Maura smoothed her dress as she waited for the maitre d', feeling out of place in the fancy restaurant. With Phoebe's help, she'd chosen a floral slip dress with a low neckline and spaghetti straps. Phoebe had originally suggested a red strapless dress with a scarf but had voted in favor of the floral when she saw how well the dress moved on Maura. It made her look and feel feminine, something Maura wasn't used to.

"May I help you Miss?" The maitre d' asked giving her an appreciative glance. Maura blushed but stepped up to the host.

"Yes, I'm meeting someone. Perhaps you could tell me if he's arrived...Rick Upton?"

"Ah let me see," he replied glancing down at his reservation book. "No, I'm afraid not. Would you like to have a seat in the bar while you wait?"

Maura nodded and followed him to the bar, taking a seat at a table where she could see the door. She ordered a white wine from a passing waiter, drumming her fingers on the table restlessly. So much for a grand entrance, she thought as the bar began to fill up with mingling yuppie twenty-something's looking to connect with someone for the night. She should have known Rick would pull something like this. Letting her wait for him was classic Rick. Of course, she could leave, she reminded herself, but she'd come this far... And if he stood her up, well, there was another reason not to speak to him.

"Excuse me?" Maura looked up into the face of a boyishly attractive man with sleepy gray eyes. This must be her day for strangers, first Phoebe, now this man, she thought wearily.  

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I see you're alone and I was wondering..."

Maura cut him off with a sharp wave of her hand.  "I'm sorry, I'm not interested. And I'm waiting for someone," she added, arranging her face into a blank look. No need for him to see she was nervous about who she was waiting for. He grinned and nodded, amused by something.

"Okay...that's fine. I was just going to ask if I could share your table until my dinner companion arrived as well." Maura blushed and felt like kicking herself. Of course he wasn't hitting on her!

"I'm sorry. Yes, of course you can," she replied gesturing towards the chair.  

"Thanks." The man sat with his drink and leaned back in the chair, looking over his shoulder quickly before turning back to her. "Well, no sign of her yet," he said pleasantly. "Are you waiting for your husband?"

"No, just an old friend from college," she answered. "We haven't seen each other in a long time."

"Sounds like you'll be having an interesting evening. Wish I could say the same for me."

"Oh? What could be so bad?" Maura asked, feeling an opening for conversation with the man. There were worse things she could be doing than having a conversation with an attractive man. Like having dinner with Rick and telling him things she didn't want to.

"Business dinner with my aunt. She likes this place for some reason. I find it extremely trendy. What about you?"

"First time here," Maura said with a shrug. "Not really my scene. I'm more of a McDonalds kind of girl."

"Good to know...you know what? It just occurred to me that I have been terribly rude. I haven't introduced myself. My name is Jude." He offered his hand but she clapped hers over her mouth in an attempt to stifle a giggle. "What? Did I say something funny?" Maura nodded, here eyes sparkling with laughter. "What? Let me in on the joke!"

"You rhymed," she managed after a moment. "Rude, Jude." Jude looked at her for a moment with a bemused expression before grinning.

"Yes, I suppose I did. I'm a student of the late Dr. Theodore Geisel more commonly known as Dr. Seuss." Maura let out a nervous guffaw before clapping her hand over her mouth again, keeping her giggles silent. He waited until her body stopped shaking with laughter before speaking again. "I didn't realize it was that funny, but you have a lovely giggle...and I don't know you're name."

"It's Maura. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I must be really nervous. I giggle when I'm nervous. One time, when I was about 12, I was in this spelling bee, and I was so nervous, my very first word was phalange. I don't know why, but I thought it was the funniest word I'd ever heard. I spelled it wrong too, in case you're wondering."

"I won't hold it against you," Jude said with a smile.  

"Thanks," Maura said feeling herself relax for the first time that day.


Scene 2:

"Okay, how much time do I have?" Rick asked his secretary as he threw a stack of papers into his briefcase. Greta looked at the clock on the wall and shrugged.

"You should have been there 20 minutes ago, Mr. Upton," she answered holding his suit coat out to him.  "If she's still there, she's probably furious." Rick exhaled but didn't stop moving. It wasn't his fault the mayor was embroiled in a scandal. That was front page news that couldn't wait until tomorrow.

"Damn. What would you do if you were me?" Rick asked pausing for a moment.

"Call the restaurant and ask for her, first of all, then tell her you were held up. If she's not angry, you buy her a dozen roses and show her the best night of your life," Greta replied.  

"That's good, Greta," he grinned picking up the phone. He searched around the desk for the phone number to the restaurant. His desk was a mess, but as he always told people, it was a sign of genius. Just as he found the number, a rap on the door interrupted his dialing. "What?" He barked. Phoebe stuck her head in the office and stared at him.

"What are you still doing here?" She asked. "You're supposed to be..."

"I know," he replied waving her off. "Greta, can you call Maxim's and order a dozen roses...no, orchids. She likes orchids." Greta nodded and rolled her eyes at Phoebe as she left the office. He turned back to the phone and dialed the number to The Fountains. "Yes, I have a reservation for 8 and was expecting a dinner companion. Could you check and see if she's there? Her name is Maura Conlan. Thank you, yes I'll wait." He glanced up at Phoebe and raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"I just heard something interesting. I was going to leave you a note but since you are here, I'll just tell you." He motioned for her to continue. "Mason Enterprises has a new Chief Executive Officer. None other than Jamie Mason, the Prodigal son."

"I thought he was a figure skater," Rick said tapping his foot impatiently.  

"Was, you're right. He quit skating a few years ago to coach and then tried his hand at running a hospital in Florida."

"Yeah. So Prodigal Son come home...go on." Phoebe leaned forward and smiled.

"Dane Lennox is out completely. Luke Conlan is Head of the Commercial Division and Grant Morrison has been moved overseas. Stephen Roth is now in charge of the Domestic Industrial Division. The biggest shakeup is Hallie Lennox was transferred to The Mason Foundation." She waited for the news to sink in, but he only raised his eyebrows. "That means ME has a new PR man. It's Jude Fontaine."

"Jude Fontaine? The guy Senator Rollins fired?" Phoebe nodded. "Well that is interesting. What's his connection?"

"He's family. A Mason cousin, or rather, Senator Douglas Fontaine's grandson. Look, Rick, I know Jamie Mason. I could get a great story. What do you say?"

"Go for it," he replied. "I want to see some copy by tomorrow afternoon. Can you do that?" She started to respond but he cut her off. "Maura? It's Rick. I'm sorry, I got held up at the office. Don't go anywhere!"


Scene 3:

"I won't," Maura said watching as Jude ordered them another round of drinks. She'd lost track of the time but realized how close she had just gotten to being stood up. He was lucky he called when he did. She gave the phone back to the waiter and turned back to Jude.

"So, you will have a dinner date after all?" He asked. She nodded briefly, almost wishing that Rick had stood her up. "Well, we'll just have to make the most of what time we have left, Maura. I'm sure my aunt will be here soon as well. Until then, why don't you tell me about your date."

"Rick? there isn't much to tell. We dated in college and then broke up. He's the editor of The Observer now. That's all."

"Oh? And who dumped who? I am willing to bet you were the one to walk away."

"How did you guess?" Maura asked embarrassed.

"Because why would any beautiful woman like yourself tie herself to one man?" He laughed at her blush. "Trust me, I've heard that one myself and I don't buy into it either. Now, you haven't told me what you do for a living, Maura."

"I manage a restaurant," she replied grateful for the change of topic. "It's a family diner. Been in the family for years. What about you?"

"Until recently, I was an aide in Washington. But now, I'm working PR for Mason Enterprises." Maura's eyes shot up at the mention of ME.

"Really? Than you must know Hallie Lennox."

"Yes, I do. Though whether that is a point in my favor or against you'll have to tell me," he joked.  
Maura returned his smile. She didn't care for Hallie, that was certainly true. She had always seemed too flighty and status oriented for her tastes. But Luke loved her, or he claimed to anyway. Who was she to judge her brother's choice in wives? If she made him happy, and it appeared that she did, than Maura was happy.

"Oh, no points in this round. Hallie's all right, I suppose. I heard she was moving to The Mason Foundation though." Jude frowned and leaned away from her, walling himself off momentarily.

"How did you hear that?" He asked cautiously, knowing full well it hadn't been made public yet.
"My brother works at ME too," Maura responded, confused by his tone. "He told me, I hope that's okay?" Jude relaxed a little, but kept his distance.

"Oh sure. It hasn't been made public. You just threw me for a loop." He caught sight of Gwen and shoved his chair back. "I see my aunt. Maura, I have to thank you for letting me sit with you and for gracing me with your company. I had a wonderful time."

"Don't thank me, I'm glad for the company," she returned. "It was nice to meet you Jude."

"And you too, Maura. In fact, if you're inclined, perhaps we could have dinner sometime...without my aunt or your college boyfriend hanging over us." Maura laughed and nodded. "He took a card out of his wallet and gave it to her. "Call me anytime." He left her and went over to Gwen, kissing her on the cheek. "Hello Gwen. I was beginning to think you weren't going to show."

"Really? It didn't look like you were lacking for company. How is Maura doing?" Gwen asked as they were led to a table.

"How do you know her?" Jude asked surprised that Gwen of all people would know a random woman in a restaurant.

"Jude, dear, that's Luke Conlan's sister. She's going to be Hallie's sister-in-law," Gwen told a stunned Jude. If she was Conlan's sister, than she certainly couldn't be trusted, Jude thought watching her from a distance. So much for the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
 

On the next Episode of Secret Horizons...

Episode 12