responded. “I have my ups and downs, but there’s much to be grateful for.”
He loved her outlook. She, of all people, had reason to be bitter, or angry. Her entire life plan had been turned on its head. But instead, Jane put out goodness. Everything she cast into the universe brought light to the people in her orbit. Her generous offer to let him take up residence in her shop was just one example. He’d have to be blind not to notice that she was a beauty, from her skin to her hair, to those luminescent eyes, she was stunning. Jane, however, was even prettier on the inside.
There were a lot of people walking around town, unusual for the middle of the week. Just before he reached for the door of the restaurant, Dan saw a couple walking past them on the sidewalk glance over and whisper. Normally, he’d smile or wave if there was extended eye contact, but he could tell by their expressions and body language, the people on the street weren’t interested readers. Dan’s notoriety had devolved into morbid curiosity, and it was out of his control.
Once inside Kent’s, they were taken to their table right away—a small banquette set at the rear of the room, giving them a good view of the entire dining room.
Deep gray-green walls served as the foundation for an eclectic mix of lighting and furnishings. Other than the banquettes, which were upholstered in deep brown leather, the chairs and tables were a mix of sizes and finishes. A large bar took up an entire wall, and bottles were stacked in front of a crackled mirror that went all the way up to the pressed tin ceiling. The owners had spent a tremendous amount of time and money to make it look like they hadn’t spent a tremendous amount of time and money.
As soon as the hostess took their coats, they slid into the booth and Jane took him by surprise. “That’s hard for you, isn’t it?”
“I’m sorry? What?” He wasn’t sure to what she was referring.
“The way people talk. I mean, it can’t be easy.” The couple on the street, he realized. He hadn’t drawn attention to it, but Jane noticed.
“Ahh. Yeah.” He folded his hands on the table and focused on his fingers as he wound them in and out. “I try to ignore it, but it’s not fun. I prefer flying under the radar.”
“I can imagine.” She glanced around slowly, taking in every detail. Ever the scientist, Jane drew information from what she saw. It was always a kick watching her absorb information; he figured after all these years, she was even more astute. “This is really a beautiful place. These pre-war buildings in the village always turn my head. I wonder what kinds of stories are here. If we opened up a wall, what would we find?”
He smiled. They were cut from the same cloth. “I think we’re in the same business, you and I.”
“You think so? I don’t know. I just sell books.”
That was possibly the biggest understatement he’d ever heard. “You’re undergraduate degree was in archeology, right?”
“Yes. I had minors in classics and biological anthropology.”
“Yeesh. Biological anthropology? That sounds like a headache to me.”
“It was a headache, trust me on that. I have no idea why I added the biology piece.”
“You were never happy unless you were torturing yourself. I think it was an illness of some sort.”
“No! That’s not true.”
“Seriously? Who argued her way into AP Chemistry? You would have aced regular Chem, but no—you wanted a challenge.”
“Hmmpf.” She turned that little button nose of hers up in the air, feigning offense. “There’s no shame in wanting a challenge.”
“There’s a challenge and then there’s being a masochist.” Dan was watching her intently, waiting for her to disagree. When she didn’t, he continued. “Back to my point, as an archeologist, you pieced together stories from what you found.”
“I used science to examine artifacts and material remains of a community or civilization to construct a history.”
“You employed science, I use words and my out-of-control imagination, but we’re both storytellers.” He noticed her use of the past tense.
She was about to answer when the hostess returned to take their drink orders. She was accompanied by the chef, who explained the tasting menu and what they could expect over the course of the evening. Chef asked about food allergies and restrictions, and once he was satisfied that he’d gotten a good read on what they would like, he was off.
“This