Chapter 7

Tony rang the bell, alerting Deidra that an order was up. She got to the alcove just as Tony pulled the slip off the carousel.

"Hey, Tony?" she asked. Tony looked at her, his brow creasing.

"What's up, Dee? Something wrong?" he answered. Something was bothering his new waitress, and that worried him.

"Is that the order for table six?" Tony looked at the slip then out at table six. He saw Robby and his mother bickering heatedly at their table. Understanding came to his eyes.

"Yeah, Dee it is," he said with a sigh. He knew all about Robby's mom's match-making antics. He believed in his heart that Alice had married that guy from Utah just to get away from her. Well, maybe not. But still...

"Sorry. Is Martha trying to hook you up?"

"Yep," she said, popping her lips.

"Robby's a good guy, really. It's just..."

"I get it. She embarrassed the poor guy in front of a total stranger," she interrupted. "I feel bad for him. I just hope she doesn't start giving me his résumé next. I don't think I could handle that."

"Do your best, honey," Tony said comfortingly. "At the end of the day, you'll see the humor in all of this."

"Maybe," she said, unconvinced that she would see this as anything other than pathetic.

She loaded the order on a serving tray, balanced it on her hand, then proceeded to the table. Robby heard the squeak of Deidra's institutional shoes approaching and turned with hope and relief at the pending interruption. With his focus on the meal, he didn't note Deidra's frown as she fixed her eyes on something beyond their table.

Martha did notice, and she turned to see what had the waitress concerned. What she saw was a flame-haired beauty dressed all in black striding purposefully towards their table. Martha looked back to Robby and saw his attention was still on the food the waitress was carrying.

Robby finally noted Deidra's distraction and frowned when she set the tray on a nearby table instead of serving it up. He was about to ask if everything was okay when he heard a sultry female voice greeting him from behind.

"Hey, Rob! Fancy meeting you here," Elaina called, almost purring with apparent delight at finding him. "How you doing, sweetie?" She leaned in to plant a quick peck on his cheek, smiling sassily all the while, and ran a hand over the other cheek.

Martha looked on with a predatory gleam in her eye, her thoughts patently turning back to the possibility of grandchildren once again. Robby sat there with the stunned look of a pole-axed steer, his mouth hanging open in shock and disbelief. He could almost see his mother winding up for the pitch.

"So. Robby. Who is this darling young lady, and why have I never heard of her before?" she queried, her voice rising to end on a high note.

Robby closed his mouth while his fevered mind ran through every possible answer that would keep him out of trouble with the females present. He was coming up blank. Elaina winked at him, then addressed Martha's question herself.

"It's early days for us," she said, laying it on thick for Martha's benefit. "Robby and I didn't want to announce anything until we were sure there was a future for us." Her gaze went to Robby. He saw a mischievous sparkle in her eye. "I think I may be ready for what comes next. The rest is up to him." Well now, Robby thought, that really puts the cat among the pigeons.

Robby could see the triumph in his mother's eye. He wracked his brains fruitlessly trying to come up with a way out of this. He really didn't want to hear her crowing about her future grandchildren.

Not realizing she could be overheard, Deidra muttered, "Who do I gotta kill to look that good?" The thought passed through his mind that she had no idea, but her comment did bring his attention back to Elaina. She was dressed in more modern clothing than the last time he'd seen her – much more modern. Starting at the top, she was wearing a silky black shirt buttoned to the throat. A silk scarf was wound around her throat, hiding her skin while accentuating her slim neck. Over the shirt she wore a trim leather jacket, zipped half way up, that barely reached her waist. Her gloves, black leather of course, were peeking out of a pocket. Below that she had on tight leather pants with a wide belt to accessorize. On her feet she was wearing butter-soft thigh-high boots, laced up the back and folded over at the top, sporting a short heel. Over all, it was an intimidating look – except for one thing. She had her dark red hair pulled back in a frothy ponytail. Along with her sparkling green eyes, it softened the hard edges all that black leather gave her. It really was a good look for her.

Elaina grabbed a chair from the next table and pulled it up to sit demurely next to Robby. She reached over like it was an everyday occurrence and laid her hand over his. He went to move his hand but she prevented it. Rather than make a scene, he let it be. She smiled.

Deidra sorted out their meals and left after taking Elaina's order for a side salad, no dressing. As she walked away, Deidra was shaking her head and mumbling about missed opportunities and diamonds in the rough.

Despite the obvious temptation, Martha kept the conversation light while they ate.

Elaina was clever, Robby had to admit, but he'd picked up on the fact that she hadn't actually eaten anything. She pushed her salad around on the plate, cutting it into ever smaller pieces, occasionally licking her fork, but she never put anything solid in her mouth. Robby wouldn't have noticed except that he was watching for it: according to folklore, vampires couldn't eat solid food, instead having a penchant for liquids. Elaina seemed to prove that with the cup of hot tea she was sipping with relish.

"I've got to get going if I don't want to be late back from lunch," Robby announced, looking at his watch.

"Wait for me, Rob?" Elaina asked sweetly. "I need to visit the ladies' room. I'll be right back." She left the table heading towards the restrooms in back. Martha took the opportunity to pursue her agenda.

"Why would you hide her from me, Robby?" his mother accused. "She seems like a perfectly nice girl to me."