Luck of the Draw

Chapter 44 - All's Well That Ends . . . well . . .

Carly turned out the lights in the store, called goodnight to the plants, and locked the front door of the shop. Mickey would be getting back from seeing Mac soon, and she wanted to have their Christmas dinner started and on autopilot... there was a special gift she wanted to give him before they ate and after dinner... well...

With Richard's expert advice and experience, the secret ingredients in the special mix for Sal, were doing wonders at the Club, and there was a little left over for Carly's own special celebration.

Mickey moved silently and quickly up the stairs past Carly's apartment to his own. Inside he quickly went to his closet and got down the gift he had for her, then he returned to the kitchen and opened the special bottle of wine he had purchased for their dinner. A tidy addition of a secret ingredient, a light shake and he replaced the top.

"Here's to a very Merry Christmas, Carly. Thanks for the donation."  He gathered his gift and sped downstairs.

At her door he grinned hugely. "Merry Christmas, Miss White, from the MacDonalds, and this is from me." He leaned forward and received the expected kiss.

"Thank you, Mr. Schafer. Yours is under the tree. I thought we might open them tonight after dinner."

"Great, what are we having, something white-hot and spicy?"

She checked his face uncertainly and decided he was just ranting. "As a matter of fact. It's not my usual hot, hot... just mild. I see you brought wine."

"Oh yes. And not just wine but a very expensive bottle for a special occasion.

"Well open it and let's have a glass."

"No, this is for the table when we eat. You can have some of that screech you keep under the counter for now."

"Screech."

"That bottle you drag out whenever I come down."

Carly pursed her lips and gave her sauce an extra stir. "I'm planning on having an appetizer in front of the tree—"

"I'll spread the cushions!"

"— with a glass of my screech." She pointedly ignored his comment. "You can carry in the glasses and pour us each one."

She came in carrying a tray of tiny chunks of bread and a dish of sauce and set it on the coffee table in front of the tree. They joined one another on the sofa and sighed in unison.

"I decided to open this wine after all. Special occasion." He poured from his gift bottle and took a deep breath.

"Have one of these first," she said. "Dip the bread in the sauce."

They each performed the ritual, followed by a gulp of the wine and then stared at one another.

!!!!!

The crowd at the Christmas Eve opening of Sal's Dinner Club made so much noise the Christmas music might as well have been foregone. Richard's magic with the suggested custom cocktails had guests almost rioting in front of the bar. Only the presence of Dwarf, in his red apron and Santa hat prevented them from overrunning the place.

Money rolled in like breakers from a stormy sea. Barclay's calculator was smoking as was his body as Sal leaned over his shoulder doing things he never imagined while she joined his cheers each time the figures rolled over another decimal point.

Silus Playford and George Best happily abandoned their crusade and accepted their new situation with growing glee, as the previously tuxedoed female staff, now in the most exaggerated excuse for elf costumes, and behaving like refugees from Santa's naughty list, enthusiastically pulled crackers with them.