Shoe Strings

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wine from the mile-long list, much less pronounce most of the names.   Watching him in the elegant restaurant,
comfortably asking questions about wine, was like being with someone she’d
never met.   It was another reminder
of how different their lives were, how unsuitable she was for him.  
    She tried not to gawk at the prices on the menu and feigned
indecision when Bryce asked what she considered.   “I’m not sure,” she said.   They were all too expensive and she’d
feel like an idiot ordering a side salad—the only reasonably priced
item.   Bryce would see right through
her.   Lord knew he’d seen her
bottomless appetite.   “What are you
getting?”
    He closed his menu and smiled at her.   “The halibut.   I’ve had it before.   You’d like it.”
    Holy God.   The
halibut was twenty-seven dollars!   And it didn’t even come with a salad or any sides—they were all
extra too.   The waiter returned with
the wine and made a big production out of opening it.   He poured a small amount in Bryce’s
glass for him to taste. Jeez, what a show.   Bryce took a quick sip and nodded.   Kerri Ann felt glad he didn’t make a big deal of tasting the wine the
way she’d seen people do on TV, swishing it in their glass and smelling it
before taking a miniscule sip.   The
waiter poured both their glasses and proceeded to tell them the night’s
specials in a hushed tone.   The
steak sounded good, but of course he hadn’t mentioned the price.
    When he’d gone, to give them a minute to decide what to
order, Bryce picked up his glass.   “Cheers.   To new
experiences.”
    Kerri Ann gently tapped her glass to his and took a small
sip.   “This is definitely a new
experience.”   She closed her
menu.   “I appreciate you taking me
out tonight, Bryce.   I know this
wasn’t exactly your idea.”
    “It should have been.   I’ve wanted to take you out, Kerri Ann.   For a long while now.”
    Before she could respond, the waiter returned to take their
order.   She tried to concentrate on
his questions and not read too much into what Bryce had just said.   It was hard when her ears were ringing
with sensation at the possible meaning behind his words.   He was just being nice, is all.   But when he looked up at her when the
waiter left, his smile was so warm, so inviting, she had to keep reminding
herself that he didn’t mean what he’d said.   He was always giving her a hard time
about working too much and not taking any time for herself.   That’s all he’d meant.
    It was Lita who’d orchestrated the evening.   Kerri Ann couldn’t read anything into
the way his eyes danced over her face, the way he looked in the firelight, how
comfortable she felt with him despite the thrill of excitement that shivered
along her spine.   She was nervous
and kept taking sips of her wine.   She needed her food to come so her head would stop spinning and she
could stop imagining that Bryce looked at her as if she were the only woman in
the room.   As if she were a diamond
among a sea of rocks.  
    Over salad and French rolls, they drank and talked about
town gossip, an old high school friend Bryce ran into a day or two ago in the
courthouse for spousal abuse charges, and the new store going in on the corner
of Sequoyah Fall’s main drag.   Through it all, her stomach pitched as his eyes lingered, his straight
white teeth gleamed in the firelight, and images of happily ever after paraded
through her head.  
    Her steak was delicious and she tried to act lady-like and
not clean her plate.   Bryce
suggested they share and he’d just slid half his fish on her plate and taken
half her steak when an elegantly dressed woman approached the table.   “Bryce.”   She placed a manicured hand on his
shoulder.   “I thought that was you.”
    “Colleen.” Bryce stood up.   “How are you?”
    Kerri Ann sat in her chair as her meal curdled in her
stomach.   The woman was beautiful,
in the way that only well bred, highly educated women could be.   Her dress looked to be made of silk and
the strand of pearls at her neck looked antique.   There wasn’t a hair of her auburn mane
out of place.
    “Colleen Ferst, this is Kerri Ann Bloodworth.”   Bryce introduced the women as if they
were equals.   Ha.   “Colleen is the Buncombe County
assistant D.A.”
    “I heard you’re taking on the Margolis case,” she said after
a quick nod to Kerri Ann.
    “I’m considering it,” he said.