Little Detective

Chapter 8: The First, First Date

"So are we going to order?" I asked. I wanted to change the subject.

"I already have all our courses ordered. I want to impress you, Little Detective."

"Impress me with food?" I asked. "How many courses are we talking about?"

"Five. Hors d'oeuvre, soup, appetizer, main course, and finally dessert."

"Are you trying to keep me here as long as possible?"

He chuckled. "I want to get to know you. And not as Detective Anastasia Barnes. But as Ana Barnes. Now can you stop with the interrogation? Can't we just get to know each other like any other normal date?"

"What about this is normal?"

"Can I offer you the wine menu?" A waiter appeared next to our table. He held the menu to NJ.

"Of course." NJ said as he took the menu from the waiter. "Do you prefer red or white wine, Ana?"

"Red," I replied. "The sweeter the better."

NJ looked over the wine menu for a minute. He closed it and looked up at the waiter. He handed him the menu and said, "Anything like what the lady said would be fine. Price doesn't matter."

"Of course, sir," the waiter said before he rushed off.

"I think your employees are scared of you," I said.

"No, no, Little Detective. I'm not here to talk about my work. I'm here to talk about us."

"So there's an us now? When did we become an 'us'?"

"As soon as I asked you to lunch. Because to be honest, I was attracted to how persistent and confident you were when we first met. And you don't seem to like me to much, which makes me want to try even harder."

"I didn't know that I was that obvious. I try to at least act like I, at least, tolerate you."

"It's quite alright, Ana. I'm just happy that I get to enjoy your presence whenever I can get the chance."

"What if this date doesn't end up with me liking you any more than I do now?"

"Let's not talk about that right now."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the waiter returning with a bottle of wine in his hands. He walked up to the table showing us the label. It wasn't like any of the wines anyone in my family had bought before.

"We have here an Apothic Red Blend. One of the most popular sweet red wines. It has a blend of zinfandel, merlot, syrah, and cabernet sauvignon," the waiter said as he began pouring the wine for us.

"Thank you. Would you mind bringing out the first course?" NJ asked as he picked up his glass of wine.

"Right away, sir." The waiter rushed away. He left the wine on the table for us.

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked NJ. "Just about you."

"Of course. Ask away."

"What do you do when you're not working?"

"To be honest, my entire life revolves around work. I don't seem to have much free time."

"So what makes you think I'll want to be with you during your free time?"

NJ raised an eyebrow over his wine glass. He took a short sip before turning back to me.

"I like reading. Just about anything. You should see my library."

"Do you own a library or are you talking about a personal library in your home?"

"Personal. There's no money coming from owning a library," NJ stated.