“All the more reason to have an escort. Are you ready to go?”
“As soon as I pay the bill.” She stood and swooped to retrieve the folder from the approaching server.
“I’ll get the drinks.” He pulled his wallet out of his pocket.
“Don’t be silly. You’re our guests, right, Grace?”
“Right. Let her pay. She always gets her way in the end, so you may as well save the argument.”
After Rachel handed the young man her credit card, he retreated, nearly bumping into an older woman hovering nearby. The woman stepped around him with a broad smile.
“It is you! I told my husband I couldn’t be mistaken. I said, ‘Ted, that’s Jordan Hale.’ Sure enough, I was right. Honey, would you mind signing an autograph. I adored you before you fell off that cliff and drowned.” The woman paused for breath and pulled a notepad from her purse.
Rachel pasted on a smile. “I’d be happy to.”
“Make it out to Mary Cooke, with an e, please. And can you sign it from Jordan Hale and then your real name? I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to meet you in person. I don’t know why those horrible writers had to go and kill you.”
“Here you go, Mrs. Cooke. It’s always a pleasure to meet a fan who still remembers me.”
“Thank you, dear. Why you’re just as nice as you were on the show.” The woman backed toward her own table. “Wait until I tell Mildred. She’s going to be green with envy.”
Rachel laughed. “Tell Mildred I said hello.” When the server returned with the credit card slip, she signed it.
Nolan looked from Rachel to Grace. “What was that all about?”
Kane’s brow creased. “Yeah, why did that woman call you Jordan Hale?”
“Because that’s who she was back in the day. My sister was Jordan Hale, seductress extraordinaire on Days of Desire.” Grace grinned. “Pretty cool, huh?”
Rachel shook her head. “Neither of them looks like a soap fan, so I doubt they know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t be such a sexist. Plenty of men watch soap operas. After all, the women are hot. Why shouldn’t men watch them?”
Nolan scowled. “Grace, what the hell are you rambling on about?”
Rachel took pity on him and explained. “I was on a soap opera while Bryce and I lived in New York. You might remember he played for the Giants before he was traded to San Francisco. Anyway, my character’s name was Jordan Hale.”
Kane pushed his chair in and stepped closer. “That was, what, a dozen years ago?”
“Soap fans have long memories, and mine was a popular character. I had quite a following back then.”
“You still get recognized, though not as often since you cut your hair shorter.” Her sister studied her and tapped one manicured nail on the table. “Jordan Hale looked a lot younger than you do.”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Gracie. Remind me to break out the support hose.”
“I don’t think you’re ready for a nursing home yet.” A smile tugged at the edges of Kane’s firm mouth. “Shall we go?”
She nodded. “Good night, Nolan. Grace, I’ll talk to you soon.”
“You certainly will.” A speculative gleam lit her eyes. “I’ll expect a full report.”
Kane guided Rachel through the restaurant with a warm hand against the small of her back. “What did your sister mean by that?”
“Nothing. Grace is just being Grace. She’s a nut.” Rachel’s cheeks heated. She knew full well what her sister had meant. Unfortunately, Grace had seen her attraction to Kane and was undoubtedly hoping for a juicy end to the evening. As Rachel wasn’t in the habit of jumping into bed with relative strangers, her sister was doomed to disappointment.
“Where’d you park?” Kane waited for her response as they stepped out into the brisk spring air.
“Down the Embarcadero.” She shrugged on the sweater her mother had knit her the previous Christmas. “I suppose you’re in the opposite direction.”
“No, I’m that way, too.” Taking her arm, he led her around a crowd of people who’d stopped to listen to a street musician.
The clear, clean notes of his saxophone followed them as they strolled down the brick-paved sidewalk. The moon was out, a silver orb shining over the bay.
She tilted her chin. “Look at that sky.”
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Rachel nodded. “I’m glad I don’t live in the city anymore, but I do miss nights like these.”
“Where do you live?”
“Up in Vine Haven, north of Napa.”
“I know the area, lots of rolling hills and grape vines. What do you do there?”
“I own a combination bookstore coffee bar. The town has enough of a tourist trade to survive, but not enough to ruin the small town atmosphere.”
“I think I’ve been there. Years ago, my ex-wife dragged me through Napa County on a wine-tasting tour. Is there a small winery in Vine Haven?”
Rachel smiled. “Only the best one in Northern California, but I may be a teensy bit prejudiced. Hanover Vineyards belongs to my family. I grew up there, and my father and brother still run the vineyard and winery. We offer tours on the weekends.”
“Oh, yeah? So you moved back to the family homestead after your husband died?”
“Actually, the year before. Bryce and I were divorced when he died in the skiing accident.”
“I remember hearing about that. I don’t imagine living with a professional athlete was easy.”
“There were some negatives.” Bitterness edged her voice, and she forced herself to relax.
“Cops make lousy husbands, too. Just ask my ex-wife.”
“You seem like a good guy. What happened?”
“The usual. I spent more time at work than I did with her. Diana is a very nice person, and she’s a fighter. She stuck it out for five long years before she finally gave up. I guess she came to the conclusion I wasn’t going to change.”
Rachel stopped walking and looked up at him. The breeze blew her hair across her face. One strand caught at the corner of her mouth, and Kane reached out a finger to free it. Her breath stuck in her throat as she struggled to remember what they were talking about.
“Did you want to change?”
“Not really. I was younger and had a lot to prove.”
“And now?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not sure anymore, but I do need a break.”
“Did something happen?”
His expression closed. “Yeah, something happened.” After a moment’s hesitation he took her arm to lead her forward. “I don’t know why I’m boring you with my problems. How did we end up talking about me?”
“I have that effect on people. Something about me makes everyone I talk to want to spill their guts.”
He grimaced. “I’m not the only one? There’s a crowd of needy jerks bending your ear? Terrific.”
“Mostly just family.” She gave him a teasing poke to lighten the mood. “I’m no psych guru, and