“You and me both Mr. Hollis,” he said. “I know we haven’t officially been given the contract yet, but still, my mind has been racing ever since you announced the potential project. I have some really cool ideas that I think you’re really going to like.”
“I’m sure I will,” he said. “Now go on, get home. I won’t be the reason your dinner gets cold.”
Vince nodded, smiled at me, then got into his car and drove away. Jonah turned to me once he was gone. “Well then, I guess it’s just you and me. Do you have any restaurant suggestions?”
“Considering there seems to only be a single restaurant in this whole town, I say we go to that one.” I pointed across the street from where the new mall was going to go, at the motel that advertised having a diner in the lobby.
He looked where I was pointing. “Works for me.”
We walked across the street and found that there was no one eating at the diner, so we had our choice of any place to sit. I chose a booth near the back, then waited for him to slide into one end, and pulled out one of my favorite little tricks.
“Oh jeez,” I said, looking down at the bench on the other side of the booth. “It looks like this side is all dirty.”
“Should we sit somewhere else?”
“No, it’s fine,” I said. “I’ll just sit on this side with you. If that’s okay.”
He hesitated, but only for a split second, then he smiled and scooted further down. “Yeah, no, of course. You can sit here.”
I took my place next to him and made sure I was close enough so that our legs were just barely touching. He picked up his menu and studied it, and soon the waitress came around.
“Hi there,” she said with a kind smile. She looked to be about Jonah’s age, and her name tag said ‘Tina.’ “I’m surprised to see you folks here.” She eyed my outfit, and I knew she was thinking that I looked out of place. “Usually, the only people at the diner in the middle of the day are truck drivers on their way through town. So, what brings you two out here on a Wednesday afternoon?”
“We are building a mall,” Jonah said. “Right across the street.”
“You’re building a mall?” She gawked. “Here? Why?”
“To the untrained eye,” he said. “This town might seem like an odd place to put a mall, but we’ve actually done the research and we think it’ll thrive out here. Just think, it’ll bring new business and travelers from all over the state. First, it’s this mall, then who knows, maybe a new hotel or new housing developments. And it’s more than just a mall, it’s also going to be a place where people can gather. It’ll foster a sense of community.”
She seemed skeptical but she didn’t say as much. She just took our orders and left.
“I don’t think she bought a word I just said,” Jonah laughed. “I guess she’ll just have to see it to believe it.”
“You know what you’re doing,” I said. “That’s all that matters.”
At least, I think he knows what he’s doing.
I was reminded of something my dad said, about Jonah being bad at hearing outside criticism, and I wondered whether or not my dad had any opinions about this new project and its unconventional location.
“I was going to order a drink,” he said after a few seconds of silence. “I forgot, but when she comes back, I’ll ask her if she has any champagne. We should celebrate, don’t you think?”
He was looking over at me, I could feel his eyes on me. I knew exactly what would happen if we ordered a bottle of champagne, and Jonah was a smart man, so I knew he did too.
I smiled seductively and turned to face him. “Let’s do it.”
Chapter Ten
Jonah
The waitress gave me a look when I asked if they served champagne here, and I knew right away what the answer was going to be.
“What about wine?” I asked. “Or beer? Anything?”
“We have beer.”
“Great,” I said. “Two beers then, thank you.”
She nodded, tucked her notepad under her arm, and walked away. I smiled at Kat. “Sorry, I should’ve known they wouldn’t have champagne here. But hey, it was worth a shot, right?”