The Throwbacks, Book 1 of The Scotland Yard Exchange Program Series

The Throwbacks, Excerpt #6

David never did get around to explaining to Grace about that dinner.  He hoped the inward cringe didn’t show on his face.  Ordinarily his expressions were inscrutable, but lately he hadn’t been himself.  The last thing he was interested in right now was meeting the fix-up--a middle-aged companionship prospect.  The earlier resignation he’d felt had evaporated.

            He looked at Grace.  She was staring at him with admiration or maybe it was that enthusiasm he was beginning to realize was typical for her.  He’d better watch out he didn’t do anything foolish.  He was already regretting the impetuous kiss of gratitude.  He’d have to work ridiculously hard to keep this a professional relationship.

            “You didn’t tell me we were going to dinner at Dick Tracy’s house.  This will be so much fun!  What is he cooking?” she asked.

            “You mean besides my goose?”

            “I’ve never had goose.  It should be interesting.”

            He did a double take.  This time she was putting him on and she laughed.

            “You are right about that.  It should be very interesting.”  That’s what he said when he should have been telling her that she couldn’t go to dinner with him at Dick Tracy’s tonight.  Or ever.  Anywhere.  But then again, he couldn’t get the devilish notion out of his head that it would be very interesting. 

She took his arm and walked him to the door.  “I’ll drive.  Let’s go do some investigating.”

He forgot all about resistance for a flicker of a second.  Then he decided he could afford to indulge himself this afternoon since tonight at dinner would spell his doom – at least with the Graces of the world.  He’d call Esther and warn her that he was bringing an extra guest – let her know Grace was his decorator.  He could finesse it.  He could make Esther and her single middle-aged friend think that Grace was nothing more than his decorator and there for professional reasons.  It would be fine.  It had to be.  She was so young in every sense of the word and he was so old in all the ways possible.

            At least he could handle dinner.  He mentally cracked his knuckles.

            “Capital idea,” he said.  “But only because I don’t own a car.”

She looked horrified. “But why not?  I don’t think I ever met a grown man who didn’t own a car.”

“I’ve gotten rather used to being chauffeured around I’m afraid.”  He buttoned the top button of his shirt again, decided to forget about the cuff links and grabbed the jacket he’d discarded earlier.

“Well in that case, you’re excused.  A chauffeur is better than a car.”

He didn’t have the heart to mention to her that Dick Tracy was his current “chauffeur”.

“I’m really looking forward to tonight’s dinner.  It should be really special.”

“You have no idea,” he thought.  He closed the door behind them.

Chapter 4

At 102 Newbury Street, David held one of the heavy etched-glass doors of the art gallery open for Grace.  They walked into a room that was a few degrees cooler than was comfortable, in more ways than one.  It was one of those places that was gauged to immediately make a normal person feel culturally ignorant.  They were definitely in the right place.  Grace preceded him into the middle of the room which was filled with art displays of every kind without being cluttered.  She seemed unaffected by the intimidating nature of the place--apparently in her element as a decorator.  It was funny that he never thought of her as an artsy type--neither the sophisticated kind nor the eccentric kind.