wishing she could dare more. "Dr. Edmonds, I'll get your coat. Nicholas will walk you to the door."
Both men obeyed her instructions and by the time she rescued Edmonds' coat from the cellar steps, he already had one foot out the door.
*****
Nicholas took the coat from her and handed it to Edmonds. "I'd ask you to join us for dinner, Edmonds, but we have reservations. For two."
Bryant shoved his arms through his sleeves and stepped out onto the porch. "Goodbye, Trissa," he said, looking past Nicholas to where she stood in the center of the parlor. "May I visit again?"
Trissa shrugged and Nicholas blocked her from view as he joined the doctor on the porch, pulling the door shut behind him. "Come anytime you want. We have nothing to hide."
"Oh? Then tell me one thing, Brewer. Have you consummated the marriage yet?"
In a blind rage, Nicholas took a swing at his nose, poorly aimed, and too clumsily executed. It grazed Edmonds' chin and he caught his wrist and shoved Nicholas back against the door. Nicholas saw the futility of a struggle against this man who outweighed him by a solid fifty pounds, and Bryant held him there at arm's length.
"I see." Edmonds' lips curled in a mocking smile. "If you fuck as well as you fight, she's got nothing to worry about." He shoved his hands in his coat pockets and whistled as he strode down the walk.
"Shit. Shit. Shit." Nicholas pounded his fist against the bricks when Edmonds' car disappeared around the corner. "God damn it, where'd you learn to fight, you little piss ant?" he muttered to himself. "At the loony bin? Shit!" He breathed deeply until he felt the heat drain from his face. When he was calm, he straightened his coat and tie and went back into the house to Trissa.
"Are you all right?"
"Of course, I am. Why shouldn't I be?"
"I don't know. That leaving had the look of 'I'll meet you out back, Buddy'."
"Didn't lay a glove on me. What's the matter? Do I look like the loser in some street fight?" He held her chin up and kissed her tenderly on her bruised cheek. "You should see the other guy."
She drew her finger under the lapel of his coat and whispered, "Don't mind him. He wears white socks with black slacks and shoes."
"No competition, huh?"
"Outclassed completely."
"But more than matched by my date for the evening." He twirled her away from him to get a better look. "Where did you get this?"
"Augusta. Wait until you see what else. And all my shiny shoes, Nicholas. I swear it's magic, like the cobbler and the elves."
"No, not magic. Just Kiwi polish and a little spit. I do have reservations at the Chase. I know the wine steward there. He's put in a good word with the maitre'd. Where's your coat?"
"Augusta took it. I'll go find it." She took a few steps toward the kitchen then turned and tried the knob of a door under the steps. "The guest closet. I knew there had to be one here somewhere. I threw Dr. Edmonds' coat down the cellar stairs when I couldn't find the closet."
"Next time, do me a favor and do that while he's still in it."
*****
Trissa could not decide what to order from the overwhelming menu. She had peeked over the top as waiters brought steaming orders to nearby tables and tried to match what she saw with what she was reading on the menu. Finally, she gave up and left the decision to Nicholas. He deferred to Maurice, who told them he knew the menu like the back of his hand. As sommelier, it was his job to know all the varied elements of the entrees so that he might suggest the exact wine that would bring the dining experience to the pinnacle of excellence. He said all this with a tone of hauteur that made Trissa giggle when she remembered his antics with the milk the night before. When, at his suggestion, Nicholas ordered the Coquilles Saint Jacques, stuffed artichokes, and braised celery, Trissa did not miss the saucy wink Maurice cast her way and suddenly wished she could have a plate of Ruth's pork chops and applesauce.
The meal looked formidable when it lay before her. The artichoke reminded her of a cactus garden she had attempted once with its stuffing looking like desert sand and gravel. Tiny scallops and mushrooms in a pearly sauce were served up in cute little shell dishes that spun