Read Online Love in E Flat by Kate Sweeney - Free Book Online

then. “Yes, thank you. It was very enjoyable.”
    “I love the accent. Where are you from? Wait,” Nick said as he drove. “Don’t tell me. Let me guess.”
    Agata continued smiling as she looked at Lou, who rolled her eyes.
    “Say something else,” Nick prodded.
    “Nick,” Lou insisted. “This isn’t a game show.”
    “It is all right,” Agata said, placing her hand on Lou’s arm. “Nick, we had a very nice time. So tell me how you know Lou.”
    “I don’t know her personally. But I read her column. She’s got a way with the words,” he said over his shoulder. “I say Russia.”
    “Very good,” Agata said. She turned to Lou. “As I asked before, why sports?”
    “I was an athlete, so it seemed natural.” Lou knew she sounded dismissive as she looked out the window, suddenly feeling awkward. It did not go unnoticed that Agata still had her hand on Lou’s forearm. As if to read Lou’s mind, Agata slipped her hand away.
    The cab stopped in front of Scarlet Bar on North Halsted.
    “Here we are,” Nick said, jumping out of the cab.
    Lou had already opened the door by the time Nick got around to her. “What are you doing?” she asked as she got out.
    “Being a gentleman.” He leaned into her. “She’s gorgeous.”
    “Shut up,” Lou whispered.
    “You behave yourself tonight,” Nick said with a devilish grin.
    “Shut up,” Lou insisted with a grin of her own.
    Nick wedged his way between Lou and the door to assist Agata out of the cab.
    “Thank you, Nick,” Agata said, pulling her coat around her.
    “My pleasure. If you need a cab while you’re here,” Nick offered, still holding her hand.
    “Thank you again.”
    “Lou, gimme a holler when you’re ready? Unless it’s really late, then you’re on your own.”
    “Thanks.”
    They walked into the sensually lit foyer. “This is very elegant,” Agata said.
    “Yeah, the owners did a great job on it. Let’s sit over there.” Lou motioned to the left side of the mahogany bar. A long cushioned bench with separate tables looked cozy and intimate. Lou hoped she wasn’t pushing it. As she glanced at Agata, who smiled in agreement, she felt more at ease with her decision not to sit at the bar—as elegant and classy as it looked.
    After the server took their drink order, Agata slipped out of her coat with Lou’s assistance.
    “Thank you,” she said softly. “I like this place.”
    “I do, too. There’s a long history that goes along with the name. Back to the times of speakeasies and the city being more open to our…uh…the GLBT community.” Lou was glad when the drinks arrived. She held up her glass to Agata. “Well, here’s to you, Aggie. I’m glad we met.”
    “This part of the evening is off record.” It was more a statement than a question. But Lou heard the worried if not resolute tone and felt compelled to answer.
    “Aggie,” Lou started. She hesitated for a moment. “Anything you want off the record and out of the article is fine with me.” She saw the flash of doubt and leaned over, placing her hand on Agata’s. “I want you to believe that and trust it. I know we met under odd circumstances.” Lou laughed nervously. “There’s not much I can do about that now.”
    Agata smiled and gently touched Lou’s glass. “It was very odd.” After taking a sip of her drink, Agata chuckled.
    “Okay, what’s so funny?” The fact that Agata had not removed her hand from underneath Lou’s had Lou gulping her drink.
    “You were quite amusing outside of the ladies’ room. You do a good impression of a Russian dictator. Though we may have to work on your accent.”
    Lou laughed; she removed her hand to scratch the back of her neck. “Yeah, about that. I’m sorry.” She turned sideways to face Agata. “I meant nothing by that.”
    Agata raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I think you did. But…” She held up her hand as Lou started to protest. “You were right. I do have a reputation as being standoffish as you