Blue with Black Dots (The Caprice Trilogy Book 2) (19 page)

              “There’s this bar and restaurant that my dad told me to checkout,” said Georgia, “He knows the owner or something like that and we can eat on the house.  Besides, next Friday is my birthday but it’s too close to exams to try and do something so I thought we could check it out.  It’s just over from Buchanan Street so we can go shopping then eat for free.  What do you think?”

              “Oh cool, how old will you be?” asked Deirdre.

“Twenty-four,” said Georgia.

“Happy early birthday,” said Deirdre.

“Thanks,” said Georgia.

“Sounds like a plan,” said Deirdre.

              “I mean exams are coming up so I figured we could get in a bit of fun before we’ve got to hanker down,” said Georgia.

“Makes sense,” said Deirdre.

              “Please tell Evie if you see her,” said Georgia.

              “I will,” said Deirdre.

              “See ya,” said Georgia.  Georgia went to her room and found her reserve money.  She had £2,000 as an operating budget from Mark Miller.  £1,800 was left, aside from what was in her purse.  Georgia took £200 from the envelope and walked casually downstairs.  She walked three blocks and started hunting for a taxi.  She took a taxi to Argyle Street and went to the
Alt Clut Argyle Hotel
.  She found the
Duster Salute Bar & Restaurant
on the first floor.  She went inside and found the manager.  She told the manager that she had a reservation for Saturday and she wanted to book £200 pounds on her reservation because she was going to be celebrating with girlfriends and didn’t want to have to worry about the tab.  She also said she didn’t want any mention of it to anyone but to be sure that it was taken care of.  She knew there was a risk.  Owen frequented the bar and she told Deirdre that her father had a connection to the restaurant.  She didn’t want that mentioned to Owen because he could ask her father’s name and also ask management.  She wanted to have Evie and Deirdre be her alibi but she didn’t want them to blow her cover.

The reservation was on Saturday, November 6
th
, at 6:30pm.  According to the fact sheet delivered to her at the Necropolis, the average time of day that Owen visited the restaurant was 7:11pm.  Georgia made the reservation for 6:30pm because she wanted the girls to be knee-deep by the time Owen showed, if he showed.  The girls were dressed casually.  And none of them had eaten at the restaurant before.  They took drink menus first.  The bar boasted a selection of modern cocktails as well as classic beers and wines.  The restaurant had a slight maritime theme owing to its name but it didn’t go overboard.  The floor, bar and booths were all wooden and the lighting was contained.  Georgia and the girls were given a booth in the middle of the restaurant near the entrance.  Georgia requested it because it was a nice day and she wanted some of the natural light that came through from the hotel.  The girls toasted with cocktails before ordering Baked Scotch Eggs as an appetizer.  They ordered a second round of cocktails and water, to wash down the Scotch Eggs.  The conversation started with what they purchased on Buchanan Street before they started in on student life but quickly turned from that to music.  Georgia didn’t have a view of a clock and took the risk of not bringing her watch.  She did it to protect herself from constantly checking the time or worrying about it.  It was something the Agency had taught her.  She knew much of her plan was out of her control.  It was the nature of fieldwork.  There were always variables.  It was one reason not to wear a watch, if she didn’t have to.  The watch could give a false sense of control.  The time wasn’t up to her.  She had put herself in place.  She could do no more.  The program would proceed forward or it wouldn’t.  By 7:30pm, food was already on the table.  Even though they were sitting near the entrance of the restaurant, Georgia hadn’t laid eyes on Owen.  She didn’t let on.  She divided the logic from the emotion.  She was having a good time with Evie and Deirdre.  She divorced herself from her ulterior motive and decided she would enjoy her time with two people whose company she relished, in a real sense.  They sat and talked for another hour before Georgia got up to go to the ladies’ room.  The restrooms were back toward the bar and around the corner.  As she rounded the corner she noticed a booth that was larger than all the others in the restaurant.  It was back in the far corner just passed the restrooms.  Being round, the booth could more efficiently hold a greater amount of customers.  Ironically, there was only one.  It was Owen.  He sat with a glass of ale sitting in a brown bottle on the table.  An empty plate with crumbs of some pastry was next to the bottle.  The professor had a laid-back demeanor.  He was slouching with a thick book in front of him.  He looked somewhat tired, not from having lost sleep but from having hiked up the mountain of his book for several hours. 

“Professor,” said Georgia.  Owen looked up from his book. 

“Miss Standing,” said Owen, “What are you doing here?”

“I’m having supper with my flat mates,” said Georgia, “We’re just around the corner there.”

“Really?” said Owen, “Is this your first time here?”

“It is,” said Georgia.

“How did you find out about this place?” asked Owen.

“It’s been here some years,” said Georgia, “I had some family members suggest it.  And we wanted to go shopping on Buchanan so we came here afterward.”

“What did you buy?” asked Owen.

“What do you think?” said Georgia, “Shoes, what else would three girls shop for?”

“Indeed,” said Owen.

“Just a sec,” said Georgia disappearing into the restroom area.  She came back within five minutes and sat down at the booth with Owen.

“What is that you’re reading there?” asked Georgia.

“It’s a compilation of political essays,” said Owen, “You can see, I know how to party.”

“I would say so,” said Georgia.

“The campus library orders it for me every year,” said Owen, “It sits on the shelf after I’m finished with it.  No one ever checks it out.”

“I might.  Now that I know it exists,” said Georgia, “What’s it about?”

“They collect political, social, economic and intellectual articles written in the past year about the idiosyncrasies of the government,” said Owen, “Then they divide them into sections based on topic andwithin a topic range, they’re ordered by date.  So you get a sort of evolution of the chatter of how people interested in the mechanics of government are engaging in discourse.  I try to keep abreast of it because I’m a consultant, still, in the political arena.”

“That makes sense,” said Georgia.

              “I’m boring you no doubt,” said Owen.

              “Not really,” said Georgia.

“You can be honest,” said Owen, “It won’t hurt my feelings, well maybe a little.”

“Being honest,” said Georgia, “I must say we’re having a slightly different conversation on the other side so it’s nice to have that change of pace.”

“Ok,” said Owen, “I can accept that.”

“Why don’t you come over?” said Georgia, “You look like you could use a change of pace yourself.”

“No,” said Owen, “I’m not one to spoil your fun.”

“Nonsense,” said Georgia, “Just be as charming as you are in class.”

“That’s the second time I’ve heard that,” said Owen.

“What’s that?” said Georgia.

“That I’m charming in class,” said Owen.

“Really?” said Georgia, “Who was the other one?”

“Another student of mine,” said Owen, “A few years back.”

“Well,” said Georgia, “Your other student and I are in agreement.  C’mon now.”  Georgia stood at the edge of the booth and put out her hand.  Owen took her hand politely as she helped him out of the booth.  His tall frame was clumsy, trying to maneuver out of the booth.

“We’re just around the corner here,” said Georgia.  As she came into view, Evie gave her a surprised look.

“We thought you fell in,” said Evie.

“It’s happened before,” said Georgia, “This time I bumped into my corporate finance professor.  Help me earn a good mark in his course won’t you?”

“We’re here for you,” said Evie.

“You’re making me blush,” said Owen.

“This is Professor Spice,” said Georgia.

“No one knows me by Professor Spice here,” said Owen, “Please call me Owen.”

“Owen Spice,” said Deirdre, “Has anyone ever told you that’s a really nice name?”

“I’ve been told it’s good for politics,” said Owen.

“It does have a nice ring to it,” said Evie.

“Wait,” said Deirdre, “Were you in politics?”

              “I was an MP,” said Owen.

              “Really?” said Deirdre, “That’s pretty excellent.”

              “I’m hoping just to find work locally after I graduate,” said Deirdre, “London is too rich for my blood.”

              “You shouldn’t say that,” said Owen, “If you can make it through the Strathclyde cirriculum, you can make it in London.”

              “I guess you’re right,” said Deirdre, “I’m selling myself short.”

              “Never do that,” said Owen.

              “I started out as a staffer and decided to run for Parliament,” said Owen, “I served more than nine years as an MP and then decided it wasn’t what I still wanted to do.  Your life is going to be somewhat fragmented.  You live it in stages.  You don’t enjoy the same activities you did when you were six years old.  It just changes.  Being an MP was something I really wanted for a time but after leaving office and interviewing in London, I decided even London wasn’t necessarily what I wanted.  Now I’m even in a different country.  If you want something now go for it now.”  Owen felt something.  Evie and Deirdre were sitting together on one side of the booth.  Georgia was sitting with Owen on the side nearest the restaurant entrance.  Georgia’s leg was lightly brushed up against Owen’s.  It wasn’t forceful.  It was barely there.  But it was there.  Owen felt it and he continued to feel it because Georgia didn’t move her leg away.  Georgia ordered another round for everyone.  She told Owen not to worry about it because they already had a tab going.  He made a joke about how students spend their money.  Georgia made a comment about Owen being charming an hour earlier.  An hour after that comment, Evie and Deirdre would have echoed it.  They sat for another hour, until a quarter to 10pm.  Owen got up to go pay.  Georgia told him she would collect his order on their tab.  She let slip that her
dad
was paying for their food anyway.  She accompanied the professor through the hotel lobby and out to the street.

“Are you taking a taxi?” asked Georgia.

              “No,” said Owen, “I’m not far away so I usually walk.  I’m like right at that distance where I could take a cab but it’s not too far to walk.”

“I see your point,” said Georgia, “Well we’re taking a taxi back.”

              “You probably should,” said Owen.

              “The air’s not bad,” said Georgia, “Should be quite a nice walk.”

“I think so,” said Owen.  Georgia stuck her hand out.  Owen stuck his book in his armpit and grasped her hand with both of his and gave it a firm shake.

              “I will see you on Monday,” said Owen, “Won’t I?”

              “You will,” said Georgia.  Owen took off down the street headed west.  Georgia watched him get to the next block then went back inside.

              Deirdre, Evie and Georgia all agreed on one thing.  Owen had scalable appeal.  The scale was measured by his age.  They commented and almost complained that the guys their age weren’t as engaging.  They retired for the evening with Georgia feeling better.  She initially felt staying away from her roommates was a better path to operate on.  But they underscored her personal connection to the assignment.  Fieldwork wasn’t just work.  The idea was dawning on Georgia.  The program didn’t run without glitches, both personal and professional.  Georgia needed the affirmation that what she was doing had a cheering section, especially among women her age.  It was easy for older men like Mark Miller in specific and Arthur Witt in general to push her to sleep with an older man and call it work.  What made it easier for Georgia was that Evie and Deirdre seemed to think it was worthwhile, not for professional reasons for personal ones.  Monday was effective.  Georgia was back to her old participatory self.  She spent Sunday in the library getting caught up because Saturday was spent with her flat mates.  She wanted to be ready to
talk
to Owen in class so she had to do the reading.  The reading assignments were getting longer in preparation for the semester-end exam.  As a consequence she was in the library until close for the next few weeks.  But her interactions with Owen were only in the classroom.  She didn’t wait for him to show up outside the campus entrance.  She backed off.  Her final exams were approaching so she kept herself busy preparing.  She even acted as den mother for Evie and Deirdre.  She made sure their fun-loving habits didn’t interfere with their studying.  If there was music, it was almost inaudible from outside a closed room door.