Clayton brought his thumb and index finger to his lips and kissed the air, imitating Chili’s boss, TV chef Caesar Romano. Godiva winced at the subtle allusion to her former boyfriend, and Dexter grimaced when Clayton continued in his best acting voice. “Ah, Bellisima! What a combination—so beautiful, so talented. And the food—absolutely delicious!” Even though the accent was nowhere near as elegant as Romano’s, Chili puffed up with pride.
The others at the table joined in, each trying to outdo the other with their praise. Finally Chili fanned her face with one hand. “Omigod. You guys. Thanks so much.” She bent and kissed Red on the forehead. “I love you Daddy, but it’s back to the galley for me. Wait until you see my fabulous salad.”
She turned, snapped a mock salute to everyone at the table, then she was gone.
Lola watched Chili sashay out of the room. “Wow, Red, your little Chili Pepper sure has grown up. What a beauty. Last time Clayton and I saw her she was just a kitchen helper on the ship and you were a proud papa. Now she’s on TV and take it from someone in the business, she’s very good. I’ll bet she’s already breaking hearts in Hollywood.”
Red winced. “I don’t doubt that, and I really do worry about her living in La La Land. In Juneau her mother and grandmother kept an eye on her, but...” He gave Godiva a meaningful glance.
Godiva broke in. “Wait a minute. What am I? Chopped liver? I keep an eye on her—we all do.” She nodded toward Flossie and Sterling. “Besides, L.A. is glamorous, exciting and she’s loving it. She fits right in.”
“That’s what I’m worried about—is she fitting in or flipping out?” Two waiters in crisp white dinner jackets brought the next course, a colorful salad of heirloom tomatoes, nasturtium flowers, dates, and pistachios .
Flossie’s eyes opened wide. “Is this a salad or a centerpiece?”
Dexter chuckled. “Edible flowers are all the rage now, Flossie. Try one. They’re a little peppery.” He forked some salad into his mouth and chewed slowly.
“Maybe I could make a little pocket money by selling some of my flowers to fancy restaurants.” Sterling popped one of the nasturtiums into his mouth. “Hmm, pretty tasty.”
Red turned his attention back to Dexter Diamond. “You were asking Clay about his new TV show, but we got off the track when the appetizers came.”
“Yes, I was asking Clayton what his character cons people out of. You know, I don’t really see him playing a thief.”
“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong, my friend,” Clayton Coleman said. “Actually the role suits me quite well. I play a clever, sophisticated thief, not your run-of-the-mill sleazy swindler.” The handsome actor flashed a brilliant smile. “My character, Frank Lee Snow, dresses in Brioni suits, drives a Lamborghini and lives in a Bel Air mansion. He’s beyond reproach because he poses as a wealthy entrepreneur. Snow travels all over the world dealing in high stakes con games. He could charm the pants off the Pope.”
Flossie peered at the actor through her thick glasses. “Tell me, Clay, who’d want to buy a pair of the Pope’s used trousers, anyway? I don’t even think he wears pants, looks more like a skirt to me.”
“Merely a metaphor, my dear Flossie. The fictitious Mr. Snow doesn’t touch a con worth less than a million. I’m really looking forward to working with Freddie Fluke on this series. He’s a great comedian.”
Grant Slammer turned to Dexter, who was sitting across from him. “By the way, what do you do, um, Dexter or do you prefer Dex?”
Dexter flashed a confident smile. “I deal in estate jewelry. I’m fortunate to have quite an exclusive clientele for the better pieces.” He reached into his jacket pocket, extracted an elegant leather card case, then passed a beautifully embossed card across the table. “I prefer to be called Dexter, and if you would like to see some exquisite pieces next time you’re in Beverly Hills, just give me a call. My shop is on Rodeo Drive just north of Wilshire. “
“May I have a card, too?” Lola touched her fingers to the huge stone Dexter had admired. Its many facets seemed to reflect every light in the room. “I just love diamonds.”
Sterling leaned forward and lowered his voice to a confidential tone. “You know sometimes fancy jewelry can be a little dangerous. Do any of you know what alexandrite is?”
Grant said, “Alexandrite? Nope. Never heard of it.”
Flossie’s eyes lit up when Sterling said, “Well, young man, that’s because it’s extremely rare, especially if it comes from Siberia. Would you believe a big one is worth more than a flawless diamond? And—get this—they change color. They’re kind of bluish-green in daylight, and then—presto!—under incandescent light they turn shades of red.”
Lola batted her eyelashes. “Oh Clayton, I need one of those. Why haven’t I heard of them?”
Sterling continued. He loved spouting little-known information. “Well, you don’t come across them every day. They were discovered in Russia and named for Tsar Alexander II. There were seven big ones in the Tsar’s royal jewels and we—”
Red’s voice turned uncharacteristically cold. “Please Sterling, you know I don’t like hearing about the situations your family drags my wife into.” He looked around the table at all the perplexed faces. “All right, in a nutshell, my wife Goldie and her wacky family,” he glared good naturedly at each of the Silvers, “uncovered a smuggling operation involving those seven stones and nearly got killed. When I found out what was going on, I was so worried about them that even now I just can’t talk about it without blowing my stack.”
The reality TV people at the end of the table were practically salivating. “But, this sounds so fascinating, we want to hear more. Dexter, you said you handle high-end jewelry. Do you have any inside info on how those smugglers might have pulled off something like that? It could make a great reality show.”
Flossie flashed her dentures at the reality show people. “Why ask Dexter? We’re the ones who solved it. Why we—”
Red made a stop sign with his hands. “Okay, folks. I’m the captain, and I’ve just decreed that topic off limits. Sorry about cutting you off, Flossie.” He turned to Godiva’s boyfriend. “Nothing personal, Dexter, I just want to forget it ever happened.”
Godiva was relieved when Dexter relaxed, leaned back in his chair, and said, “That suits me, Captain. I get squeamish just thinking about jewel thieves. With the business I’m in, I’m sure you understand.”
The rest of the dinner went smoothly with typical table talk. Flossie kept making goo-goo eyes at Clayton Coleman much to everyone’s amusement and Lola’s indulgence. After all, an eighty-year-old blue-haired Jewish grandmother obviously presented no threat to the luscious Lola.
By the time Chili and her assistants served the chocolate chipotle walnut torte for dessert, Dexter had begun shifting in his chair. He frequently checked his Rolex and made little effort to cover up his impatience. Godiva ignored his fidgety behavior, particularly since there were such high-profile people at the table.
Fortunately Clayton didn’t ignore it and said, “I love to relax after dinner with a good coffee, but if you have somewhere to go Dexter, please don’t let us keep you.”
“Um, yes. Actually I have a pressing appointment back in the city, and I’d like to be on the road soon. Godiva dear, do you suppose we can pry Chili away from the kitchen so that she can ride back with us?”
Godiva managed an insincere smile. “Of course, Dexter, I’ll ask one of the waiters to let her know. I guess the ship will be pulling out of port soon anyway.”