"Good evening, everyone. Thank you for that welcome." Robyn greeted in a husky voice. "As mentioned, I've been gone from the stage for quite a while now. It's been a lifetime, really. Tonight's appearance was not planned, and it's fairly safe to say I am completely out of practice. Consider yourself warned." She gave a half smile as chuckles littered the room. "Cedric better be glad he's loved. I'm guessing he must have contacted a few of you to let you know I was coming tonight because I saw quite a few familiar faces. Please bear with me as I work this out." She turned to talk to the band for a moment, then turned back to the mic. Seconds later, the first chords of Funny Valentine began.

Dante watched in wonder as Robyn sang the lyrics of the song. She sparkled each time her diamond earrings and necklace caught the light and her voice floated between the low and high notes effortlessly. Each word seemed to contain raw emotion, and the low register of her voice sent literal tingles up and down his spine. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her. Was there anything this woman couldn't excel at? Each note she held captivated him more. He shouldn't be surprised she could sing like this. As the last note faded out, the room erupted into applause.

"Thank you," her husky voice said. "Let's see, what's another one?"

"Trust In Me!" A voice called out.

Robyn gave another half grin and then nodded at the band. "Your wish is my command," she joked.

This was one of his favorite songs, and to him, she sang it flawlessly. The roar of the claps and shouts for an encore were impressive. After a moment, when the claps continued, she told the band a song, and I'd Rather Go Blind began. He sat mesmerized when the applause didn't end after each song. She finally ended with Lush Life.

"Thank you, everyone. This was only supposed to be a couple songs," she laughed. "I'm really going to go this time though. I've got someone waiting for me, and I imagine they're slowly starving at this point." Robyn walked into the shadows on the sound of applause.

The lights were changed back to their normal levels while the band started their next set. Dante watched as Robyn wove her way back to their booth, stopping occasionally to speak to someone at a table or booth. Moments later, she reached their booth and slid in next to him.

"Holy shit," he said with reverence, staring at her.

"Seems to be your phrase of the night," she said with a laugh. "You said you were up for anything right? It was a lifetime ago," she said quietly. "I was 17 in that picture." She figured he'd seen it by now.

"Holy shit, Robbie," he repeated. "You're absolutely incredible."

She tilted her head and looked at him. "Thank you."

"Is there anything you're not freaking amazing at?" he asked, voicing his earlier thought.

She laughed, "Don't worry, there are all kinds of things," she promised.

He didn't believe her. Before Dante could ask another question, the first part of their meal appeared. After the waitress left, he turned back to her.

"Why the name Dolly?"

"I had a complex as a youngster," Robyn laughed. "I was an outgoing kid and I've always loved to sing, but when I performed as myself, I had stage fright that controlled me. It was not pretty. One night, I saw the movie Hello Dolly at a friend's house and fell in love with the character. For fun, I tried the name once and mirrored the character's confident personality and was able to perform with no problems. Dolly was great at faking it until she made it. My alter persona stuck after that. I guess even when I was young, I didn't want people to know who I really was. I ended up leaving for the army not long after."

"I haven't seen that movie, but I'll watch it to learn more," he said. Dante reached over and took her hand. He used his other hand to turn her head to look at him before releasing her. "You're an incredible woman and I find you fascinating. I feel fortunate to have met you, Iet alone to still be around to be a part of your life. Even if the road did start out bumpy."

"I don't know, I feel like I'm the lucky one," she responded. "It's not easy being around me long enough to break through my walls. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I don't share much about myself, and when I do, it's still hard. I appreciate that you've been patient with my timeline. I'm struggling with not having my personal and work lives separated."

"It took me over 2 years to learn your first name," Dante reminded her. "I'm pretty sure I've noticed the speed at which you move. It's driven me up the walls more than a few times. That being said, I also knew that being patient with you would be, and still will be, well worth it." The smile she gave him caused a hitch in his breathing. He leaned over and gave her a quick gentle kiss before releasing her hand and turning back to dinner.

Robyn took a bite of food and leaned back in the booth. She had made it through her first performance in countless years. Since she had walked through the restaurant to get to the back, she knew how many people had shown up tonight. Surprisingly, but not so surprising, she also knew a good chunk of tonight's patrons from that lifetime ago. When Mel had texted her that Cedric said Dolly was going to be here tonight, she knew he had put the word out that she was going to perform tonight. To be honest, after all these years, she didn't think people would even care anymore. One of the good things about the stage was the lights tended to blind her. It can be easier to not focus on the crowd size and its occupants when you can't see them.

Again, if she was really being honest with herself, she really only cared about the thoughts of one person tonight. The man next to her who had given her a glowing review. As someone who prided herself on the fact she didn't care what other people thought about her, she was a bit surprised she cared so much about what he thought. She glanced over at him to see him watching her while he ate.

"You okay?" He asked, "You seem to be somewhere besides here."

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just processing tonight," she replied.

"Did you really not know you were going to perform tonight?" Dante asked.

"I had a suspicion that Cedric was going to find a way to make it happen, but no, I wasn't sure it would happen tonight." She looked around the room. "At least not until I saw who was dining with us tonight."

"You mean Harry and Mel?"

"Not just them," she took a sip of wine."I know about three-quarters of the patrons here tonight. They've been coming here since I was 15 or 16."

Dante looked around the room, "Seriously?"

"Yep. I honestly didn't think anyone would care that I was around after all this time. "

"I couldn't imagine not caring," he countered. "I just discovered you and I would absolutely show up to hear you sing a lifetime later." She smiled at him and took another sip of wine.

When they finished eating, Robyn leaned back against the booth and sighed."I don't know how I forget the food is so good here. I'm stuffed. Team Sauce all the way! "

Dante laughed, " I agree. Care to take a spin with me around the dance floor?"

"I'd love to," Robyn agreed. Dante slid out of the booth and held out his hand to her. She stood and took his hand. They walked to the dance floor and Dante pulled her into his arms. She locked her hands behind his neck as they began to move to the music. Dante gently brushed his fingers along the exposed skin of her lower back.

"Have I mentioned how much of a fan I am of this dress?" He asked.

"I got the impression that you find it acceptable." She laughed. "What's so great about it?"

He took a moment to drag his finger across her collarbone while his other hand gripped her hip tighter. "Woman, do you know how much I'm enjoying this peek-a-boo game your skin seems to be playing?"

"Are you really?" she laughed, "Tell me more." They spent the next couple of songs talking and laughing on the dance floor before going back to their booth. "You up for a short walk along the waterfront?" Robyn asked after they sat down.

"You're in heels." Dante reminded her. "You sure you're up for that?"

"I did say short." She snickered. "They're actually fairly comfortable, so I'm good for a while longer."

"If you're game, so am I." Dante agreed. Robyn caught the eye of their waitress to have their coats brought over.

Dante held the door open for Robyn as they walked outside. Holding hands they turned towards the waterfront without talking. Tonight had been so much more than he expected. He had only expected to enjoy a good place with jazz and food while enjoying time with Robyn. He had no idea he'd find out Robyn was a singer too. A gifted and popular one at that. He'd heard her humming at rare times when they were together, but it had never clicked in his head she sang.

They reached the boardwalk and walked for a little bit before stopping to look out at the water. After a few minutes Dante turned from the water, put his back against the railing, and looked at Robyn. He didn't say anything, he just watched her stare out over the water.

"Enjoying the view?" she asked without turning her head.

"Very much so," he responded, continuing to watch her. She turned and locked eyes with him. She walked the couple of steps to reach him and stopped in front of him. She reached up and gently loosened his tie and unbuttoned his top shirt button. He reached his hands into her unbuttoned coat, grabbed her waist, and pulled her against him. She placed her hands on his upper arms for support as their chests connected. "Have you had a good night?" he asked her.

"It's been very memorable and enjoyable," she said, glancing down at his mouth and then back into his eyes. She moved closer and slid her hands up his arms to lock behind his neck, "What about you?"

"It's been amazing, but I do have an idea to make it even better." He leaned forward to connect their lips and Robyn willingly participated in kissing him back. She opened her mouth to give his tongue access to play with hers. They kissed and forgot for a moment they were in public. A few minutes later, the sound of a boat horn reminded them and they broke apart, breathless. He rested his forehead against hers. "What is it about you that turns me into a hormonal teenager?" Dante wondered out loud.

"I'm guessing it's the same thing that does it to me."

Editor's note, if you've never heard Queen Latifah/Dana Owens sing Lush Life, I highly recommend going to YouTube to hear it. She sings it brilliantly! Really, you should listen to any of her jazz albums. I'm a big fan of her as a jazz artist.