he replied and signaled to the waitstaff.
The waiter hurried over, and they placed their order. Settling on a bottle of Chablis, they toasted each other as they took their first sip. The crisp white wine was dry and pleasing on his palate.
He moved closer to her. What did one need to say when you had a gorgeous lady on your arm? Nothing. When there was a lull, it was funny how easy it was to be together. They didnât need to make small talk to be comfortable; they already were. As Maura chatted about her day at the gym, Declan naturally shared his experience of being a SEAL.
Just as he reached the climax of one of his million-and-one Leaper Lefton comic savant stories, a commotion at a table around the corner interrupted him.
âI wonât take this! I donât have to! Donât you know to whom you are speaking? Iâm leaving this date, you big baboon!â
Unfortunately he knew that womanâs voice.
The lady peeked around the corner. âThank God! Declan. I wondered if anyone I knew was here. Youâll do. Of course.â
âOlivia,â he said flatly. It was none other than Olivia Fenwickâthe twenty-six-year-old, blond, slim woman with a fortune at her fingertips, and also a former lover. She was not the person he wanted to see right now. Heâd broken things off with her over a year ago by leaving a voice mail and leaving town. True, it wasnât the bravest maneuver, but this lady had claws. None of his liaisons had lasted very long, but Oliviaâs personality, or lack of actual depth of heart and soul, kept turning fun time into run time.
Mauraâs eyes turned to him. Her eyebrows went up.
âLet me just get my salad. No sense wasting my marvelous meal.â Olivia disappeared for a minute, only to return with a giant bowl and the largest martini heâd ever seenâand that was saying a lot, because heâd been to a lot of bars around the globe.
She sat down next to Declan, scooting very close to him and planting a red-lipped kiss on his cheek. He knew there would be a mark. There always was with Oliviaâtacky or not.
Olivia waved at Maura. âHi, Iâm Olivia. Declanâs girl.â
Declan frowned. âNo, youâre not.â
Olivia threw up her hands. âOkay, fine. Iâm your former girl.â
âWe didnât date.â Declan physically pushed back from her, invading Mauraâs space. âThis is Maura, my girlfriend, and weâd appreciate it if you left us to our dinner.â
Olivia nibbled thoughtfully on her spinach salad. âInteresting⦠I guess Iâm stuffed.â The bowl was three-quarters full, and half the ingredients were pushed to the side. âI know when two is company.â She stood and walked over to the other side of the table. âHoney, can you give us a minute?â
Maura looked at her as if the woman were a door-to-door snake oil salesperson. âNo.â
He couldnât have been prouder, watching Maura stand her ground. Olivia was not the type to back down, but here she wasâ¦actually backing away from Mauraâs death stare.
Olivia fished into her purse and pulled out a picture. It was of her naked. She placed it in front of Declan. âIn case you need a reminder of what you have. This is a choice between herâa woman wearing off-the-rack clothesâand me. You know how lovely my skin is, encased in silk. I only wear natural fibers. They show off my naturally gorgeous form.â
âNatural, my ass! Only Barbie has boobs that high. Do you keep upping the amount of silicone, hoping no one will notice the mileage? Now,â said Maura, picking up her fork and going back to her meal, âtake a hint, and get lost.â
âWell! I never!â exclaimed Olivia, outraged.
âSomehow, I doubt that,â remarked Maura. âIâm sure youâve âneveredâ many times.â
âOh!â screeched Olivia as she
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