1980, San Francisco

Experiencing L'aioli Bistrot, the new French cafe near the Wharf, began the moment the patron entered through the simple aged Honduran mahogany door. The well-lit minimal décor with clean linens and cleaner lines matched well with the short, unpretentious menu featuring the freshest seafood, game and patés, seasoned with premium herbs, juices, oils and the highest quality butter. It was a thrill for the senses; sophisticated, yet unpretentious.

Despite dozens of opportunities presented as a function of a multitude of failed relationships, Professor Steve Keller never dined at the small bistro. The fact was the café had been opened for a few years, yet he had missed what many had recognized immediately. L'aioli Bistrot quickly became a modern alternative to the trendy, overpriced nouvelle cuisine restaurants opened fifteen years earlier that were featured in the city's tourist magazines. It was a diamond in the rough.

Steve took his place at a small table near the back. His longtime friend, Jeannie Stone, selected the restaurant for the two to meet during her short visit from Seattle. Steve answered her call days earlier at his Berkeley office. After missing Thanksgiving, she was coming down for a long weekend to see her father.

Big life changes awaited the young woman as she pursued her doctorate in sociology with the University of Washington and was less than six months away from presenting her dissertation. She also worked for a local consultant to the State of Washington, helping the government plan for labor and infrastructural requirements given what was expected to be a boom in the population as the computer age dawned.

The trifecta was Jeannie's relationship with Greg Hamilton. Greg, an attorney who lived and worked in downtown Seattle, met Jeannie through a mutual friend at the University. The two struck an immediate friendship with Greg quickly pursuing the petite young woman with a full court press. Tall, blonde and muscular, the lawyer spent many weekends in the Cascades skiing or snowboarding and had already invited Jeannie to go with him and his friends over the previous holiday weekend.

While disappointed he spent the holiday without his beloved daughter, Mike nonetheless breathlessly told Steve all of Jeannie's news when the younger man arrived to watch the football game that Thanksgiving afternoon. The former detective could not have been prouder of the young woman he met all those years ago. He remembered her as a pretty, but occasionally awkward, brunette who sometimes spoke her mind before thinking things through. She was fiercely loyal to her father and became a steadfast friend to Steve long before he left the police force.

It seemed the pair was often brought together by near tragedy on the job or concern for Mike, the link who would forever bond them. There were illnesses and injuries, more than any ten people had in a lifetime. But once those tribulations were over, Jeannie would return to school and continue life as a professional student. Sometimes the only memory Steve had of Jeannie was through a bus window.

But now, with a new decade beginning, she wasn't long for the academic world. She had been offered a job with the State of Washington after finishing her doctorate. The pieces in her life were falling into place. Steve wondered why she had called him, checking his watch to see how much longer he would have to find out.

The answer came moments later when Jeannie appeared by the maître d's podium, looking for her companion. Steve waved a hand and she informed the host that she had found her party. Steve marveled at the change in his friend. Gone was the young girl who would flirt unapologetically with her father's partner, sometimes to the older man's embarrassment. Now, walking towards him was a young woman, simply but impeccably dressed with short frosted blonde hair. She was surrounded by an air of confidence and maturity that took Steve by surprise.

"Wow, you look amazing!" Steve marveled at the fine material that enveloped her flattering figure.

"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself," she responded as she gave her companion a quick peck on the cheek. Steve sidestepped and pulled the chair out for her; she smiled as she sat down.

After exchanging pleasantries and ordering drinks, the pair relaxed into the same banter they tossed about when Jeannie made her numerous visits from college. The one thing that continued to puzzle Steve was with Jeannie's limited time in the city, why did she want to see him alone? After all, Mike had recently disclosed his intentions of leaving his job with the Bureau of Inspectors after more than thirty years. He would have thought that Jeannie's time would be best spent with her father. Then it struck him.

"I couldn't figure out why you wanted to see me," Steve began. "But with your dad retiring next year, don't worry. I'll be here for anything he needs."

Jeannie nodded her head, thinking that she could walk away from their lunch with Steve none the wiser. It was reasonable for him to assume their meeting was about her father helping him transition to the life of a civilian.

"As a matter of fact, I've decided to buy him a pair of season tickets as a retirement gift. I can get them behind home plate," Steve said proudly. "That ought to keep him busy through the summer."

Again, Jeannie nodded and this time gave a slight smile that for once didn't engage her eyes. The look caught Steve off guard as he tried harder to read his friend. After a moment or two of silence, Steve continued, "There's something more, isn't there?"

Busted, Jeannie thought to herself. But this is the reason I came. I need to know.

Steve's growing curiosity was stemmed by the waiter explaining the menu and the specials of the day. "During the month of December, we'll be featuring traditional French Christmas dishes, including today's special: goose with chestnut stuffing. We also have a wonderful small plate of boeuf bourguignon and for the lighter side, a lunch portion of our braised halibut Provençal topped with shallots, fennel, olive and fresh sage as well as our special l'aiole sauce. The vegetable of the day is haricot verts. Please take time to review the menu," he suggested proficiently."Thank you," Steve responded. "The halibut sounds wonderful," he commented as the waiter walked away. "I wonder what haricot verts are?"

"Green beans," Jeannie said rather matter-of-factly as she looked over the limited menu. "I think I'd like to have the endive and walnut salad with a small bowl of lobster bisque."

Steve raised his eyebrows to the young woman was more worldly than he imagined. She saw his look in the corner of her eye. "I studied French in college, Steve. Really, haricot generally means beans. Vert is green, of course."

He smiled, "Of course."

After the waiter took their order, Steve felt it a good time to probe further. "So, is there more?"

"More what?" Jeannie asked playfully as she felt heat cross her face.

"I don't know. I get the feeling that there's more you want to discuss. If that's the case, I'm all ears," Steve offered genuinely.

Jeannie took a deep breath but decided not to go too quickly into the conversation. "I don't know, Steve. There's so much that's ahead of me right now. It's absolutely daunting."

"But that's a good thing, isn't it?" he encouraged. "I mean, you're about to wrap up your dissertation and take what's been a fantastic career so far to a higher level. Are you worried about that?"

"Over the dissertation? I wouldn't lie to you – I am nervous, but I've also worked long and hard on it. I'll be ready."

"Dr. Jeannie Stone," Steve couldn't hide is pride.

Jeannie gave Steve a grin that finally did engage her eyes. "Thank you, Professor Keller."

"Anytime, my dear," he answered fondly and then studied his companion's face for a moment. "So if it's not the dissertation, then what is it? The job?"

"It's a solid job, Steve, but nothing unique. There are several jobs all along the west coast for consultants to governments. You know, city planners, civil engineers, that kind of thing. Seattle is an exciting area. Did you know that there is a company that is developing what they call personal computers? It will replace typewriters and calculators one day. Every home will have one. As a matter of fact, these personal computers will be as powerful as the one that was used by NASA in the sixties. They figure this will be a huge industry some day and the government is trying to understand how to plan for the labor market."

"Personal computer? What would we use it for?" Steve asked.

"Well, remember those reports you used to type for Mike? Imagine if the report was in a system that let you store it and edit it later," Jeannie beamed.

"Great, if I'd known that I'd never would have left the force," Steve joked. He liked the spark in her eyes that showed she had so much going on in her mind at once. It was different than many of the women he had been dating lately. Unfortunately for him, they were primarily interested in social status and money. They enjoyed Steve for his looks and the prestige of dating Berkeley professor. It suddenly became all rather depressing. Steve quickly shook himself back to the present recalling Jeannie's trifecta. "So if it's not the dissertation nor is it the job, it must be your new beau. What's his name, Greg Hamilton?"

"However did you know?" Jeannie looked surprised.

"Seriously? You're father hasn't stopped talking about him. Let's see: he's a good Catholic boy, a lawyer, from good family stock. There are no prior divorces. There are no priors, for that matter." The last part was added with a chuckle.

"He didn't!" Jeannie protested.

"What? Of course Mike ran a check on him. I'd have done that too if I still had access." Steve laughed at the stunned look of his companion. "You do know that he ran background checks on most of the guys you dated."

"Oh, he did not," she said as she shook her head and blushed. She stopped laughing for a moment. "He did, didn't he?"

Steve broke into a huge grin. "I'll never tell…"

"Well, I'm sure there was nothing on Greg. He's a nice young man."

"You are correct. No arrests – not even a parking ticket. I think your father is in love."

"That would be the day," Jeannie said as she twisted her mouth to one side. "Would you be serious?"

"Okay, I'll be serious if you will. What's wrong with Mr. Hamilton? Does he only look good on paper?"

"No, he's better than that. He's a good man. Any girl would be lucky to have him. He's smart, athletic, wealthy, and he's got a good head on his shoulders. He's very humble, too."

"But it sounds like you're not 'any girl'?" Steve asked curiously as he offered a bread assortment from a basket the waiter placed on the table.

Jeannie declined the offer and responded. "No, I guess I'm not. The fact is that I have developed no real feelings for him despite going out with him these last few months."

"But why? Is it just chemistry?" Steve asked as he grabbed a slice of sourdough.

"Steve, I've come to realize that my heart is simply somewhere else. That's the problem," Jeannie confessed.

"Somewhere else? You mean there's another guy?" He eyed Jeannie suspiciously and noticed the slight blush.

Jeannie was silent for a moment. "Yes, there is someone else," she quietly confessed as she saw a look of disappointment spread across Steve's face.

"You're in love with someone else while you are dating Mr. Perfect? Does he have any idea about this other guy?" While he had never met Greg, suddenly the man was a sympathetic figure in Steve's mind.

"No," Jeannie was still quiet.

"And what about the other guy? Does he know about Greg?"

Jeannie sighed. "The other guy knows about Greg – but the other guy has no idea that I have feelings for him." Wow, that's a step toward getting this out in the open, Jeannie thought to herself.

"So why don't you tell him? Maybe he likes you and maybe he doesn't, but you should find out one way or the other. Then you could make up your mind and be truthful with poor Greg. You can't lead him along, Jeannie. It's not right."

"Well, I've never told Greg I love him, despite him trying to get me to say it," Jeannie added defensively. "It's funny, but instead of giving up, he just tries harder. Have you ever done that, Steve? Have you ever tried harder when the girl didn't show her love?"

"Maybe a long time ago, but not anymore. Whether a woman likes it or not, I take them at face value. If she comes off as uninterested, I move on."

"Sounds like there's a story there," Jeannie pried.

"Maybe a long time ago there was," Steve answered mischievously. "But now, I'm just an old jaded professor with no tolerance for games."

Jeannie paused for a moment. She didn't want to play games either, but she also didn't want to jeopardize the solid friendship they had established during the last decade. Maybe now isn't the time. She took a deep breath and regrouped quickly. "By the way, Old Jaded Professor, Mike asked me to invite you over for Christmas dinner this year. Dan and his girlfriend Laura will be there. Irene, too."

"That's nice of him. I've been able to travel last couple of years during the holidays, so I've missed the famous Stone family Christmas spread," Steve added.

"So may I tell him 'yes'?" Jeannie asked.

"Should I bring a date? I don't want to be the fifth wheel."

Jeannie tried to hide her disappointment at the question. "It will just be the six of us," Jeannie confirmed. "If there's any pairing, I guess you'll be with me." She studied the expression of her dinner companion's face for a reaction.

"You're not bringing Greg, I take it?" Steve asked.

Jeannie thought carefully. Actually, the plan had been to bring Greg down to San Francisco over Christmas. She had been at his parents' for Thanksgiving, after all. But now that she said aloud what she had been thinking for so long – there is someone else – it would be wrong to encourage Greg anymore. No matter what happened with Steve, to lead Greg on would be wrong. "No, Greg is not coming down. It's just going to be me."

"Terrific! Just like old times." Steve raised his drink as a toast.