Dusted to Death (23 page)

“You look just fine,” she told her reflection. “For Pete’s sake, it’s just Louis, so get over yourself.”

It was ten till seven when Louis knocked on her door. “You look really nice,” he told her when she opened the door.

“Thank you,” she replied. “You don’t look so bad yourself.

The short drive to Commander’s didn’t take long. Once there, Louis requested that they be given a table in the Garden Room.

Charlotte smiled as the maître d’ escorted them up the stairs to their table. Commander’s was divided into several different dining areas on two floor levels. Some were small, others large, some private, some open, but of all the rooms, Louis knew that the one on the second floor called the Garden Room was her favorite.

Once they were seated at one of the small tables, Charlotte glanced around. The large, spacious room, with its walls of mirrors, white latticework, and huge windows had been designed to enhance the outdoor setting of oaks and palms visible through the windows. She hadn’t been there for dinner since the renovations after Hurricane Katrina, so she was pleased to see that it was just as beautiful and elegant as ever.

When the waiter asked for their drink order, Charlotte was surprised to hear Louis request a bottle of champagne.

“You really meant it when you said we were going to celebrate, didn’t you?”

For an answer, he simply smiled.

Several minutes passed, and Charlotte realized that she was perfectly content with the silence. With Louis, she didn’t feel the need to keep up an ongoing conversation.

At that moment the waiter arrived with the champagne. Once he’d popped the cork and poured them each a glass, Louis told him, “Give us a few minutes; then we’ll order.”

The man nodded, then left.

“This is really nice,” Charlotte said. “Thanks for inviting me.”

Louis reached across the table and took both of Charlotte’s hands in his. His warm hands swallowed hers, and for the first time that evening, a prickly feeling of suspicion tiptoed up her spine.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Louis sighed and gently squeezed her hands. “I’m a little nervous. Just give me a minute.”

Louis nervous? About what? Then, suddenly, like the winds of a category-five hurricane, it hit her, and she knew what all of this was leading up to. At least she thought she knew. If her suspicions were right, then how could she have been so clueless, what with all of those phone calls to check on her, the good-bye kisses, and such? Whether her suspicions were right or wrong, deep within a feeling that she’d long thought dead blossomed. “Now you’re making me nervous,” she told him.

“Don’t be. I’m nervous enough for the both of us.” He cleared his throat, then looked deep into her eyes. “How long have we known each other now?” he asked.

Her voice barely above a whisper, she said, “Several years, I guess.”

“Long enough for me to tell you that I love you?”

Charlotte’s breath caught in her throat, and all she could do was stare at him.

“Long enough for me to ask you to marry me?” he persisted.

She managed a shrug. “I—I suppose so.”

“I do love you,” he told her. “I’ve known it for a while now, but couldn’t work up the courage to tell you. I’m not the greatest catch in the world, and you probably deserve a lot better than some old, worn-out, retired detective, but will you marry me?”

Tears sprang to her eyes as the realization swept through her that she loved Louis too. But marriage? At her age? For Pete’s sake, she’d just started drawing her Social Security.

So what? Big deal. What does age have to do with it?

For once, she didn’t want to argue with the aggravating voice in her head. In fact, she decided that the voice was absolutely right on.

“You’re not that old or worn out,” she told Louis. “If you are, then I am too. I—I’m no spring chicken, though. That’s for sure,” she finished in a whisper.

He simply smiled. “Neither am I.”

He gently released her hands, and then slipped one of his into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a small black velvet box. He opened it and removed a solitaire diamond ring. “So, how about it?” He held the sparkling ring out to her. “Are you going to marry me?”

Charlotte swallowed hard. The gold ring was gorgeous in its simplicity. The diamond was large enough to be noticeable, but not so large that it looked fake.

“Yes,” she said firmly, and held out her left hand for him to slide the ring on.

Hank’s father would always be her first love, but there was more than enough room in her heart for Louis as well. God willing, Louis would be her last love.

This time she reached out across the table for his hands. Her heart overflowing with joy, she squeezed them tightly, and whispered, “Just so you know, I do love you too.”

Each year Charlotte bakes her son, Hank, a special cake for his birthday.

RED VELVET CAKE
Makes 12 large or 16 small slices.

1½ cups sugar

½ cup vegetable shortening

2 ounces red food coloring

2 eggs, unbeaten

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cocoa

1 cup buttermilk

3 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon vinegar

Cream sugar and shortening together until light and fluffy; add the food coloring and unbeaten eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Set aside. Sift together 3 times: flour, salt, and cocoa. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk to the sugar mixture and mix well. Add the vanilla and beat well at least 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, dissolve soda in vinegar, and then gently fold mixture into cake batter. Don’t beat. Pour batter into 2 (or 3) well-greased and floured round cake pans, then bake in a 350-degree F oven for approximately 35 minutes. Cool completely before icing.

Red Velvet Cake Icing

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup milk

2 sticks margarine

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cook cornstarch and milk in a double boiler and stir constantly (mixture must not be lumpy). After mixture thickens, cool completely. In separate bowl, cream margarine, sugar, and vanilla; then add to first mixture and beat until fluffy. (Note: if you’re very careful, you can cook cornstarch and milk mixture in the microwave instead of a double boiler, but stir often. Remember, it must not be lumpy.)