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“Do you have a reservation, sir?” asked the maître d, a slender man

He gazed into his eyes “Yes, name is Lev A table in the back”

The lanced at the list “I’m sorry…”

“I’ll take my table now”

He nodded “Of course, sir”

Rachel talked to the bartender, a woman, and fortunately, hadn’t noticed him as he followed the head waiter to his private table

“Can I get you so to drink?”

“Vodka, but bring the young lady with the black dress at the bar your best bottle of chilled chane”

“An entire bottle, sir?”

“Her na alone”

He winked “Yes, sir”

Sorry, Howard Lost to the wolf’s desires, he sed his guilt No harm in just one dinner

Rachel slowly sipped her martini The tables had all been booked, but she was okay just sitting at the bar for a drink and appetizers On the way over, she’d bit the bullet and called Maggie about the wolf and break-in She hadn’t been angry at all She told Rachel not to worry about it No harm done and she’d add an extra deadbolt to the back door when she returned Rachel asked her if anyone owned a pet wolf Maggie said the only dogs she’d seen were solden retriever two houses down This spooked Rachel iant wolf, like none she’d ever seen before With its blue glowing eyes, it almost looked fake as if created by CGI Could her brain be playing mind tricks on her? She ate the olive and watched couples enter She finished the nificant other

As the restaurant grew noisier, Rachel became lonelier This was her first New Year’s Eve alone The last couple years, she had skipped the celebratory drink to work on patients, but at least she’d been around people, even if they were colleagues and patients The bartender, a graduate student had struck up a conversation, but only briefly Couldn’t blahts for drinks Good tips

The head waiter brought her a bottle of chane chilled in a small bucket “For you, ma’am”