“None
whatsoever. Fairbanks, you take
this one alone. Surveillance only. Carter, you stay here …and stay off the
roof!”

______________________________________________________________________

“I can’t
believe I agreed to a blind-date.” Miss Bette huffed at Alice and Shane as
they entered the Second Level.

“Bette,
it isn’t really a “date” blind-date more like a quasi-blind-date.
We’re just trying to lose the CIA’s trail.” Al explained while she
hand-signaled for Shane to get the host to give the two of them a separate
table near Bette and her date. Seeing the hand signals, Shane’s face lit up.

“Oh! Oh!
I love this game! Um table, round, tablecloth? Uh, two fingers, peace sign
United Nations?!” Shane gave another confused look at Al’s next gesture.
“Your middle finger??”

“Shane!
It’s not Charades!” She tried the signals again, emphasizing them with
words. “Go get us a separate table for two.” Finally getting the
message, Shane walked away with Mr. Jinks to make the table arrangements. Alice spotted
Bette’s date and gestured for her to come over. Bette turned around and saw the
freckled, hazel-eyed, highlighted-redhead approaching them. She whispered,
none too subtly to Alice, before she
reached them.

Alice! I told you
I liked blondes For some reason beyond her control, Bette couldn’t help but
whine. Blondes! I thought you’d get me a blonde. They have more fun! Bette’s
tone suddenly turned serious and she leaned close to whisper to Alice, “Have
I never told you the wise man’s words? From the mouth of the river emerges the
stream that is ever flowing from the river before it.” She looked at Al
expectantly, as if that would explain everything, but all the blonde gave her
was a “Huh?” and an exasperated sigh.

“Look,
Rach arranged all this, okay. Nix is Dana Fairbanks’ ex. I’m just hoping that
Dana’s concentration can be thrown off while we go to the museum. Nix is on her
way here and it looks like Shane couldn’t get us a separate table… So, if
fun-date Bette is in there somewhere,” Alice pretended to
knock on her mentor’s forehead to emphasize her point, “she better come
out and play sometime soon. She’s got a date!”

“Quasi-date!”
Bette corrected her as Shane and Nix came to join them.

______________________________________________________________________

Dana watched
the restaurant floor while she stood at the bar, undercover as a Second Level
bartender. She nearly dropped her martini shaker when she spotted Alice. More
specifically, when she spotted who was with Alice. *What!?
That freckled, hazel-eyed, highlighted-redhead told me she moved to Africa to study the
mating habits of the sloth!* Dana thought to herself.