His nod was decidedly regal; then he offered me his arm and said, "As you wish."
I slipped my arm through his and we walked down to the park, where I found a bench seat near the fountain and had my snack, listening to the dance of water and the songs of the birds in the trees. It was, I thought, another one of those rather pleasant—almost ordinary—moments to treasure in a life gone crazy.
Unfortunately, it didn't last. Just as I tossed the empty Coke can into the nearby bin, my phone rang. I dug it out of my handbag and hit the vid-phone's ANSWER button.
"Stane," I said. "How'd the date go?"
"Ah, the date," he said, a somewhat bemused expression on his face. "You could say it wasn't what I expected."
"Meaning it was worse, or better?"
"Better is something of an understatement."
I smiled. "So your mother wasn't so far off the mark when she arranged this blind date?"
"Nope. Holly Green is not only pretty, but she's a gamer." He sighed. "I think I'm in love."
"You haven't invited her around to your place yet. She might yet be a clean freak."
"No one who is a gamer can be a clean freak. The two are totally incompatible."
My grin grew. The lone wolf had been snagged, and bad. "I take it you'll be seeing her again—sans mothers this time?"
"Oh, hell yeah."
I laughed. "Is that the only reason you're ringing? To boast about your hot date?"
"Uh, no." He composed himself, his expression becoming a touch more serious. "Got a hit on that storage locker. Someone just came out of it."