That evening,

as planned,

Richard drove to the hotel to pick up Sigourney, then took her to a well-known restaurant about thirty minutes away.

"We could've just eaten somewhere nearby. No need to go through all this trouble,"

Sigourney said with a soft smile as they arrived. She wasn't the kind of person who fussed over food. A simple meal would do; sometimes she didn't even have a preference.

"No way. I'm having dinner with you, how could I let you eat just anything?"

"I couldn't bear ...