THREE

"Another five star restaurant," Piper commented as she and Darren ate dinner. "Tell me, do you eat this well every night?"

Darren was somewhat older than Piper. He appeared to be in his mid to late thirties, had dark brown hair, and the most amazing blue eyes Piper had ever seen. He wore expensive suits but didn't seem pretentious. He seemed to Piper to be like any other man she had met.

"Actually," said Darren, smiling, "I usually eat out of the pan over the sink. But I want to make a good impression. And since you told me you were a chef, I knew if it was anything less than the very best that wouldn't happen."

"You're going to make me fat," joked Piper.

"To be honest," said Darren, "I'm surprised you have such a nice figure. Most of the chefs I know are, shall we say, rather ample."

"Hazards of the profession, I'm afraid," Piper said. "The only way to truly know if a dish is properly prepared is to taste it. All that sample has a tendency to add up."

"So, what's you're secret?" Darren asked. "How could you be a professional chef and still have the figure of a super model?"

"Hardly a super model," Piper laughed. "But you might say I work out. Plus, I'm running P3 now instead of being a chef. That helps cut down on the calories."

"I can imagine," Darren said. "After dinner I thought we might take a carriage ride. The moon is full again and it's such a lovely evening."

"You're going to spoil me," said Piper, slightly embarrassed.

"That is the general idea," said Darren, smiling.

Piper thought about what the others had said. It was hard to believe that Darren could be a demon. His manners were impeccable and he hadn't given even the slightest indication of any ulterior motives. But Chris and Phoebe both had a point. This could be an elaborate plan to get her off her guard. Cole had used the same tactic on Phoebe.

"So tell me," Piper said. "Where are you from originally?"

"Originally?" Darren questioned. "Well, I was born in Washington State. But my parents moved to Maryland when I was still a baby. I moved to San Francisco to get away from all the cold and snow."

"No snow in San Francisco," Piper said.

"So I've noticed," Darren said. "You said you grew up here."

"Yes," Piper said. "I'm even living in the same house I grew up in. It's been in my family for generations."

"A lot of antiques, I'll bet," Darren said.

"Some," Piper said. "Mostly family heirlooms. And it has a lot of good memories."

"That's good," Darren said.

"You're a very strange man, Darren Carson," Piper said.

"How's that?" Darren questioned.

"You hardly ever talk about your work," Piper said. "Most men I know go on and on about their work."

"And you're disappointed that I don't?" Darren asked.

"No, no, not at all," Piper said. "It's kind of refreshing."

"Well, business is business," Darren said. "And this is pleasure. My father used to say, 'leave your work at the office and your family life at home'."

"He sounds like a wise man," Piper said.

"He was," said Darren. "I've found it works out pretty well. Whatever happens at work stays at work. I try not to let it spill over into my personal life."

"Excuse me, Mr. Carson," said their waiter. "There's a young gentleman at the front desk that insists on speaking with you. He says it's extremely urgent."

"Thank you, Miles," Darren said, looking to the front of the restaurant. "I'm sorry. It's, uh, Keith, my store manager. It must be important for him to interrupt me here. I won't be a minute."

"Take your time," Piper said.

She watched as Darren went to speak to a young man at the front desk. The man was younger than Darren, about Piper's age. He had blonde hair and was dressed more casually than Darren. As they spoke, they both glanced toward Piper several times. It appeared they were having some form of disagreement.

"I'm sorry," said Darren when he finally returned to the table. "I'm afraid we're going to have to cut this short. There's a problem at the store that I need to take care of right away. I'm terribly sorry about this."

"That's okay," said Piper, reaching for her bag. "I've had emergencies at the club myself. They rarely happen at an opportune moment. But you promised me a carriage ride and I'm going to hold you to it."

"I'll make good on it, I promise," Darren said. "Can I call you?"

"Sure," said Piper writing her phone number on a napkin. "We can finish this some other time."

"Thanks for being so understanding," said Darren. "A lot of women wouldn't."

"I'm not a lot of women," Piper said.

"So I've noticed," Darren said, smiling. "I'll at least walk you out."

"No, you go on," said Piper. "It's going to be hard enough getting a cab as it is. You go take care of your emergency. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Darren asked.

"Absolutely," said Piper. "Go on. If it's an emergency, it's not going to wait."

"Thanks," said Darren kissing her on the cheek. "I'll call you tomorrow."

Piper collected her wrap as Darren hurried out the front door with Keith. She followed only a moment behind him but when she got outside neither Darren nor Keith were anywhere to be seen. Wondering how they had gotten a cab so fast, she hailed one of her own and headed for the manor.