CHAPTER 2 – Jazz Bands and Dinner Dates ************ Le Saveur North Georgetown Thursday, March 11th 1942 Local Time

Harm was pacing back and forth in the foyer of the Le Saveur bistro. He was driving the maitre'd crazy, but at the moment he didn't care, Sarah MacKenzie was never late. She had that inborn clock that was nearly as accurate as the Atomic Clock. He had been early just to impress her, and now he feared that she had been detained, or worse yet in an accident. I'll give her a call. Just as he pulled out his cell phone he saw her pull up to the valet outside.

As she stepped out his breath caught in his chest. She looks absolutely stunning. There was a certain air about her. A coy smile played on her lips. She kept me waiting on purpose. He smiled at her. She had certainly risen to the occasion. Or was it just a tease. To look but not touch. Strange, she hasn't mentioned Webb lately.

She approached, jarring him from his silent reverie. He offered his arm. Ah yes, the ever- present handsomely charming, dashing gentleman she thought

She looked up at him and smiled. It was her turn to stifle a gasp. His eyes are so incredibly blue this evening. They seem to be magnifed by the deep french blue shirt that he is wearing beneath his suit coat. He looks magnificent in it. As he turned his head to meet her eyes she looked away. Her cheeks reddened slightly in the embarassment of being caught staring.

The conversation was light throughout dinner. Dancing around the obvious desirous feelings that were underlying the conversation they moved through the motions. Just as they neared the dessert course, the jazz band started up. As people finished dinner they came to the dance floor. Women swirled elegantly around as the men held them strongly. It was almost as if they had gone back decades in time.

Suddenly Harm was at her side offering his hand. He led her to the dance floor. It was as if the rest of those on the dance floor disappeared. All they knew were her eyes and the strength of his arms.

It seemed like a matter of minutes, but in reality it had been well over an hour. Their desserts had been delivered to their table and stood uneated. The check had also been delivered by an impatient maitre'd. The fact that the music stopped was the only thing that brought them back to earth. Each could swear that they had been in another world for the time they spent on the dance floor.

As he led her back to their table, she wondered where he had learned to dance like that. As if he had read her mind he said, "My mom made me take dance lessons during the summers my Dad was away. She said that every man should learn to dance." She smiled and looked into his eyes, "well she was right you know."

They stood at the end of the walk waiting for the valet to retrieve her car. The moment between them was not awkward. In the early spring it was still chilly at night and Mac shivered a little. Without asking Harm removed his suit jacket and laid it gently around her shoulders. In those moments so much more was expressed without words. It left each of them wondering if the words spoken in Paraguay were really true. Each dared to hope that this could work between them. In moments like this it felt like it could.