“Let’s just say I would have been disappointed if you hadn’t, but do you realize this is the first time we’ve actually been out on a date, just the two of us?”

She feigned shock. “This is a date?” she whispered, pressing a hand to her heart as she glanced around to see if anyone was listening.

Staging his own pretense, he said, “Are we supposed to call it something else? An audition for the concert?”

With a laugh she said, “Just as well neither of us is trying out for that. I don’t know which one of us is more embarrassing with our nonexistent knowledge of current sounds.”

“Thank goodness we have your granddaughter and her musically gifted friends to mask our shame.” He signaled the waiter to top up their glasses. “Speaking of whom, how are rehearsals going for her school Christmas concert tomorrow?”

Marcy rolled her eyes and sighed. “Let’s just say that she’s so wound up about it that we’re afraid to talk to her, although she can’t talk about anything else.”

“Does she always get like that during the run-up to a performance?”

With a shake of her head, Marcy said, “She never used to, but she was younger then and this is the first time since we’ve been here that she’s committed to playing a solo.” Jasmine used to love nothing more than performing in front of an audience before Marcus had stopped it, she was thinking; now, not surprisingly, it was taking time for her to get her confidence back. “I think she’s just nervous about being up there in front of so many of her friends,” she continued airily. “You know the way teens are—much more self-conscious than during their earlier years.” She smiled fondly. “She’ll be fine once she’s underway and lost in the music.”

“I’m sure she will,” he agreed, “and I’m very sorry to be missing it. I’ve heard from her coach that she’s an outstanding student. One of the best he’s had.”

“You know Anton,” she said in surprise. “Oh no, don’t tell me, he was once one of your clients?”

“He was, but he’s also a good friend going back over many years, and he taught my son the violin before it became evident we were wasting our money. Now tell me what your plans are for Christmas, so I can imagine where you are and what you’re doing.”