I'd love to.

I am taken aback by the sudden invitation, but quickly recover and say, “Yeah, I would love to.”

She smiles, “Excellent. This being your city, I hope you know someplace pleasant.”

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

I walk her a few blocks to lonely little club. The place is small, but has an intimate and cozy feel to it. The room is lit by a few dim lights and some neon that decorates the walls. I lead her to a booth and sit across from her. “Well, what do you think?”

“I like it. It seems very American. I almost expect a jazz band to come out and start playing.”

“The band doesn’t start ‘till ten.”

“Are you serious?” She laughs.

“Yeah, but believe me, we want to leave before they start. They aren’t very good.”

The waitress comes over and takes our orders. Cassey says, “Thank you for taking the case, I’m sure that with your help we’ll solve it.”

I tell her I’ll do my best and can’t help but stare at her. I’ve never met anyone like her before. She’s so intelligent and graceful that I barely know how to relate to her. I feel clumsy and uncouth beside her, like a bear swimming next to a swan. We make small talk for a while and she asks me how I became a private investigator. I tell her the abridged version and she tips her head in what I can only assume to be admiration.

The waitress return with our orders and Cassey asks, “Handsome and honorable, how is it you’re not married yet?”

The question almost causes me to spill my drink, making me feel even awkward than I already do. “My job keeps me pretty busy and most of the woman I meet are fairly angry with the men in their lives. It doesn’t lend itself to romance.”

She stirs her drink and looks at me, “Even so, I can’t believe that someone hasn’t found her way into your heart.”

“Somebody once did, but I couldn’t find a way into hers,”

Cassey gives me a sad look, “Unrequited love…like Apollo and Daphne.” I stare blankly and she says, “A story about how malicious love can be if it’s not held the hearts of both parties.”

I smile, “You’ll have to tell me that story sometime.”

She looks at me out of the top of her eyes and says, “If you want, I could tell you the entire tale at my hotel.”