The lunch hour arrived and Maggie hurried to a corner downtown. Her father was already there when she arrived, out of breath along with time.
He smiled down at her as she placed her hands on her knees and gasped for air. "Getting old?" he teased.
She straightened and smiled at him. "You'll always be ahead of me."
He winced. "Touche. Now let's go get some grub, I'm starved."
Robert offered his daughter his arm and led her down the street. Their destination was a nice little bistro near the corner. Maggie tried to turn into the sunken entrance, but her father tugged on her arm.
He smiled and jerked his head down the street. "Not there, this way."
She blinked at him. "But you said-"
"I know what I said, now come on." He led her further down the street where the restaurants were larger and more expensive. They turned into the doorway of one of the swankiest places on the block, a fine-dining business that advertised slices of steak worth more than an entire week of her salary.
Maggie dug in her heels and pursed her lips. She swept her eyes over the marquee over the door and looked to her father. "Dad, I know you want to celebrate, but isn't this a little too much?"
He smiled and winked at her. "Not anymore, but come on. I said this was my treat."
She kept her heels dug into the sidewalk and glanced inside. "But I'm not dressed for this place."
"You're my daughter, and that's good enough for me, now come on before my lunch hour ends," he insisted.
Robert led her inside where a male staff member in a black suit stood behind a podium. He looked down his long nose at them and his voice was thick with disdain. "May I help you?"
Mr. O'Hara nodded. "Yes, we have a reservation for two at Mr. Forrest's table."
Maggie whipped her head to her father. The head waiter's eyes widened. He looked down at his open guest list and pressed his finger beside one of the top rows. His narrowed eyes flickered up to O'Hara. "I don't seem to have a name for that table today."
O'Hara slapped his palm against his forehead. "Of course, the card." He fumbled in his pants suit pocket and pulled out a card. "I was told to give you this?"
Maggie caught sight of the card as it exchanged hands. There was an emblem of a yellow crescent moon in the center of the black card, and below it was a handwritten signature.
The employee took the card and smiled. He bowed his head to them. "I see. This changes everything." He passed back the card and gestured for a waiter to hurry over. "Would you please show Mr.-"
"Mr. O'Hara and daughter," Robert spoke up.
"Mr. O'Hara and his daughter to Mr. Forrest's table?" the head waiter finished.
His subordinate bowed his head and turned to us with a smile. "If you would follow me."
Robert offered his daughter her arm, and she took it in a daze before they followed their waiter into the dining area. The small tables were covered in crisp white tablecloths and small vases of flowers. Along the walls ran booths with plush red cushioned seats. The waiter took them to the far corner and seated them at one of those booths.
He handed them each a menu. The material was cloth and a rich satin, and the courses were written in a flowery type. The wine selection was longer than most restaurant menus.
The waiter pulled out a notepad and pen. "Would you like anything with which to start your meal? Wine, perhaps, or some food?"
O'Hara glanced at her daughter. She shrugged. He smiled and turned back to the waiter. "I think we're going to need some time."
The waiter smiled and bowed his head. "Very good, sir. I'll return in a few minutes."
Maggie scooted close to her father and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Why didn't you tell me you wanted to come here? I could have changed before I came."
He chuckled. "I didn't know it myself until I got to work. I met with Mr. Audrey, he's one of Mr. Forrest's personal assistants, and he informed me that not only was I to have a new office, but as a long-time employee I was being allowed certain perks." He pulled out the card and held it up. "That's what this is. It's a pass into some very select places in the city. Mr. Audrey gave me a list, so that's how I knew we could come here."
Maggie frowned. "Mr. Audrey? Why didn't your supervisor meet with you?"
Her father shook his head. "No. He had an early appointment elsewhere. I didn't pry beyond that, especially when Mr. Audrey informed me that my salary had been raised."
Maggie's eyes widened. "It has? Why?"
O'Hara leaned back and studied his daughter with a soft smile. "Whatever you told Mr. Forrest last night had quite the effect on him."
Maggie shrank in her chair. "That makes two of us. . ." she murmured.
"Pardon?"
She shook her head. "It's nothing. So what else happened? Did he part the ocean for you?"
Her father chuckled. "Nothing quite so dramatic or Biblical.
"And the guy you had trouble with?" she wondered.
He smiled and shook his head. "There will be trouble no more. He's being demoted, or so I guessed from my conversation with Audrey. He also assured me I wouldn't have any more problems with my supervisor."
She studied the tablecloth and pursed her lips. "Does. . .does your supervisor wear gray suits and has a handlebar mustache? And his hair is pretty thin and he combs it back?"
Her father arched an eyebrow, but nodded. "That certainly sounds like him, but I'm surprised you remember him so well. I'm sure I only introduced you to him once, and that was several years ago."
Maggie shrank in her chair and shrugged. "I-um, I think I just saw him a while ago, that's all, and I guess it clicked a memory inside me."
Robert smiled and nodded. "I see, that would be it. Anyway, no more talk of business. I want to celebrate." He signaled to the waiter who hurried over to their table. "A bottle of your finest wine, and don't tell me what the price is."
The waiter smiled. "Price is no concern for you, sir. Mr. Forrest covers all costs incurred for this table."
O'Hara turned to his daughter and grinned. "I'm starting to like this."
Maggie managed a small smile, but her instincts were warning her that trouble was brewing on the horizon.
CHAPTER 8