Fire Angel Read Online Free PDF Page B

veranda. A gas fireplace in the far corner provided much appreciated heat. Tables of various shapes and sizes, covered by black and white printed cloths, dotted the room.
    â€œHi! Table for one?”
    â€œYes, please. I just checked in; I didn’t think you’d be so busy.”
    â€œNeither did we,” chuckled the girl. “I’m Cyndi; I’ll be your server. It’s funny how bad weather brings in more customers.”
    Alexis looked around the room. Paradise, population 15,000 in summer when the cottagers were in residence, just over 12,000 the rest of the year, would not have too many inns and restaurants open this time of the year. Although the inn was located about thirty minutes from town, it appeared to be a popular dining destination.
    The girl handed her a menu. “I’m afraid we’re out of prime rib, but we have some steaks going for the same price. What can I get you to drink?”
    â€œA glass of white wine would be nice,” Alexis answered.
    â€œSauterne or Chablis?”
    â€œChablis, please.” The waitress left to fill the order.
    Alexis perused the menu and opted for pasta primavera, Caesar salad, and garlic bread. She continued to study her fellow diners as she sipped her wine, enjoying the crisp palate.
    Most of the people were in couples or groups of four. There was a solitary diner finishing his meal and reading his electronic notebook, oblivious to his surroundings. She noticed four men of various ages sitting together at a table overlooking the gorge, probably one of the best tables in the house during the summer. They had turned as one and given her the look when she had entered the room.
Great, I’ve caught the eye of the local Romeos,
she thought.
Wonderful!
    She ignored their leers and finished her perusal of the room. She didn’t mean to be snobbish, but she’d learned the hard way that any kind of response would no doubt bring one of them running, and their attention was the last thing she needed. A young family with two toddlers sat near the windows; the parents looked frazzled, but the kiddies seemed raring to go. The darkened surfaces reflected the interior of the restaurant and Alexis was grateful that the Lotharios and the windows were not in her direct field of vision. Tonight, her fertile imagination would conjure up all kinds of nastiness in the blackness outside.
    She saw the desk clerk come into the restaurant and smiled at him. He nodded, returned her smile, and walked over to sit at the bar. On anyone else, the plaid shirt and dark jeans might make him look unkempt, but he wore them as if he were posing for the cover of GQ.
    I should have asked him to join me,
she thought taking another sip of wine.
Yeah, right! Who am I kidding? A great looking guy like that is probably married anyway — like Bob, the creep.
    She was thirty with a loudly ticking biological clock. The problem was that she wanted the kidlets, but at this point in her life, the hubby was an option she didn’t need. Lots of women were single mothers these days. After all, if she got that promotion, she’d travel less. What she needed was the sperm, not the whole package. Given her last romantic debacle, and that had been two years ago, she was not marrying material. Most of the men she met felt threatened by her independent streak, her dedication to her job, and the trust issues she had — a holdover from her younger days.
    She looked over at the bar and watched the desk clerk chat up the bartender. Now, for him, she might be willing to change her mind. He would make a beautiful baby that was for sure. She let her thoughts ramble along those impossible lines as she began her meal.
    She had just finished her salad when an elderly man approached her.
    â€œExcuse me,” he said, sitting across from her, putting an end to her pleasant musings.
    â€œI don’t want to disturb your dinner, but we’re almost ready to go, and I wanted to