“This seat has your name on it,” announced Jackie as she angled a neighboring chair away from the table for me. She arched her brows at Bobbi. “Contrary to what some people might say.”
“We’ll see about that,” Bobbi fired back. “I’ll ask our waiter to translate it, and then we’ll see whose turn it is to gloat.”
I was less than thrilled to be sharing the table with the same group who’d ruined dinner the other night, but with Cal joining us in Krystal’s absence, maybe the hostility level would decrease.
“Give me the note.” Virginia held out her hand amid an annoying jangle of beaded crystal bracelets. “Victor will read it.”
“Not without my reading glasses, my pet.”
“You speak perfect French. And Polish. And German.” She slapped the paper down in front of him. “Would you you at least try? I’m sick of listening to your blathering beauties.”
He plucked it off the table and tore it in half, then quarters, then eighths, then deposited the scraps in the pocket of his dinner jacket. “In case you missed it the first time,Virginia, that was a no. And as for the rest of my fine beauties, if you choose to continue your petty squabbling, you’ll be eating the rest of your meals without me, because I’ll be at another table, dining with the adults.”
Bobbi gave the brim of her hat an angry tug. “She started it,” she muttered under her breath.
Cal shot Victor a curious look. “Where’d you learn to speak so many languages? Man, high-school Spanish about did me in, so my love affair with foreign languages ended even before it could begin.”
“Victor is a gifted linguist,” cooed Virginia.
Victor fiddled with the oxygen tubing in his nostrils. “The old ethnic neighborhoods made linguists of us all. But it was a long time ago. I barely remember the basics anymore.”
Virginia regarded him oddly. “That’s not tr—”
“But I do remember something of greater importance,” he said, cutting her off abruptly. “If we can enjoy our dining experience without any more drama, I have a surprise prepared.” He contorted his mouth into something that vaguely resembled a smile and patted the front panel of his jacket.
“The bonus?” squealed Dawna.
He opened his jacket to reveal an envelope tucked into the inside pocket. “The bonus.”
“EWWW!” cried the blondes.
“What kind of bonus?” asked Cal.
“Don’t go there, son,” warned Woody.
Virginia glared at her husband, eyes slatted, lips pinched. “You wrote out a personal check after I expressly told you that—”
“Do not tell me what I can and cannot do with my money,” he boomed out in a voice that was uncharacteristically harsh. “One more word, Virginia, and I shall rip up this check and make out another for double the amount. So do continue your harangue, because I expect our honoree will be thrilled to receive an additional bonus.”
That was enough to silence Virginia and everyone else at the table, except Jackie, who apparently saw great marketing potential in marital discord.
“I know I’m the newbie here, Victor, so I don’t expect my name to be on that check, but after what I learned today, I have high hopes for next year. Do you know why?” She struck a pose, oozing calm and confidence. “I discovered a whole new demographic for Mona Michelle cosmetics.”
Bobbi stabbed a finger at Victor. “If she’s talkin’ about eight-to twelve-year-olds, I wanna remind you that I recommended targeting tweens two years ago, and you pooh-poohed the idea because you were afraid the Family Research Council would complain about us turnin’ tweens into tarts.”