TESS McGowan smiled at the wine steward. Daniel had rambled on into the phone the whole time the young man had uncorked the bottle and poured the obligatory amount for the taste test. Now they both waited. She hated all the interruptions. It was bad enough they were having an unusually late Sunday dinner because of Daniel’s business dealings. Why couldn’t he, at least, take Sundays off?

Finally, Daniel firmly, but calmly, called the person on the other end of the line “an incompetent asshole.” He snapped the cell phone in half and slipped it into his pocket. Without looking up, he grabbed the glass, sipped then spit the wine back without giving it a swirl in his mouth.

“This is sewer water. I asked for a 1984 Bordeaux. What the hell is this crap?”

Tess felt her nerves tense. Not again. Why couldn’t they ever go out without Daniel making a scene? She watched the poor wine steward twist the bottle around to read the label.

“It is a 1984 Bordeaux, sir.”

Daniel snatched the bottle from the young man’s hands and took a look. Immediately, he snorted under his breath and handed it back.

“I don’t want a goddamn California wine.”

“Yes, of course, sir. I’ll bring another bottle.”

“So,” Daniel said. “You said we had something to celebrate?”

She pushed up her dress strap, wondering why she had spent two hundred and fifty dollars on a dress that wouldn’t stay up on her. A sexy black dress that Daniel hadn’t noticed. Even when he looked up at her, he raised an eyebrow at her fumbling instead of at the dress, and instantly he frowned at her. She pretended not to notice his frown and launched into her good news. If she kept enthusiastic, he couldn’t possibly ruin this night for her. Could he?

“I sold the Saunderses’ house last week. But the best part is that Delores is letting me keep the entire selling bonus.”

“Well, that is good news, Tess. We should be having champagne and not wine.” He turned in his chair, going into what looked like a search-and-destroy mode. “Where the hell is that incompetent imbecile?”

“No, Daniel, don’t. You know I enjoy wine much more than champagne. Please, let’s have wine.”

He raised his hands in mock defeat. “Whatever pleases you. Tonight is your night.”

He began to sip from his water glass but stopped, grabbed his napkin and wiped at the water spots. Tess braced herself for another scene, but Daniel managed to get the glass in satisfactory condition on his own.

“So, how much is this selling bonus? I hope you didn’t spend it all on that overpriced frock that won’t stay on your shoulders.”

“Of course not.” She kept her voice strong and managed a smile, pretending to enjoy his savage attempt at what he called dry humor.

“So? How much?” he wanted to know.

“Almost ten thousand,” she said, holding up her chin proudly.

“Well, that is a nice little chunk of change, isn’t it?”

This time he sipped his water without cleaning the glass. Already his eyes darted around the room, looking for familiar faces. She knew it was a sort of professional habit and not meant to be rude, but she felt as though he was hoping to be rescued from a mundane conversation.

“Do you think I should invest it in the stock market?” she asked, hoping to bring his attention back to her with the one topic he loved to discuss.

This time he looked back at her with that smile she immediately recognized as the beginning of another lesson.

“Tess, ten thousand dollars really isn’t enough for you to be getting into the market. You don’t want to mess with something you don’t understand.”

Before she could protest, his phone started ringing. Daniel flipped it out of his pocket as though it were the most important thing in the room. Tess pushed up her strap. Why kid herself? The damn phone was the most important thing in the room.

The wine steward returned, glanced at Daniel on the phone again, and Tess wanted to laugh at the young man’s pained expression.

“Why the hell is it so hard to fucking get this right?” Daniel barked into the phone. “Forget it. I’ll do it myself.”

He slapped the phone shut and was on his feet before he had it tucked back into his pocket.

“Tess, sweetie, I need to go take care of something. These idiots can’t seem to get one fucking thing right.” He pulled out a credit card and slipped out two hundred-dollar bills from his money clip. “Please have a shamefully expensive dinner to celebrate your bonus. And you don’t mind taking a cab home, do you?”

He handed her the credit card and the folded bills. He pecked her on the cheek and then left before she could object.

Suddenly, she realized the wine steward was still at the table and now staring at her, stunned and waiting for her instructions.

“I think I’d like the bill, please.

He held up the uncorked bottle. “I didn’t even pour one glass.”

“Enjoy it later with the other waiters.”

“Are you serious?”

“On me. Really. Oh, and before you bring the bill, would you add two of the most expensive entrées on the menu?”

“You want them as takeout?”

“I don’t want them at all. I just want to pay for them.” She smiled and held up the credit card. Finally, he smiled back and hurried off to take care of it.

If Daniel insisted on treating her like a hooker, she could certainly accommodate him. Maybe her silly little mind couldn’t comprehend something as complex as the stock market, but there were plenty of other things she knew about that Daniel didn’t have a clue about.

She signed the bill for the wine steward, making sure to add a hefty tip. Then she took her two hundred dollars and hailed a cab, hoping the anger would burn off by the time she got home. How could he ruin this for her? She had been looking forward to a celebration.

“Excuse me,” she said, leaning forward in the cab. “When we get to Newburgh Heights, forget the address I gave you. Take me to Louie’s Bar and Grill on Fifty-fifth and Laurel.”