She looked around the restaurant as Andy spoke to the man at the booth. She smiled when he held his arm out for her.
Once they were seated she was surprised to see that they had the room to themselves.
“How much did you have to pay the guy for this?”
“Just his normal salary.This is my private dining room.”
She raised an eyebrow as she listened. “Your private dining room? How did you manage that?”
“I own the place. Well co-own it. My sister owns half of it.”
“You and your sister own this restaurant? The best and hardest to get into restaurant in Willow Creek?”
“We do. She manages the restaurant and does the ordering. I handle the business side.”
Zalia was impressed. She did not know that he was co-owner of a restaurant.
“What other little secrets are you hiding, Mr. Maynard?”
Andy smiled across the table at her. “I will tell you only if you call me Andy.”
They talked through dinner and had a good time. They learned quiet a few of each other’s secrets. Zalia learned that Andy had been a teenage father and had never married. Andy learned that she was only a year older than his daughter. They had been friends in school.
“Does the age difference bother you?”
“Just a little. It probably wouldn’t if I didn’t know your daughter.”
Andy could understand that. “Well, you are of legal age. You can make the decision to not care about age or what anyone else thinks.”