At the restaurant Prince asks to speak with the manager and within a couple minutes we are lead through some sliding doors into a small banquet area to eat in private.
"Is this really necessary?" I ask in a whisper as I lightly touch his arm. He nods as he pulls out a chair for me.
It actually turns out to be beneficial because Derik is hungry and getting tired, showing us a bit of his grumpy side. He leaves our table to curl up with his stuffed sea turtle in a nearby booth while we wait for our order.
As we are casually talking, I hear my cell phone ring. Prince, again, produces my phone from his pocket, excusing himself, he steps away from the table. Out of curiosity we watch him as he conducts more business, it's evident in his mannerisms that this is not a social call. Stepping back to the table, the phone covered with his hand, he asks Angel, "What day is good for you this week for the installation?"
They hadn't mentioned this to me, so I look between them as she says, "Anytime before 2 o'clock during the week." Prince goes back to the call and I frown at Angel. She shrugs and shakes her head, "He insisted on installing an alarm system on your house." I guess it wouldn't hurt, although I feel it's overkill for the quiet little neighborhood my house is in.
Prince returns to the table and hands me the phone, "Please turn it off, I'm done for now," he seems irritated but not with us. I power off the phone and put it into my purse just as the food arrives. Derik comes back to the table, he's more hungry than tired, and starts eating immediately.
Angel and I start eating as Prince picks at his food. Wheels are turning in his head,
he had wanted me to have a relaxing day today, but it hasn't been one for him.
Reaching under the table, I stroke his leg just above the knee, he looks over flashing me a quick smile, "I'm sorry I'm distracted, Sugar." He pats my hand under the table before continuing, "I had every intention of letting you stay down here this week if you wanted to. That way you could finish what you needed to do, and help Angel out with her move, but those plans were dissolved quickly with that article." I look at him sadly, it would have been nice to have more time, but I understand his concern for not wanting me out of his sight right now.
The meal continues quietly with Prince still picking at his food, Angel and I finish ours, while Derik eats more than half of his. The waitress comes in to see if we want dessert, which we decline.
"Thank you for feeding us again," Angel says to Prince from across the table.
He holds up his hand and shakes his head, thwarting her thank you, "No need to thank me, Angel, but you're welcome." He strokes my cheek, looking into my eyes for a moment before he continues, "It's the least I could do since we're going to have to cut this evening short." When I frown at him, he explains, "We were supposed to fly out at 11 o'clock tomorrow, we'll be leaving at 7."
"No worries," Angel says, "Derik's going to be crashing soon anyways, I may take this opportunity to get some rest," she laughs.
We stand and get ready to leave, Angel hefts a sleepy Derik into her arms, I grab ahold of his sea turtle and I see Prince toss two $100 bills onto the table before we exit the room. The man runs through money like it's water, I know I shouldn't be concerned, but for some reason I am.
On the ride home, the conversion centers around Angel's move. Her excitement and gratitude are tangible, prompting Prince and I to exchange smiles several times. He's as happy as I am that things fell into place as well as they had. Back home, with the car seat transferred, and hugs all around, Angel hops into her car and waves before driving off.
