6 Chapter 6

The hall ended in a metal stairwell that led down into the depths of the club proper, what had probably once been a basement warehouse or wine cellar with thick brick walls and ceiling arches. The low lighting shadowed the patrons who sat around tables, drinking, talking, and listening to the entertainment, a black-clad man on a circular stage singing in French. The floor of the stage featured a painted representation of the four elements, earth, wind, fire and water.

"This seems so European," Mac opined as he peered through the dim lighting and scanned the crowd.

"Everyone here looks like a medieval relic," Regine commented dryly.

As his eyes adjusted to the dim, he made out the astrological signs painted on the walls and the rotating stars and moons spotlighted on the ceiling. The wait staff came dressed in scarlet jumpsuits, a few with either holly berry or shiny tinsel garlands around their heads. When Mac spied Afton Tremaine and her Aunt Winnie sitting at a table in the far corner, Mac pointed in that direction. "Over here, Regine dear, I see some people I met earlier."

He and Regine moved single file through the narrow spaces between tables. When close to their targeted table, Mac waved at his new neighbors. "Hello, there, ladies."

Winnie glanced in his direction and smiled broadly. "Oh, Mr. Barrett! How wonderful! You've come to join us after all." She indicated the two vacant chairs between her and her niece.

Turning her head, Afton gazed at him, her expression neutral. "Yes, how nice. Please sit with us." She moved her chair to make more room for their guests.

Mac seated Regine first and pushed her chair near the table, and then took a seat between her and Winnie. A petite, young woman with a baby-round face, spiky dark hair, and huge brown eyes appeared to take their orders.

Mac indicated the drinks Afton and her aunt had in front of them, a chocolate rum and shot of peppermint Schnapps for Winnie and a cherry daiquiri for Afton. "Another round of these, please, and two vodka martinis."

"With a lemon twist," Regine added quickly, "no olives." Their saucy-eyed waitress nodded and left.

"Her name is Sadé," Winnie commented as she leaned toward Mac. "Poor dear doesn't know if she's a boy or a girl. We think she might be a bit of both."

Mac merely smiled as he made introductions. "Ah, Regine, dear, I'd like you to meet my new neighbors, Ms. Winifred Graylock and Ms. Afton Tremaine. Ladies, this is Regine Harris Frazier... my fiancée."

"Oh!" Winnie acknowledged with a moue of surprise. "Your fiancée, eh? How long have you two been engaged?"

"Not long," Mac confessed as he helped Regine out of her coat. "We just decided to get married tonight, actually tomorrow morning."

Afton had been giving Regine a cool perusal from beneath dusky eyelids. "I believe Ms. Frazier and I know each other from college."

Regine returned the cool gaze. "Do we?"

"Yes, we were in the same graduating class at Wellesley. You lived in the sorority house and I resided in the dormitory, but we took several classes together."

"Oh, yes." Regine nodded in acknowledgment. "You're the young lady who used to come to class barefoot. In fact, you seemed to go everywhere barefoot."

With a little laugh, Afton raised her leg from beneath the table and showed everyone her foot clad in a red velvet heel. "I wear shoes in public now."

Regine offered a thin, sly smile. "Much more sanitary, don't you think? So, what have you been doing with yourself since graduation, Afton?"

"I own a novelty shop on the ground floor of the apartment building that Mac just moved into, third floor, I believe."

"That's right," Winnie confirmed. "His flat is directly under mine and I live on the top floor."

Mac clarified the situation. "Afton was kind enough to let me use her business phone to call you this afternoon, dear. My phone in the apartment went buggy on me, but now it seems to be working fine. And as usual, I left my cellphone at the office."

"Because you're forgetful and preoccupied," Regine added. "I swear I'm going to get you a chain, like they have for glasses, and attach it to your phone so you'll always have it around your neck."

"I tried the pockets of my jacket and my slacks," he confessed, his gaze drifting from Winnie to Afton. "But I always end up putting it on my desk and leaving it there. As Regine says, I get too preoccupied and just forget the darn thing."

"You might try a beeper," Winnie suggested. "I have one on my phone so I always know where I put it. I just snap my fingers, and it beeps." To demonstrate, she retrieved her smartphone from her handbag and placed it on the table. "It's a small chip you put inside the phone." With a snap of her fingers, her phone began to beep and emit a red pulsating light. For a second or two, everyone stared at the bleeping and flashing phone as if mesmerized.

"Well, would you look at that!" Mac exclaimed, fascinated. "Where do I find one of those chips?"

"Oh, Afton has them for sale at her store." As she spoke, Winnie winked at Mac and then turned to her niece. "I'm sure she'll give you a good deal on one."

Afton nodded. "They're only ten dollars, but I'll give it to you at cost, seven-fifty. No, in fact, I'll make it my wedding present to you both."

"How very nice of you," Regine simpered with a narrowed gaze. "Mac and I thank you for your generosity."

"Yes," he concurred. "Thank you, Afton. Just think, darling, our first wedding present, and a very practical one at that." As he spoke, Mac took Regine's hand in his and patted it with affection. "It sure beats a pair of candlesticks or a gravy boat."

"Ooh, that was what I was going to give you!" Winnie joked with a giggle.

Everyone laughed as the amorphous Sadé returned with their drinks.