I do not own Twilight or the characters of Twilight. I would like to thank Stephenie Meyers for creating such a wonderful world and allowing us to play in it.
When we arrived at the restaurant Phil dropped Renee and me at the door before going to park. I fought my way through the crowded lobby and walked over to the hostess stand.
"Welcome to North Beach. Do you have a reservation?" The hostess asked with a bubbly voice. I wondered how long the wait would be even with the reservation.
"Yes. It's under the name Swan at 6:45." The girl looked down at her clipboard.
"Ah Miss Swan, we have been expecting you. Welcome to North Beach. Please follow me. Your table is ready." Ready? Even with a reservation this place was so crowded.
"Mom." I called over the crowd while waving towards Renee. She walked towards me. "Our table is ready."
"Really?" She must have been wondering the same thing as I was because she was looking around at the crowds. "I guess it was a good thing you made a reservation." Yeah, good thing.
"I had the reservation listed for three. Are you still waiting on someone?" The hostess had three menus in her hand as she led us through the crowded restaurant. As we entered the main dining area, I immediately noticed a large aquarium in the center. Next to the aquarium was a small table with three place settings and a reserved sign on it. She picked up the reserved sign and handed us our menus as we sat down.
"He's just parking the car. I'll go back out to wait for him. Bella, feel free to order a drink. I'll be right back." Renee followed the hostess back towards the entrance. I took the opportunity to send a message to Alice. Why did the hostess just act like I was you? What did you do when you made the reservation? No sooner had I hit send, there was already a response. I'm offended Bella. There is nothing wrong with the way hostesses treat you when you pay them. I didn't want anything ruining your night. That did explain it. She must have paid the hostess when she made the reservation. I was about to send her another text when Renee and Phil walked up. I quickly put the phone back in my pocket.
"Wow. You guys got a table fast considering the crowd in the lobby." Phil was looking around as he spoke.
"I guess I just made the reservation for the right time." No need to tell him that Alice paid off the hostess. I didn't actually want to know how much Alice gave her. "I'm not sure what to order. Everything looks amazing." I was trying to decide between the veal and the chicken.
"I've heard everything here is amazing sweetie." Renee looked down at the menu. "Are you sure you can afford this Bella?" Was this going to happen all night?
"Mom, just order whatever you would like. I told you before this is my treat because I never see you. I'm always buying groceries for dad. At least this way I don't have to cook and then wash the dishes after." Is she going to buy it? "Consider this meal two years worth of me cooking for you." She smiled and looked back at the menu.
"Good evening. My name is Miguel. I will be your waiter this evening. Our special for the evening is fresh Maryland lump crab cakes served with shrimp scampi and linguini. May I start you off with beverages while you look through the menu?" Miguel had a thick accent and deep tan. Renee and I were just staring at the tight white shirt that outlined his abs so Phil spoke up first.
"I think we'll all just have coke." Miguel wrote it down.
"Would you like any starters this evening? Our artisan cheese plate is a popular selection. It includes an assortment of cheeses and crackers."
"That sounds lovely Miguel; we'll take an order of the cheeses." Renee just looked at me but I quickly put my face back into my menu to hide my rosy cheeks. Miguel smiled and walked away. When he returned, he placed three sodas on the table.
"I will be right back with your artisan cheese plate." He headed towards the kitchen and returned the platter. It was huge and took up most of the table. Phil dug right in. "Are you ready to order or would you like more time?" I looked over at Renee; she nodded so I turned to Miguel.
"I think we're ready. I'm going to have the veal." I folded up the menu and handed it to Miguel. Phil ordered the chicken.
"I'll just have the rigatoni bolognese." Renee picked the cheapest item on the menu.
"I will put your orders in right away. Please let me know if there is anything else you need." Miguel walked away.
"So Bella. How was the beach today?" Phil asked as he ate a cheese cube.
"It was nice Phil. Thanks for asking." I didn't really know what to say. I know Renee was curious about Jacob but I really didn't want to talk about it. I'd have to figure out a safe topic to discuss and quickly. "So how's spring training going? Any major league prospects?" While I didn't want to listen to baseball talk all night, I knew that if I got Phil started he wouldn't stop.
"I have a great team. I'm not sure if I'll get called up but I'm keeping my stats up and just showing my skills." Phil continued to talk about his team until the food arrived.
"This is amazing." Renee said as she took a second bite of her rigatoni. My veal came with a mushroom risotto that looked magnificent and crisp onion straws. I took a bite and couldn't believe the favors that exploded in my mouth. When we were finished eating, Miguel began to clear the plates from the table.
"Can I interest you in a dessert?" Miguel asked. I looked at Renee and she shook her head.
"That's alright. I think we're full. Just the check please." Miguel handed me the blue portfolio with the check. I took the black card out of my wallet and slide it into the slot. I couldn't look at the total because I knew I would probably turn red. After Miguel returned I signed the receipt and put the card back in my wallet. We walked outside and Phil brought the car around.
"Thank you for dinner Bella. It was delicious." Renee said as she got in the car. As we drove back to the house, I thought about how to tell Renee that Edward and Alice were coming back early. Maybe I would call Alice when I got home and ask her for a reason. After all, she was the best at cover stories.
Please leave reviews and feedback.