The first order of business: be yourself, be cool and be in charge. Don’t let anyone see you sweat. The plan is to do nothing, let her think that I am sweating it out, squirming. She will make the first move. The reservation was for two, all I had to do is check with Fabrizio.

Second thing – review the peanut gallery. Who was here, who was not here and who did not belong? I passed by the bar first. I usually spoke to Jefferson behind the bar to get the vibe of the room. He was a master at keeping the juice flowing. “So what do we have tonight Jefferson?”

“Mr. Otellio we have rain, as usual, which brings some sourpusses in here, but within an hour…” he whispered into my ear, “everyone will be gin soaked and happier.” I smiled for the first time tonight at his poetry. “Everyone except Ten Cent down at the end of the bar there.” He tilted his neck toward a crumpled suit with a coffee mug.

My eyes did their best not to stare. A plant if there ever was one was making eyeball laps around the room.