Dinner and Conversation

by Atonia and Layne

Scaring up dinner turned out to mean the tavern they had passed on the way in. Although Ben's business manager had left them a few sandwiches and drinks in the refrigerator, Ben was in the mood to find himself a steak.

When they were dressed and out the door, Ben surprised Liana once again by heading for the garage, instead of the blue Toyota Land Cruiser in the driveway. "Where are you going, Ben?" she asked him, on her way to the Toyota.

"We're gonna try out my vehicle this time," he told her with a grin, opening one of the garage bay doors to reveal a huge black Range Rover. He held the door for her and then got in himself, backing the large SUV out of the garage. "The Land Cruiser we drove in is yours, darlin'."

"You're full of surprises, aren't you?" she asked him, smiling as they drove back toward the small town which was just starting up in the Glen. The huge black vehicle just suited him, she thought to herself. Just like the all-black jeans and shirt he was wearing. Black seemed to be just made for Ben Wade.

"I like surprisin' you, honey. You enjoy it so much."

In the tavern, they found a booth and were served their drinks--whiskey for Ben, coke for Liana. She'd never been much of a drinker. Ben was happy to find out they did have steaks, and he ordered one for both of them.

As they ate, they talked about the house and the coming trip to Sydney to furnish it. About what they'd need and what would look good in the house. Liana would not have imagined Ben as caring much about furniture and decorating but, to her surprise, he had very firm ideas about what he wanted. He'd always imagined the home he wanted, he told her. And how it would look.

She welcomed the chance to learn more about her husband. Everything between them was so new, had happened so quickly. It was almost as though the courtship were coming after the wedding, she thought to herself.

Several other people came and went during their meal, but one couple at a nearby table had been there as long as they had. As they were eating dessert, Liana told Ben, "Listen. Their accents. They're from the States, too. We should introduce ourselves."

She got up, Ben smiling at her enthusiasm, and moved the few steps to their table. The woman had a slightly Southern accent, she thought. And there was no doubt that the man was from New Jersey.

"Hi. Excuse me, but- We're new in the Glen. Just got here today," Liana explained to them. "I'm Liana Andrews-" She stopped short when Ben cleared his throat. Then, she blushed and said, "Oh- Sorry. Liana Wade. We just got married and this is the first time I've introduced myself, now that I have a new name!" She said all this in a rush. "And this is my husband, Ben."

"Hey, how nice to hear another Southern accent, I'm Toni Stanley and this is my fiancee Richie Roberts" Toni extended her hand, "more expatriots Richie." she said turning to Richie. Richie had a slight smile on his face and extended his hand to Ben, "Hi how ya doin' welcome to The Glen."

Ben held out his hand to Richie in return, his usual slightly mocking smile on his face. "Doin' fine, thanks. Ma'am." He nodded at Toni. His southern accent was more pronounced, next to Richie's New Jersey voice. "Seems to be a lotta us folks from the States findin' our way here. So, what do you do for a livin', Roberts?"

"I've just qualified as a Solicitor, I had my own practice before we moved here I was a public defender." he looked over the rim of his glass. "How 'bout you, what brings you out here?"

"Well, strictly speakin', I guess you could say she does." He grinned over at Liana, taking her hand possessively in his. "But I'm lookin' to breed horses here. And maybe invest in some local businesses."

Ben was looking at Richie speculatively. That inner voice of his had told him "cop" when he had seen Richie. And that voice was rarely wrong. "So, how long you been a lawyer?" he asked, sipping his whiskey.

"About six years now Ben, I started off as a prosecutor and moved to public defender for awhile before I started my own practice." Richie took a drink of his beer, "before that I was Detective Roberts." he smiled. Could be wrong of course he thought, hoped he was but the guy wasn't straight he felt it in his gut.

Ben had known he wasn't wrong about Richie. But he got a good feeling about the guy, in spite of his having been a cop. He'd need a lawyer down here for business reasons.

"Might be we could do some business together, Roberts."

On the other side of the table, Liana and Toni were talking about their new homes. Liana was feeling a little out of her depth, never having needed to furnish an entire house before. When she heard Ben's voice, she said, "Those two seem to be getting along. Maybe the two of you could come for dinner in a few days. Say Friday? That would give us time to get back from Sydney and get things a little in order before you come."

"That sounds good Liana, give me a ring when you get back and confirm a time." Toni turned and looked at Richie she could tell by his body language he found Ben interesting. "let me know if I can help with anything Liana...anytime you need to bend an ear," she smiled at Liana and touched her hand. "I know moving so far away from everything you've known in your life can be a little daunting sometimes, it takes a while to find your feet. It's good to find a friend," she met Liana's eyes.

"It is good to find a friend," Liana told Toni, giving her hand a squeeze. "Especially so soon." She looked back toward Ben. "Well, Ben's looking like he's about ready to leave. I'll give you a call as soon as we're back from Sydney. At least," she laughed, almost forgetting. "I will if our phone's in by then!"

Toni waved, "bye Liana and Ben it was good to meet you folks, have fun in Sydney."

"We'll talk when you get back Wade, see ya." called out Richie as he put his arm around Toni.