"What do you mean, you won't have dinner with us?" Judy stared disbelievingly at Nick as the fox signed their patrol car back into the garage and headed for the locker room. "Bobby's one of my oldest friends. I want you to get to know him."
Nick shook his head. "He's your friend. I don't want to intrude on your reunion."
"You wouldn't be intruding." The bunny looked imploringly at the fox. "I don't want to go without you."
He sighed. He could tell she was on the verge of saying please, the one word he never wanted to hear from her. When you care about someone, they shouldn't have to say please. "Does it really mean so much to you?" Judy nodded vigorously and Nick smiled a little. "Okay. Just don't expect me to dress up."
He had second thoughts about that decision later when he went across the hall to Judy's apartment in his brown chinos and green Hawaiian shirt and she came to the door in a shimmery grey dress that emphasized her figure and made her purple eyes sparkle. "Wow. Maybe I should change."
Judy blushed. "Don't be silly. You know I like that Hawaiian shirt."
He stood a little taller and adjusted his striped tie. "I just don't want to look like a bum next to you."
"You don't." Soft purple eyes met sharp green ones and they didn't hear the buzz of the intercom droning away.
One of the loud neighbors, Pronk, stuck his head out of his door. "Hey, what's the matter with you two? Answer that!"
Judy jumped and pressed a button. "Who is it?"
"Me. Did you forget I was coming?"
The bunny glanced over at Nick. He was leaning against the wall, his paws in his pockets, looking up at the ceiling, and she took a deep breath. "No, Bobby, of course I didn't forget. We'll be right down." She grabbed a tiny satin clutch, dropped in her cell phone, and carefully locked her door. "Nick? Ready?"
He lifted himself away from the wall. "You bet."
They walked down the stairs to the street, where Bobby Catmull waited in a sharply tailored suit in front of a luxury sedan. His eyes widened at the sight of Nick, but he wisely kept silent about the fox's attire and contented himself with saying, "I was thinking of the Chocolate Moose."
Judy shook her head. The only time she had ever been to the five-star restaurant was with Nick and although she had never put it into words she thought of the Chocolate Moose as a special place just for her and her partner. He was staring into the distance and she couldn't tell what he was thinking, but he visibly relaxed when the bunny said, "I'd rather go somewhere else, Bobby."
Nick met her eyes, smiling gratefully. Noticing the interplay between them, Bobby said, "Why don't you pick the place, Judy?"
She reflected. Bobby clearly wanted to go someplace nice but Nick wasn't dressed for an upscale restaurant. "What about Warren in the Pines? Not too fancy, but they have great food."
"Sounds good." Bobby turned to open the car door for Judy but Nick beat him to it and again the cougar noticed the way the bunny and fox looked at each other. He went around to the driver's side and got in. "You'll have to tell me how to get there. I haven't been in Zootopia long and I'm still getting to know the place."
Judy settled herself next to Bobby and smiled at him. "Down the street for about a mile and turn right and it's on the left-hand side after a block."
The cougar started the car and reached for the radio. "Want some music?"
"I'd rather you tell me what you're doing in Zootopia," said Judy. "For someone who hasn't been here long you seem to be doing very well for yourself."
Bobby smiled. "I have a generous employer."
The bunny was watching the street. "Here's the turn. It comes up pretty quick now."
"Is that it?" Bobby pointed to a stand of pine trees with a small restaurant nestled in the middle.
"That's it. Just look for a place to park."
They pulled up and Nick got out and offered a paw to Judy as she exited the car. Bobby went around to her other side and reached the door of the restaurant first, smiling triumphantly as he opened it for both of them.