The following morning Heath took a long walk, and then decided to hop in the car and take a drive throughout the surrounding area. In spite of his previous reservations of the past quarter century, there really were a few places around the southern portion of Lake Tahoe that he wanted to visit again. During his return drive from the popular viewing spot which overlooked the beauty of Emerald Bay, Heath turned onto the road which would lead him to the nearby seclusion of Fallen Leaf Lake. During the summer months the much smaller and less well known lake would be rightfully filled with its own level of activity via those who either owned or rented cabins along portions of the shoreline. However in April, the area would be nearly devoid of people. Heath remembered from long ago that such a side trip during the spring months along the unplowed entry road could be challenging, but that was always dependent upon how much snowfall the area had received during any given winter.

After successfully navigating the several miles of road so that he could visit another spot of fond memory, Heath returned to Harrah’s during the midafternoon. Then he made his way to the fitness center for a workout before preparing for his upcoming dinner date. True to his word, Heath arrived at the restaurant of her choosing a few minutes earlier than the appointed time, and was pleased to see the woman of his admiration smile accordingly when she subsequently entered the establishment.

Rising from his chair in gentlemanly fashion, he reached out a hand and said, “I’m glad that you could make it, how was the skiing?”

“It was great thanks. I have a few favorite spots up on the Nevada side of Heavenly Valley, and for this late in the season, the snow is surprisingly good. But I must admit that at certain times throughout the day I was thinking about you and how we met, so I wouldn’t have missed this evening for anything.”

Throughout the next two hours, they enjoyed a pleasant meal and evening while discussing a myriad of subjects. Beginning with each other’s names, which neither of them in their semi fluttered state of the previous encounter had bothered to inquire of, their knowledge of one another grew. Seated alone and unnoticed in another corner of the restaurant, Courtney watched intently. Based on her altered look via a long blonde wig and clothing of a different style, she was not concerned with being identified as the woman who had witnessed their interactions of the previous night. However she was concerned for a time over the thought of what might transpire in the coming hours. If her target and her new found friend were to carry the evening on into the morning, then it could alter the targets well-established pattern of the previous five mornings. If such an action came to fruition, then it would most probably spoil Courtney’s intended plan. Fortunately she had developed a backup scenario which would carry out the directive of number two, but that plan could be rather dangerous. The sanction would be less clean and could possibly involve collateral damage beyond what was intended, while the resulting lack of stealth would also magnify the difficulty for Courtney to escape the area without being identified as the culprit.

When Heath and his date eventually stood from their seats at the table, Courtney had no idea as to what had been discussed between them or where it might lead. She was prepared to follow them nearly anywhere in an attempt to learn more, and that would include moving through a crowded casino. Moments later Courtney witnessed the two of them in an embrace from afar, but was then relieved to see that after a kiss they went their separate ways. Her target entered an elevator which Courtney knew would take the woman in the direction of her hotel room, while the gentleman turned and moved back through the casino toward an exit door. After a moment, Courtney then positioned herself where she could keep an eye on the elevators. As with each of the previous nights during such surveillance, she wanted to ensure that her target would remain within the hotel tower. When satisfied an hour later that her target had indeed called it a night, Courtney did the same. She was fully prepared for the actions of the coming morning, and would get a slightly earlier than usual start for it.

What Courtney hadn’t realized while watching the target and her date say goodnight, was that the two of them had agreed to meet for dinner again the following evening. Her target, although tempted to spend more time with the gentleman caller, was aware that she and her friend only had one more day to ski together. Therefore she had said to him, “Thank you again for dinner Heath. You are a nice man, but for the sake of both my dignity and my friend who is waiting upstairs, I’m afraid that I need to say goodnight.”

With a smile he had replied, “I understand and it’s no problem. Thank your friend for letting you do this, and I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow evening.”

“Thanks Heath, I will. And I want you to know that I won’t have any type of restrictions tomorrow night, so who knows where things might lead.”