SEEK And Find

Chapter 21

Dinner was all Elsa had promised, despite Anna's reluctance. They went a little further out of their way than they had for the club — nearly half an hour's drive — but were rewarded with fine dining outside a restaurant that had been set up inside an ancient converted monastery. Elsa asked to see the wine list, and they were nibbling on the complimentary bread as they awaited it.

"So... feels like full circle, huh?"

Elsa's eyebrow went up. "Hmm? How so?"

"You, me, an old church..." She saw the recognition spark in Elsa's eyes, and they both smiled. "This is the kinda place you'd take your date to pop the question."

"Is it?" Elsa patted the low-cut chest of her blue evening gown a couple of times, then snapped her fingers. "Damn, I knew I forgot something."

Giggling, Anna kept looking through her menu as Elsa received the wine list. Everything looked both too good, and too expensive; she wanted to just keep eating bread and hope Elsa didn't notice. However, she knew her friend couldn't stand for it, so she simply waited.

"...yes, I think that works," she was saying to the waiter in the white uniform with the red sash, who nodded as he took mental note. "Oh, and Hierbas for afterward, of course." Then she turned to Anna. "Have you decided?"

"Ummm... no?" Pouting, she whispered, "Could you order for me? I'm up to my gills in all these frills."

"Poetry will get you everywhere," she chuckled. "Meat or fish?"

"Meat, I guess. I think we had fish last time we ate out, right?"

Nodding for a moment, the pop star held up a finger as she gazed down at the menu, then said, "Carpaccio for the apéritif, and then... I'll have this tuna, and my companion will have the solomillo - al punto, por favor." Her fingertip tapped the menu where the dishes were indicated, and the waiter bowed at the waist as he took their menus. "Gracias."

"Wow," Anna said with a smile. "You really knew your way around that menu. And Spanish, apparently."

"Oh, this is a great place; I always try to make it here at least once per visit. I mean, look at this!" Her eyes flicked up at the ancient stone and the iron chandeliers, which gave it an almost medieval look from head-height up. Below that, everything was a semi-modern display of elegance and refinement. "Couldn't you die?"

"Yeah, sure. Or be dragged off to the dungeon, at least." When Elsa quirked an eyebrow, Anna laughed and assured her, "Kidding. It's a great place. I already like the bread!"

Before Elsa could reply, a bottle came and Elsa inspected the label. As she reached to open it, the waiter asked, "Are we celebrating a... happy occasion, miss?"

"We are," she said obliquely - then fired the cork off, cringing. "Ah! I can never get the hang of that!"

"Very good, miss." He took the bottle from her and poured for the both of them, then left it to go tend their other clientele.

"Why did he ask if we were celebrating?" Anna asked as she reached for her glass.

"Because this is champagne." When the redhead's eyebrows went up, Elsa smiled. "And we are celebrating. I mean, I won't get to see you for a whole day; we have to send this one off right, don't we?"

Anna shrugged with a single shoulder, still gazing at the glass and resistant to trying a sip when she thought about how expensive its contents must be. "You gonna buy me diamonds for when we leave the island? It's only one day..."

"And it's only a Moët and Chandon. Not a Pérignon or anything that crazy." When Anna just fixed her with a dead fish look, Elsa ducked her head. "I'm... doing that thing with my money again."