Madison and Nick had already gone out for Saturday night when Tish answered the door to find a smiling Spence. “You’re early again. I’m impressed.”
“Well, you did give me that warning when we met. I didn’t want to risk showing up one minute late and you not being here.”
“That directive only applied to the first meeting, counselor. However, should you ever stand me up there will be hell to pay. A.J. is Sicilian and I have her on retainer.”
“I’ve never stood up a woman. Definitely not starting with you.” He gave her outfit the once-over. “You look great, as usual.”
She noted he filled out a dark gray windowpane suit perfectly. “So do you.”
All of a sudden Socks and Bumper went flying through the room, chasing each other.
“What was that?”
“Cats. One’s mine, one’s Madison’s. They’re from the same litter so they like to play.”
Then they raced by in the other direction. “Damn, they’re fast. It was like a blur of fur.”
“They’re still young and have a lot of energy. Unlike me.”
“Oh, stop it. What are you, twenty-eight?”
“Okay, now I know you’re being silly. We graduated the same year so obviously we’re about the same age.”
He shrugged. “Not necessarily. You’re so damn smart you could have graduated college at fifteen.”
“Okay, Mister, enough. I already like you, so dial it down a notch.”
“You like me! You really like me!”
“What are you, Sally Field?”
“Sorry, couldn’t resist. But you do look a lot younger than the other people in our class. Anyway, you ready to roll?”
“Sure.” She locked the door and they headed to his car. “So where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
Tish saw the name of the place in neon as they pulled into the parking lot. “The Magic Act? I thought we were going to dinner.”
“We are. It’s a restaurant and the waiters are magicians.”
“Really? Sounds pretty cool.”
“This may be the most entertaining meal you’ve ever had. Hope you like magic.”
“Who doesn’t? I loved it when I was little. Haven’t seen a good magic show in ages.”
He led her to the box office where he paid for two tickets, then headed inside. A thin, middle-aged man in a tuxedo and a cape greeted them, then with a flourish produced a rose out of thin air, bowed, and handed it to Tish. “For the lovely lady.”
“Why, thank you.” She breathed in the beautiful fragrance.
Spence furrowed his brow. “Nothing for me?”
“Sir, may I remind you that you already have the company of the lovely lady, hence you are not in need of anything else. Be careful with that attitude or I will make you disappear, sweep her off her feet and carry her away!” He turned to Tish. “Of course, should you wish to retain your current escort, I would suggest you hold on tight to him.”
She grabbed his arm.
“That is not tight enough! I may still steal you away!”
She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him close. The scent of his cologne made her pulse spike a bit. “How’s this?”
“Excellent.” He turned back to Spence. “Alas, I have demonstrated my magical abilities to make your date give you a hug!” He lowered his voice and leaned forward. “Buddy, this is the part of the performance when the gentleman tips me.”
Spence wrapped one arm around Tish’s shoulders, then pulled a bill from his pocket with his free hand and gave it to the magician. “Well worth it. Do you have anything so she won’t let me go?”
“Yes, but I do not know how long the spell will last.” He threw his hands at her and waved his fingers as if casting a spell. “Young lady, since your escort has tipped me generously, you will be unable to release him regardless of how hard you try.”
“Fine with me.”
“Excellent! I will be back later!” He did a quick about-face, his cape spinning in the air as he headed off to greet the other guests.
Tish laughed as she turned to Spence. “What a character. I already like this place.”
“Good. They had a show like this out in Vegas but it’s not there anymore, so a bunch of New York magicians started something similar here. The food is excellent as well. And they change the show every few months.”
They were ushered with the rest of the crowd into a large round room. The magician who had greeted them entered and closed the door. “Welcome, honored guests. You are about to enter an alternate universe. Where nothing is as it seems, because it is a world ruled by magic.” He pressed a button on the wall and suddenly the room began to move.
Tish grabbed Spence’s arm. “Whoa. What is this, a giant elevator? Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
The magician crossed to the other side of the room as the motion stopped and the lights dimmed. “We have descended into the realm of the impossible. But seeing is believing!” He opened the double doors and the crowd moved into a large dining hall that looked like the inside of a castle.
“This is really cool.” Tish took in the medieval setting as she and Spence took their seats at a round table for eight. “How did you find this?”
“I know a lot of cool places.”
A young buxom brunette carrying a large pitcher arrived at their table and began filling their glasses with wine. “Good evening, I am your tavern wench Desdemona. Should you desire anything from the bar, please let me know and it will magically appear. Should you gentlemen desire me, know that I am not available unless you are fabulously wealthy.”
Everyone laughed as a waiter arrived, dressed as the first magician they’d met. He handed out a small index card to each patron. “Good evening, everyone, my name is Robert and I will be your magical host tonight. There are four choices for dinner. Simply indicate your selection, put the cards in a stack and I will be back to gather them. It is not necessary that I take your order personally, as I will divine your selections and sort them through my magical powers. I will return shortly.”
Tish looked at the choices, then grabbed a pencil that was part of her place setting and checked off her choices. Everyone at the table placed the cards in a pile in the center. “So how do they know who ordered what?”
Spence shrugged. “Beats me. It’s magic. But they’re never wrong.”
The food arrived fifteen minutes later. The magician started to slide a steak in front of Tish, but as she was about to correct him, he stopped. “Ah, that’s right. You ordered the salmon.” He swapped out the plates much to her delight.
“How did you know?”
He simply tapped his forehead. “Magical powers.”
“Ah.” She turned back to her meal and then realized she was missing one utensil. “Excuse me, I don’t have a fork. Could you bring one when you get a chance?”
The magician nodded and studied her face, then shook his finger at her. “Do not play games with me, young lady. Hiding things will not curry you any favor.” He reached behind her head and pulled out a fork, then handed it to her. “We do not take kindly to the pilfering of silverware. I’d better not catch you with sterling in your hair again or I will slice you in half and not put you back together.”
Everyone laughed as Tish said, “I’ll behave.”
“See that you do.” He clapped his hands and spread them wide. “Everyone, please enjoy your dinner and I shall return soon.”
She turned to her date. “Spence, this is a blast.”
“Glad you’re enjoying one of my favorite things.”
After an excellent meal with a few magic tricks sprinkled in they were led into a theater for the main show. Tish grabbed his hand and led him toward the front. “I’ve always liked being in the first row for magic shows.”
“Sure, but you should realize they do tend to single out people who sit up front.”
“Hey, I want to see their tricks up close so I can try to figure them out.”
“Have you ever figured out tricks before?”
She picked out seats in the first row, right in the middle. “No, but there’s always a first time.”
The lights dimmed and a tall, dark-haired magician who looked to be about thirty came out on stage and introduced himself. He gestured toward the side. “And please welcome my wonderful magician’s assistant, Deborah!” The audience clapped but no one appeared. “Hold on a moment.” He moved toward the side, listened to someone behind the curtain and shook his head. “Well, how am I supposed to perform without an assistant? All right, I suppose that will have to do as we have no other choice.” He moved back toward the center. “It appears my assistant has quit and run off with one of our stagehands. Apparently the spell I had over her wore off. Must have been that knock-off love potion I bought off the street in Times Square. However, the show must go on so I will need a volunteer from the audience. Now don’t be afraid, all the magician’s assistant has to do is stand next to me and look pretty, thereby distracting you from what I’m doing. A little matter of misdirection.” He scanned the crowd. “Let’s see…who has a look that will distract the audience?” He pointed at an overweight old bald man in the second row. “How about you, Sir?”
The crowd laughed as the man shook his head.
“Probably just as well,” said the magician. “The costume was not a good color for him.” He looked around again, then locked onto Tish. “Ah, I see someone who would be perfect. Come on up, young lady.”
She shook her head and put up her hands. “No, really—”
Spence put his hand on her shoulder. “Go, it’ll be fun. Trust me.”
“Well, okay.” She got up to a round of applause.
The magician took her hand and led her on stage. “So, what’s my new assistant’s name?”
“Tish.”
“Well, Tish, thank you for volunteering. Now if you’ll go behind the curtain our stagehand will lead you to a dressing room where you can get into costume—”
A look of fear instantly washed over her face. She backed up a step and put her hands up. “Whoa, you didn’t say anything about a costume.”
“I most certainly did when I told the gentleman he would not look good in it.”
“I thought you were making a joke.”
“You must learn to pay attention if you are to assist me. You cannot simply stand there and look stunning. Your date may let you get away with that and be powerless to resist you, but that is not the case with me.”
She blushed at the compliment, then looked at Spence. He nodded and gave her a thumbs up, then yelled, “He’s right!”
The crowd roared, then egged her on. “Well, okay. But nothing too skimpy.”
“Of course not. Now go change and I’ll do a few tricks till you return.”
The red rhinestone costume wasn’t skimpy but it did show more leg than Tish ever had as the hemline ended six inches above the knee. She teetered across the stage atop four inch heels to a round of applause, noting Spence was wearing a big smile.
The magician took her hands. “Please welcome my assistant, the lovely Tish!” The crowd applauded as she smiled and curtsied. “Now, here’s all you need to do. While I’m doing tricks, you need to stand nearby and simply wave your hands like a game show hostess and smile. Remember, all you have to do is distract the crowd. Got it?”
She nodded. “I’ll try.”
“Of course I will saw you in half later, and then you might not be smiling. Only kidding!” He started his first trick and gave her a nod, as she began doing her best impression of Vanna White.
Spence was looking at her, not the magician.
An hour later she emerged from the dressing room back in her own clothes, finding her date talking to the magician. Spence looked up and smiled. “Here she is. Hey, you were terrific.”
The magician nodded. “Yes, you did a great job. Thank you for being part of the show tonight. You’re a good sport.”
She laughed a bit. “All I did was stand there, wave my hands and get sawed in half.”
“But you did it very well,” said the magician. He reached into his pocket, pulled out an envelope and handed it to her. “With our thanks.”
“What’s this?”
“Your invitation to come back for dinner and a show on us. I suggest you come during the Christmas season, as that’s when we have all the new tricks.”
“Thank you, we’d love to.”
“Good, we look forward to seeing you again. Are you two married?”
“Just started dating,” said Spence.
The magician shook their hands. “Ah. Well, you look like a couple. Enjoy the rest of your evening. And thanks again.”
Tish pointed at the curb before they turned onto Madison’s street. “Pull over here.”
“Huh? Isn’t your friend’s house around the corner?”
“It is. Now don’t laugh, but my other friend who lives across the street from Madison spied on us last time.”
He pulled over and parked. “You gotta be kidding.”
“Nope. It’s one of her quirks.”
“So…uh…what exactly did she see?”
Tish blushed a bit. “Let’s just say she considered the goodnight kiss you gave me on the front porch a tonsillectomy.”
Now it was his turn to blush. “Well, y’know, you started the whole thing in the car. What was I supposed to do? Walk you to the front door and shake your hand?”
“I’m not complaining. Just warning you that Big Sister is probably watching. And since I wanted to spend some time talking before we say goodnight I thought it best to park here.”
He flashed a sly grin. “So you wanna talk?”
“For now. There was something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
“This sounds serious.”
“Not really. I don’t know that much about you yet. I wanted to know if you like cats.”
“Cats? Sure, why?”
“As you saw earlier I have a cat and I know a lot of men hate them.”
“Nah, they’re cool and independent. Smart as hell. And there’s a neighbor’s cat that comes to visit me pretty often. I give her treats and play with her. Funny, my partner says I need to get my own cat, so once I get a few of my big cases out of the way I’m going to a shelter to adopt one. We always had cats when I was a kid and since I live alone it would be nice to have a furry companion.”
“Well, good.”
“So what’s the deal, if I said I hated cats you wouldn’t want to go out with me anymore?”
“Not at all. Just curious. But I am pretty attached to my cat and it would be nice if the guy I’m seeing liked her.”
“Well, if you want proof…” He reached to the back seat and pulled out a bag from a pet store filled with cat treats. “Here you go.”
“That’s really sweet of you to buy stuff for someone else’s pet.”
He shrugged. “Hey, she’s a nice cat. So, what else you want to know? Giants or Jets? Mets or Yankees?”
“Nah, that’s it for now.” She turned so she was facing him. “I really enjoyed tonight. A lot more fun than just dinner and a movie.”
He turned as well. “And you got to be part of the show.”
“Yeah, wasn’t expecting that.”
“Well, I did warn you about sitting in the front row.”
“That you did.”
“But you looked like you enjoyed the hell out of it. Being the magician’s assistant.”
“I did. Except for the costume.”
“What was wrong with the costume?”
“I’m pretty modest, and as you probably noticed I dress very conservative. It was a bit… revealing.”
He laughed a bit. “Compared to my date at the wedding, I don’t think so.”
“A string bikini would be modest compared to your date at the wedding.”
“Very true. But I don’t think the costume was revealing at all.”
“You really don’t think it was too skimpy?”
“Not at all. Though it did serve a purpose.”
“Huh?”
“I found out you’ve got killer legs.”
Her face flushed. “I’m nothing special.”
“I strongly disagree. And you need to learn how to take a compliment, young lady. Damn, you blush every time I say something nice to you.” He reached over and removed her glasses. “And speaking of compliments, whoa.”
“Again with the whoa.”
“Can’t help it. Your eyes truly are amazing. I could get lost in them. They deserve a whoa.”
“You’re so sweet to me.”
“Now if there’s nothing else you need to know about me or cats or skimpy costumes and you’re done with this line of questioning, I’d really like to kiss you.”
An hour later their lips parted and Tish got a devilish look in her eyes. “Hey, you wanna have some fun?”
“Depends on what you have in mind. But I thought we were already having fun.”
“We are, but this is something different. Pull around to the house, walk me to the door and shake my hand.”
“Okay…why?”
“Because Rory is watching and I wanna yank her chain.”
“You have a devious mind, Tish McKenna. But I like it.”
He started the car, pulled around the corner and parked in front of Madison’s house. He got out and opened the door for Tish. She stole a glance across the street and saw the curtains move. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “She’s watching.”
They turned and headed toward the house. “Seriously? She actually waits up for you like a parent?”
“Yep. Okay, remember, make a big to-do about the handshake. And speak up so she can hear. She’s got the window open.”
“You got it.” They arrived at the front door and he turned to face her.
She raised her voice a bit. “I had a really nice time, Mister Capshaw.”
“Me too. Well, good night Miss McKenna. It was pleasant dining with you this evening.” He extended his hand and she shook it.
And then they heard Rory’s voice. “Oh, give me a friggin’ break.” She looked over at Rory’s house just in time to see the window slam shut and the curtains close.
They both laughed hysterically, then Spence reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. He twisted the porch light bulb until it went out, then took her in his arms. “Now, where were we?”