#Chapter 93: First Date

He didn’t tell me where we were going. Not until the car turned onto the long, familiar stretch of brick-paved road and the glowing white sign came into view. My stomach twisted. I recognized the place instantly. It was the upscale restaurant where I had once seen Richard with Elsa, seated in the corner booth under that ridiculous glass chandelier. The same booth where I had stood outside the frosted windows, watching her hand trace circles along her glass as she made eyes at him. Tonight, it was me walking through the tall double doors, not a shadow outside. The hostess knew his name before he said it. She smiled politely but not warmly, eyes flicking to our clasped hands as she led us to the table in the center of the main dining room. Not a hidden corner. Not a back wall. The center. We were surrounded. He pulled out my chair, casual like it was second nature. As soon as I sat down, I heard the first whisper from a table nearby. Two women in black cocktail dresses leaned towar