Page 65 of Champagne Nights

Shaking my head, and with a smile, I climbed out of the car and felt a hand wrap around my arm.

“You must be Aubrey. Here, let me help you.”

“And you must be Rigby.” I grinned. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too. Ian has told me so much about you.”

“All good, I hope.”

“Nothing but the best.”

The hostess took us over to our table, and I sat on the end so Ian and Rigby could sit next to each other.

“Weird. We’re the only ones at this table so far,” Ian spoke.

“It’s still early. This place usually doesn’t start getting crowded until around six.”

“Do you need me to read you the menu?” Rigby politely asked.

I couldn’t help but smile at his generosity. “No. I’ve been here enough that I pretty much know what they have.”

“Oh shit,” Ian spoke in a low voice.

“What?” I asked.

Before he had a chance to answer, I heard the hostess walking over with other patrons. I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes for a moment as a familiar scent crossed my path.

“Aubrey?” Ethan spoke.

“Aubrey, sweetheart,” his mother spoke. “What a surprise seeing you here.” She clasped my shoulders and kissed my cheek.

“Hello, Nancy.”

“Ethan, you sit here next to Aubrey.”

This was the last thing I needed. Oh my God. How was I going to get through this dinner?

“Hello, Ian. Nice to see you again.”

“Ethan,” he spoke in a disgruntled tone. “This is my friend, Rigby. Rigby, meet Ethan Klein.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Klein.”

“Likewise, Rigby.”

I heard the scraping of the chair across the floor as he pulled it out and sat beside me.

“I can request to sit somewhere else,” he leaned over and whispered to me.

I wanted to tell him to do it, and if he had been with anyone else besides his mother, I would have.

“It’s fine.”

My heart was racing a mile a minute as Nancy carried on a conversation with me. More guests were seated, and it just happened that the woman sitting next to Nancy was a girl she knew back in high school. Go figure. That left Ethan and me, the odd ones, out since everyone else had someone to talk to.

“May I get you a drink?” The waitress asked me in a high-pitched voice.

“I’ll have a Mai Tai, please.”

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