the wine. Dana didn’t know if it tasted any better than what she’d brought home, but she’d seen the prices on the menu and knew it cost twice as much. Then came appetizers. She’d been dreading them, having heard horror tales of snails in shells and who knew what else, so she was surprised when the server brought large pot of something hot and bubbly to set in the middle of their table. Another server behind him set down a plate of what looked like croutons and vegetables. There were metal skewers on the plate, as if in lieu of utensils.
“Bon appetit,” the server said, before walking away.
Dana looked up from the food to her friend, who watched her expectantly. “What’s this?”
“Fondue. You’ll love it, I promise.” Taking one of the skewers, Bethany impaled a ripe cherry tomato, then dipped it in the pot and twisted it around. “The first course is cheese. Next we’ll get a pot of oil and meat—I got steak and shrimp, I know you like both—and, like, five different dipping sauces. We cook it right here at the table. When that’s done, the final course is a pot of chocolate—”
“Shut. Up.” Dana reached for her own skewer and tried a piece of crusty bread in the cheese. “Let’s skip everything else and go straight to that. What do you dip in the chocolate?”
Bethany shrugged. “Fruit, marshmallows, cakes.”
“Oh my everloving God!” Dana moaned with pleasure as she bit into the cheese-dipped bread. “This is divine! How’d you find out about this place?”
“My boss told me about it,” she admitted. “He swears by it. Best night out ever, he said. I thought it’d be perfect since this is technically our first date.”
Dana arched an eyebrow. “I thought you might’ve forgotten about that. Can I double-dip or no?”
“Go for it.” Bethany dunked her tomato a second time, but it slipped off the skewer and disappeared into the cheese. “Shit. Oh well. There’s plenty more.” She speared a piece of green pepper instead. “And I didn’t forget. I just wasn’t sure how to make the first move.”
Dana waited until Bethany’s skewer was clear of the pot, then dipped her crouton in again. “For the record? This is works for me.”
Bethany smiled around a mouthful of cheesy pepper. “I was hoping it might.”
* * * *
Dinner was divine, though Dana didn’t know what she enjoyed more, the food or the company. The wine wasn’t half-bad, either, though she had to admit it didn’t taste much different from the stuff she bought at the store for much cheaper. Maybe her palate wasn’t that refined, or maybe all the rich food obscured the taste. But she kept her thoughts on the wine to herself, and raved over the food instead.