A 15th Jixanny CWP Story

Part II

A week later, the newly printed menus and covers were delivered to the shop.  Imogene eagerly tore open the package then ran her hand lovingly over the brown leather folder that housed the printed documents.

“These are gorgeous,” she gushed,  “simply gorgeous.”

“Let me see,” demanded Trixie.  

“Yes, the menus are here and tested, the decor is ready, the training of the new staff is going well, but I still can’t think of a name for the restaurant.” Imogene tugged at the rhinestone pendant she was wearing, a worried expression on her face.

Trixie ran her hand across the menu and inhaled the fresh leather scent.  “You went all out, that’s for sure.  I think I’m going to want to eat here everyday.”

“Of course you can and you can have anything you want for free.”

“Oh, no. I couldn’t do that.  But your restaurant will definitely be my  new “go-to” place.”

“Did your brother have any ideas for a name?” asked Imogene.

Trixie shook her head.  “All he could talk about was how great the food was.  I don’t think you want to call your restaurant Imogene’s Delectable, Mouthwatering, Palatable, Ambrosial Delicious Restaurant.”

Imogene looked at Trixie in awe. “‘My stars, how do you know all those words?”

Trixie grinned.  “Because those are the adjectives Mart has been using to describe the food.  I’ve heard them non-stop for a week.”

“Well, you do have a point.  Getting all those words on a sign would take a lot of work.  Plus, I want my customers reading the menu choices, not trying to sound out a monstrous pile of words.”

“We’ll think of something.”

“It’d better be soon.  We plan to open in a week.  I can’t very well have people driving down the street looking for a restaurant that doesn’t have a name.”

“It will happen, trust me,” soothed Trixie.

“I’ll be glad when this restaurant is up and running.  I had a contractor in here yesterday reviewing the electrical issues in the kitchen.  Not only did the fans go haywire, the exhaust units did too.  He finally figured out the mess, but for a brief period of time I thought we had Gremlins in there.”

“Gremlins?” questioned Trixie. “Those little furry creatures from the movie?  What do they have to do with the kitchen problems?”

“Furry creatures? I don’t know anything about that.  But during World War II, gremlins were made-up creatures that supposedly created problems with the wires and such in the fighter  planes.”  

“No, that’s not right.  They’re little creatures, but don’t ever get them wet and never feed them after midnight.”

Imogene landed a fixed stare on Trixie.  “My dear, you need to ‘google’ the word ‘gremlin’.  Then you’ll know what I’m talking about.”

Trixie pulled her phone out of her pocket and tapped in a search.  When the screen showed the results, she sat down on a nearby stool and quickly read through the information.

“Hmmm…” she mumbled.  “I thought the movie created the whole idea of a ‘gremlin’.”  She closed the screen and looked at Imogene.   “Well, there you go.  I didn’t even have to go to school today to learn something new.  Although I still think the gremlins in the movie were pretty darn cute.”

“What did they look like?” asked Imogene.

“Kinda like a Furby.”

“A what?”

“You don’t know what a Furby is?”

Imogene shook her head.

“I’ll just save the explanation and bring my old one in tomorrow.”

“Oh, thank you, Trixie.  Now that we’ve resolved the gremlin issue, we need to think about a name.”

The tinkling of the bell over the door interrupted the two.  Trixie hopped off the stool and went to assist the two women who entered the shop while Imogene, her fingers drumming on the stack of new menus, pondered the name for her new endeavor.

********

Trixie grabbed her travel mug and went into the restaurant in search of some tea.  As she approached the kitchen, she heard a crash, followed by a bellowing voice.

“You worthless mutt. Now look what you’ve done!” yelled Ian.

Trixie peeked into the kitchen.  “Oh, no!” she gasped.  “What happened?”

Ian spun around, his face red, his eyes snapping.  “That stupid dog came back and, of course,  helped himself to my tray of tiny tarts.”

Trixie grimaced when she saw the fruit topped treats lying on the floor, with the stray dog gobbling them up as fast as he could. “How did he get in here?” she asked.

Ian flung his hands toward the open back door.  “How do you think?   I left the door open.  Apparently that means ‘come in and eat my food’ to that dog.  Don’t his owners feed him?”

“Maybe he doesn’t have any owners?” suggested Trixie quietly.

“Not my problem.  But this,” Ian waved at the mess, “ is my problem.”   Ian grabbed a broom and began to swish it toward the dog in an attempt to make him leave the kitchen.  He stopped when he heard a voice in the restaurant.

“Trixie!  Trixie, are you in here?”

Trixie glanced out the kitchen door into the dining area.  “We’re back here, Honey.”

Honey halted at the doorway to the kitchen.  “Oh no! What’s happened now?”

Ian scowled.  “That little dishwashing dog made another appearance.  Only this time he ate my tiny tarts.”

“He ate your tiny tarts?” Honey questioned, a puzzled look on her face.  Beyond Ian’s shoulder, Honey could see Trixie grinning.  

“He ate my tiny tarts,” insisted Ian, picking up a tray from the floor.  “And now, he’s full so he won’t even help clean up the mess he made.”

Honey and Trixie’s eyes met and they burst out laughing.

Ian looked at them, then at Trixie.  “I suppose this means you won’t be helping me clean up the kitchen either?”

Trixie held up her hands. “Don’t look at me.  I only came in here to get some tea.  I have to get back to the shop now.  Sorry.”  She ducked her head and left the kitchen.

Honey watched the small dog for a minute, then looked up at Ian.  “I’ll help you on the condition that you stop yelling at this adorable little thing.”

“Fine.  I’ll stop yelling but I won’t stop grumbling.”

Honey stepped across the messy floor and gingerly picked up the little dog.  Cooing, she carried it to the back door but stopped suddenly.  “I can’t just let him go.  He might get hurt or hit by a car.”

Ian shook his head.  “That seems highly unlikely to me. There’s too much on the menu he hasn’t tasted yet.”

“True.  He’d probably love your burgers,” quipped Honey as she looked around the kitchen. Spying a large spool of twine, she smiled sweetly.  “I’ll just tie him up using this.  You don’t mind, do you?”  Without waiting for an answer, Honey unrolled a length of twine and tied it to the dog.  “There, now I don't have to worry about him running away.”  She brushed her hands together. “Shall we get to work?”  Honey grabbed another broom and began sweeping the remaining crusts into a pile.  With the occasional mumblings of Ian, the two got the floor cleaned up and the kitchen back in order.  

“There.  All done.” Honey smiled at Ian.

“Yes, but I have to make another batch of tiny tarts.”

“Is that hard?”

Ian shook his head.  “No, not really.  I was just hoping to get out of here early and get a run in.”

“What if I helped?  Would that make it quicker?”

Ian looked at Honey in surprise.  “Why would you want to do that?”

Honey shrugged.  “I have to wait for Trixie to to get off work.  I could help you while I’m waiting.”

“What about the dog?”

Honey grinned.  “Well, if you’d rather have the dog help you, I can go hang out in the antique shop.”

“No, no, not that.”  Ian blushed.  “What are you going to do with the dog?”

“When Trixie gets off, we’ll run the dog over to the Humane Society.  So, do you want my help or not?”

Ian smiled and pointed to the sink.  “Absolutely. My mama didn’t raise a fool. Wash up and let’s get to work.”  

With her hands cleaned, Honey tied back her hair, and stood next to Ian.  “Reporting to duty, sir.” She gave him a mock salute, causing the stressed young man to laugh.  

“I see why Trixie thinks you’re such a good friend.  Shall we get to work?”

A short time later, Trixie peeked into the kitchen.  Her eyes widened when she saw Ian and Honey rolling and cutting out the crusts for the tiny tarts.  Standing in the shadows, she heard Ian telling Honey tales of some of his cooking disasters and Honey giggling in response.  Intrigued, Trixie tiptoed away from the kitchen.  

“I don’t know what happened in there, but Honey better be prepared to give a full report,” she muttered as she returned to the antique shop.

*****

Trixie finished filling out the bank deposit and stuffed it into the bank bag along with cash from the register, then turned it over to Imogene.  After getting her bag from the back room, Trixie slipped into the restaurant.

“Honey!  Honey!  Are you ready to go to dinner?”

“Yes.”  Trixie could hear Honey laughing as she replied.

Trixie walked into the kitchen and she found Honey and Ian finishing up the tarts, which Ian promptly slid into the giant refrigerator.

“Thanks for all your help,” he said, smiling broadly at Honey. “This afternoon turned out to be a lot of fun after all.”

Honey returned the smile.  “You’re welcome.  Now I need to get that little puppy and drop him off at the Humane Society.”

Honey went to the back door.  “Oh no!” she cried out in alarm.  “The puppy’s gone!”

“What?”  Ian rushed to the door and saw the twine that had held the stray had been chewed in half and the dog was gone.  

Trixie pushed past Ian and Honey and checked the alley, whistling as she poked behind the dumpster.  

“I think he’s gone.  I hope he’s okay,” Honey said, her brows furrowed in concern.

“Gone, my foot.  He’ll be back as soon as I cook something he likes.  Remember, he has yet to try my burgers.” Ian gathered up the two pieces of twine.

“If he comes back, just call me,” said Honey.  She grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled her cell phone number.  “I really want to make sure he’s safe and has a good home.”

Ian took the paper and tucked it into his pocket.  Honey washed her hands, grabbed her purse, then turned to Ian.  “Thanks for letting me help. I had a really good time.”

“My pleasure.  And I promise, if I see the dog, I’ll give you a call.” Ian patted the pocket where he had stashed Honey’s phone number.

“That sounds perfect.” Honey tucked her arm into Trixie’s and the two strolled out of the restaurant.

“Where do you want to go for dinner, Trixie?” asked Honey, as they stood on the sidewalk outside the antique shop.

“I don’t care as long as you’re up for some interrogation,” answered Trixie.

“Interrogation?  Are you questioning me or am I questioning you?”

Trixie stared at her friend.  “Why would you be questioning me?”

Honey put her index finger to her lips.  “Hmm, let’s see.  Something about gorgonzola cheese, your relationship with Tad, and where the two of you went the other night, you know, after the rest of us went home. Even though I had to go to the Manor, I certainly noticed that your car went in the opposite direction from Crabapple Farm.”

In the late afternoon sunlight, Honey noted the blush that quickly spread across her friend’s face.

“And,” Honey continued, “being busy with my parents the last several days has done nothing to quell my curiosity.”

“Oh, yeah?  What about you and Ian and your sudden talent in the kitchen? And don’t think I didn’t notice how cleverly you provided Ian with your phone number.”

“Well, it seems to me that we both have a lot of questions.  We need to go someplace where we won’t be disturbed so we can talk as long as we want,”  said Honey.

“Perfect.  Shall I follow you to the Manor House?” grinned Trixie.

“But first we have to pick up a pizza,” advised Honey.  

“Of course.  You drive me around back to my car, then I’ll follow you,”

“Perfectly perfect.”

“Yes, it is,” agreed Trixie.

********

“Ugh,”  said Trixie later as she rubbed her stomach.  “I can’t believe we ate a large pizza.  Just the two of us!  Maybe I’m turning into Mart.”

“Have you begun reading dictionaries?” teased Honey.

Trixie laughed and shook her head.

“Then I would say that you are definitely not turning into Mart.”

“Yeh, but we ate an entire pizza!”

“I know, but it was so good.  There’s nothing like sitting down with my best friend, indulging in some delicious food,  and having a heart-to-heart, is there?”

Trixie tossed her paper plate into the empty box.  “That’s the way it always worked for us when we were younger.”

“So, what do you want to talk about?” asked Honey slyly.

Trixie shrugged.  “Whatever you want.”

“Good.  Then let’s talk about you and Tad?”

Trixie rolled her eyes.  “Really?  Everytime we’re together, we discuss that. Don’t you want to talk about something else?”

“Not when this subject seems so interesting, especially the gorgonzola cheese.”

Trixie blushed brightly.  “Oh, that.  What about it, Honey?”

“That’s my question for you.”

Trixie shrugged.  “One night, Tad, Ian and I were having dinner together and those two were drinking dirty martinis.”  She grimaced.  “But I have no idea how they were able to get them down.  Yuk!  Anyway, Tad gave me the gorgonzola stuffed olive that was in his drink.”  Trixie licked her lips.  “It was delicious.  And pretty well soaked in alcohol.  Then, after we ate dinner, Ian left and that’s the story of the gorgonzola cheese.

“Really?  What’d you do after Ian left?”

Trixie twisted her pizza stained napkin.  “Oh, not much.  You know, a little bit of this, a little bit of that.”

Honey smirked knowingly.  “That’s the part that sounds really interesting.”

“What’s so interesting about me and Tad?  You know we’ve been dating.” Trixie picked at pieces of cheese that were clinging to the top of the pizza box.

“Because I got the distinct impression that you and Tad are close, very close, and that Mart seems to enjoy giving you grief about it.”

Trixie exhaled loudly.  “I honestly think he does that to get on my nerves.  I don’t know why he would have a problem with Tad.”  Trixie paused.  “But yeah, Tad and I are close, very close.”  She smiled when she repeated Honey’s words.  “All I can say is we ‘click’ and we get each other.  Now,  why don’t we discuss your sudden interest in making tiny tarts with Ian?”

Trixie watched Honey sputtered awkwardly.  “I just thought I could help him while waiting for you.”

“Yeh, sure.  You forgot the fact that I was due to get off fifteen minutes after you showed up, not an hour later. Lucky for you there was plenty to do in the shop, otherwise I would have been bugging you and Ian in a manner that would have made Bobby proud.”  Trixie grinned broadly.

Honey, shrugging nonchalantly, began to gather the dinner utensils.

“Wow, Honey.  Did you take a theater class at school this year because you’re doing a really good job of acting.”

“Funny, Trixie.  I was just thinking the same thing about you.”

Trixie giggled,  “Maybe we should take this show on the road?”

“Definitely.”

The two friends relaxed in Honey’s bedroom and discussed Honey’s plan to assist with the philanthropic division of Wheeler International,  Imogene’s new restaurant, the Bobwhites, and anything else that came up.

*********

Sipping at a cup of tea,Trixie rushed around the kitchen of Crabapple Farm.  She grabbed a protein bar and an apple and stashed them in her bag. She headed for the door while fumbling for her keys.

“Hey, Trixie,” called out Mart.  “How long do you work today?”

Trixie paused and looked at her brother suspiciously  “Why?”

Mart shrugged.  “I just thought I would come visit you at work.”

“Why on earth would you do that?”

“I just want to look around the shop a bit.”

“You can do that whether I'm there or not,” Trixie pointed out.

“Yeh, but it’s more fun to watch you actually doing something.”

Trixie scowled at her brother, then exited the back door, letting it slam behind her.

A short while later, Trixie let herself into the back room of Ingram’s Antiques and tapped in  security code to turn off the alarm system. Walking through the quiet shop, Trixie sniffed appreciatively.  “That’s what I love about this place,” she said softly.  “The smells remind me of  exploring a musty, old attic.” After completing the morning prep work, Trixie flipped the sign and was ready for business.  Before too long, she heard Ian come in through the back door.

“Hi, Ian,” she called out.

“Hey, Trixie.”

“Everything ready for the opening on Monday?”

Ian nodded.  “Pretty much.  We just need to decide on a name.  I don’t suppose you know if Imogene has done that yet?”

Trixie shook her head.  “I don’t think so.  I know she’s really stressed about it, though.

“Well, maybe she’ll come up with something today,” said Ian, crossing his fingers in the air.   He strode through the shop and entered the restaurant.

Trixie helped a few of the customers that had come into the store and reorganized the favored horse display before hearing Imogene enter the shop.

“Morning, Imogene,” said Trixie from the doorway to the backroom.

“Morning, Trixie.  How are things going today?”

“Fine.  Ian came in a while ago and he’s ready for Monday.  We’re only missing one thing.” Trixie raised her eyebrows questioningly.

“I know.  I know.  I just can’t come up with anything.  I hate  words like ‘cafe’, or ‘eatery’, or ‘diner’ because I don’t think they convey what I want to convey?”

“And what is that?” Trixie asked as she sat down at the cluttered desk and watched Imogene tie on her apron then attach a rhinestone pin.  Imogene’s unending love for the gaudy jewelry continually baffled Trixie, who always declined her boss’s offer to scatter a few across the young woman’s apron.  “Imogene,” she prompted.

Imogene paused. “Something that is restful and gives patrons a break from a hectic life.  Also, if the name lends an air of mystery, that would be good.”

Trixie chuckled.  “Mystery, huh?  That’d work for me.  As for restful, then I hope that stray mutt stays away. Ian yelling at a dog about his tiny tarts does nothing to relax me.”

“I suppose not,” agreed Imogene as she added several additional rhinestone pins across the front of her apron.  “Now, let’s get out there. We have a lot to do today.  And I want you to make sure the two new hires know the basics of checking people out.”

“Roger!” replied Trixie as she followed her boss out of the backroom and through the carefully organized aisles of the antique store.

A short time later the bell over the door announced Honey’s arrival.

“Hmmm...imagine seeing you here,” quipped Trixie, eyeing the armful of bandannas that Honey was carrying.

Honey blushed, then nodded her head toward the restaurant.  “Is Ian in?” she asked.

“What?  No ‘hi Trixie’?”

“Sure.  Hi, Trixie.  Is Ian in?” grinned Honey.

Trixie nodded, frowning slightly.  “He’s in the kitchen.  What are those bandannas for?”

“Well, Imogene and I were talking and we thought that the bandannas would make great napkins, instead of the usual white cloth ones. You know, a bit more relaxing and less formal, and more in tune with the restaurant's decor.”

Trixie crossed her arms. “Since when did you become involved in the running of the restaurant?  Oh, that’s right.  When you decided to become a ‘sous chef’’.”  She grinned at her friend.

Honey laughed lightly.  “I’m just trying to help you guys out.  Besides, I don’t have anything else to do right now. I think Ian appreciates my help, at least I hope so.  See you later, Trixie.”

Trixie watched Honey disappear through the doorway to the restaurant.  She stood pondering the relationship between Honey and Ian until a nibbling at the back of her neck interrupted her thoughts.  

“Oh, hi, Tad,” she said flatly, her eyes still fixed on the doorway that Honey had just gone through.

“Is that all I get?  Is the magic gone already?” he teased.

Trixie smiled and shook  her head.  “Tad, did you know that Honey has a thing for Ian?”

“Ooh, the plot thickens,” said Tad, as he stroked an imaginary beard.

“What plot?” Trixie spun around so fast she fell into Tad’s arms.

“Ian called me this morning and asked if we’d be interested in double dating Saturday night.    I was wondering who he was planning to bring?”

Trixie’s eyes widened. “If it’s Honey, I hope you said ‘yes’.  And if it isn’t, then I hope you said ‘yes’ anyway.”

“I figured you’d want to go, so I did say ‘yes’.   But I did want to run it by you and thought it would be more fun to do so in person, especially with all those special perks you like to offer.”

Trixie sighed and gave Tad a kiss.  “Anything else?” she asked breathlessly.

“Yes.  He also wants to go to the movies after dinner, but the Cameo is showing Mississippi Burning.  Somehow, I don’t think that’s a very good movie for a first date.  Any other ideas?”

Trixie thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers.  “I do.  Remember that old theater in Port Chester that is so ornate.  They show classic movies there during the summer months.  I have a flyer somewhere.”

Trixie hurried over to the front  counter and began rifling through the drawers until she found a list of the movies being shown at the old theater.  “Let’s see.  The movie for Saturday night is...Grease.  How perfect is that?”

Tad grimaced.  “Really?  Grease?  Isn’t there anything a little less musical?”

“I think it’s a perfect choice for a first date.  So, maybe we should eat in White Plains and then go to the movie.”

Tad studied the brochure listing the showings.  “I have a better idea.  Let’s go to the afternoon matinee and then have dinner afterward, that is if you and Ian can get off work early.”

“I’ll check with Imogene.  You go talk to Ian, but maybe you should wait until Honey’s gone.”

“When will that be?”

Trixie shrugged. “How should I know?  Fine, go talk to him now, but play it cool.”

“‘Cool’ is my middle name,” said Tad as he pushed aside the tarp that covered the entrance to the restaurant then disappeared behind it.  Trixie got busy making a list of what she needed to do in order to leave early the next day.  A few minutes later, Tad came back into the shop, a big grin on his face.  

“What?” demanded Trixie.

“I tried to be real casual about it, but before Ian could answer, Honey answered for him.”

Trixie’s mouth dropped.  “So he is taking her out?”

Tad nodded.  “And they both like the idea of going to the movie in Port Chester and then dinner afterward.  Good call, Belden.”  Tad leaned down and gave Trixie a deep kiss before heading out the door to his job at the community center.  

Humming to herself, Trixie pulled out another piece of paper and began writing down the questions she knew for certain she wanted to ask Honey.

**********

Late the next afternoon, the four strolled out of the movie theater, humming the songs from the Grease musical.

“Stop! Stop!” begged Ian.  “I swear, Trixie.  All your chair dancing gave me a bad case of motion sickness.”

Trixie grinned.  “Oh, come on, Ian.  Let’s do the Hand Jive.”  Jumping around on the sidewalk, Trixie went through the hand motions of the lively dance scene.  

Ian, covering his eyes, continued to walk along the sidewalk, refusing to acknowledge Trixie’s impromptu dance moves.  

“I don’t know about the movie, but that theater is gorgeous.  I love old buildings that have been well renovated.  Can you imagine the workmanship that went into the original construction?” asked Tad.

Honey, surprised, looked at Tad.  “I’m surprised you noticed all that.  Most guys don’t.”

Tad looked at Honey.  “Of course I would notice that beautiful architecture.”

“Really?” asked Honey.

“Didn’t you know that Tad started out majoring in architectural design?” interrupted Trixie.

“I guess not.”  Honey thought for a minute before asking,   “Then why are you at the Community Center?”

Tad clasped Trixie’s hand as he walked.  “As much as I loved  architecture, I couldn’t make the required classes fit in with my baseball schedule,  so I switched to business.  When I came back here, I needed a job and the Community Center was hiring.  It turned out to be a good fit for me.”

“Oh.  Do you think you want to keep working there?”

“Who knows. But I do love all the different aspects of my job, especially setting up the summer ball leagues for the kids.”

“Hey, did you guys see all the old cars parked outside the theater when we left?” asked Ian, looking back at the restored vehicles that were lined up along the curb.

“No.  How did I miss that?” asked Trixie.

“You were too busy dancing,” noted Ian dryly.  “They were pretty cool. See what you miss when you’re busy doing the ‘Hand Jive’?”

Trixie playfully stuck out her tongue at Ian, then turned to talk to Tad.  Behind them, Honey and Ian strolled together.

“You know, my friend is always like that,” Honey pointed out.

Ian laughed.  “Oh, I already know that.  I’ve seen her on the soccer field.”

“I hope I get to see you guys play this summer. Trixie’s told me about your games.  They sound  fun.”

“We’ll make sure that happens.”  Ian smiled down at Honey. “Come on,” he said, noticing that they were lagging behind, “let’s catch up to the lovebirds.”

Holding Honey’s hand, the two trotted down the street until they caught up with Tad and Trixie. Together, the group made their way to the restaurant where they were seated at a table that overlooked a beautiful ravine.

“Ooh, this is perfectly perfect,” sighed Honey as she watched the setting sun’s rays filter through the trees.

“Perfectly perfect?” questioned Ian.

Honey laughed softly.  “Just one of my pet phrases.”

“Oh, you mean like ‘gleeps’ is one of Trixie’s pet phrases,” teased Ian, grinning.

“Exactly,” answered Honey.  She turned to Trixie.  “I’m so glad you thought of  this theater and the movie.  I love Grease.  Can you imagine going to the dances with all those crinolines on?”

Trixie stared at Honey.  “All those what?”

“Crinolines.  You know, the tulle petticoat that made the dresses so puffy.”

Trixie wrinkled her nose.  “Those look horrible to me.  I’ll take my comfy jeans, thank you.”

“I don’t know.  Those puffy skirts sure make your waist look small.”

“Tell you what, Honey.  I’ll find a magic bean, rub it, then send you back in time so you can wear those dresses and crin-a-things all you want.  I bet you’d last five minutes.”

“Uh, Trixie,” said Tad.  “I think you mixed up your fairy tales.”

Trixie shrugged. “Whatever.  I’m just going into some kind of shock over the thought of not only having to wear a dress, but also something called a crinoline that would make my skirt puff out all over the place.”

“Well, if that’s the way you feel,” smiled Honey knowingly, “you can just wear dungarees.”

“Sold!” exclaimed Trixie.  “Besides, if I ever have the chance to go back in time, I want to go back to London and become a ‘Ripperologist’.”

“Say what?” asked Ian, dropping his menu on the table in front of him.

“A ‘Ripperologist’.  You know, a person who is all into Jack the Ripper and solving those horrendous crimes.”

Honey shuddered.  “Enough, Trixie.  We’re here to have fun, not discuss a gory murder.”

Trixie winced.  “Sorry, Honey.  My lips are now sealed.”  She made a quick motion across her mouth, then unrolled her napkin and placed it on her lap.

The four opened their menus and studied them, deciding to order some drinks and appetizers first.  With that done, they debated and discussed the entrees until each one made a choice. The evening continued with talking and laughing and making tentative plans for more activities together during the summer.