As her best friend Paloma curled her hair, Julia squealed, "I can't believe that Stellan's taking me to Le Petit Chateau tonight. Oooh! I think I'm just going to die."

As the tall, curvy brunette brushed another strand of Julia's auburn hair and wrapped it around the spiral tong, she said, "I've never eaten there, but I hear the food is divine . . . and the ambience is so romantic. Too bad it's out of my budget. Do you think he's going to propose?"

"I hope so," said Julia as she smiled with dreamy look to her face. "Oh, Paloma." Julia whipped her head around, to the annoyance of her friend with the curling tong in her hair.

With a strong hand and a grunt of frustration, Paloma turned her head back toward the mirror. "If he doesn't, I'd dump him. I mean, what man goes out with a woman for six months and doesn't make a move on her? Are you sure there isn't something wrong with him?"

"Stellan's a gentleman, Paloma. Something you know nothing about. You ought to try looking for boyfriends at church rather than at The Alibi."

Paloma snorted as she arranged her friends curls with the tail of a comb.

"Besides, I ran a background check on him. He checked out. Minimal debt, owns a house, no exes or children sucking money from him."

Paloma said, "Maybe he's got some disease, then."

Julia smiled with a slight blush. "No, we both got tested. We're clean."

"Then he's probably a virgin. Girl, there's something wrong with this guy," said Paloma, waving the comb at her friend.

"What's wrong with that? At least he won't be comparing me to anyone else. When you get to be my age, Paloma, you don't start crossing guys off the list for silly reasons."

"Well, don't come whining to me if he leaves you for another man. I don't think that guy knows what he wants." Paloma spritzed Julia's hair with spray that smelled like watermelons. "I couldn't be bothered with someone who couldn't make a decision." Paloma held up a mirror so that Julia could see the back of her head.

The women jumped when a knock resounded in the apartment.

As Paloma bounced her curls, Julia said, "Coming." She turned to Paloma who was cleaning up the beauty supplies. "Be a dear and lock up when you leave."

"Of course."

"And thanks for everything."

___________________________________

When Julia opened the door, a bouquet of red roses obscured Stellan's face. "Oh, Stellan, you shouldn't have." Julia took the flowers and led her boyfriend into the dining room.

Stellan stood about six inches taller than Julia. His dark blond hair concealed the few grays strands. His blue eyes pierced into her soul, emanating a warmth she found nowhere else. Tonight he wore a dark suit with a sapphire blue dress shirt and silk tie of diamond darker blue. His shoes were shined to a high gloss, and his enticing cologne wafted through the apartment. "My sweet Juliet, you grow more lovely every time I see you." He kissed her softly on the forehead.

Sniffing the fragrance, she said, "Let me put these in water before we can go."

As she turned to the sink, Stellan's eyes roamed her body and his breathing deepened.

"What's wrong with this dress?" Julia asked, putting a hand on her hip and tilting her head. She wore a black, mock-sheath dress from New York & Company. The asymmetrical collar accentuated her full breasts, while the small belt with two metal studs sucked in her waist. Cap sleeves displayed her well-toned arms. The knee-length skirt hugged her hips in all the right places while a six-inch slit revealed a large expanse of her left thigh.

"Nothing. . . nothing at all." He stepped toward her and pressed his lips to her. "You drive me crazy." His lips moved to her neck, eliciting a slight moan from Julia.

"Reservations?"

"Ahh, yeah. We're going to be late if we leave go now. Maybe later, after we have dined, we can pick up where we left off," Stellan said as he kissed her on the lips once more. "I want this night to be memorable."

Julia's heart beat with intensity, both from his touch and his words. He's going to propose. Yes, Stellan, yes.

________

Julia appreciated Stellan's exquisite manners. He always held the door for her and adjusted his long stride to match her smaller steps. He insisted on deferring to Julia's preferences every time, whether it were a movie selection, a dinner location, or an activity.

Tonight, he outdid himself. Le Petit Chateau was nestled between Victorian houses that had been turned into businesses. Brightly lit fir garlands, bells, and red ribbons draped across Main Street in this small, Northern California town. Individual shops sparkled with multi-colored lights and other decorations, drawing late-night Christmas shoppers to their stores.

However, the Craftsman-style bungalow that housed the restaurant glowed in magic. Clear mini-lights twinkled in the trees and along the simple lines of the restaurant's architecture. Fresh evergreen wreaths dressed with small ornaments, bows, and colored lights festooned each pyramidal pillar.

Stellan held Julia's hand as they traversed the wet pavement to the steps of the bungalow. The rain had stopped earlier, but the high humidity still threatened to collapse Julia's curls.

"How beautiful, Stellan. It's like a winter wonderland," said Julia as she wrapped her arm in his.

Stellan smiled, lowering his eyelids in bashfulness. "Only the best for you."

___________________________________

The hostess led them to a candle-lit table for two in front of a bay window. The window overlooked the front garden and the gleaming Main Street Christmas lights, all glistening in the rain that streamed down again.

The couple supped on a seven-course meal, no expense spared. From the fifty-dollar bottle of wine to lobster on the half-shell, each round delighted the taste buds and senses.

While enjoying the soup, Stellan surprised Julia by rubbing his socked foot over her foot and up her calf. She squirmed and slapped his hand with mischievous grin. "Stellan," she said with an edge of complaint as she felt her body reacting to his brazen touch.

"What? You didn't like it?"

"You know I did, but this is neither the time nor the place." Julia opened her mouth in shock as his foot moved further up, spreading her legs apart. She jumped out of her seat and excused herself to the restroom.

When she returned, the rest of the meal progressed without incident. Gentle conversation accompanied the delectable courses. Lobster on the half-shell, roasted pheasant, and a wedge salad with crumbled blue cheese and candied pecans followed the soup.

When the cherries jubilee dessert arrived, the waitress lit the flambé as Stellan took Julia's hand in hers. Looking deeply into her eyes, he said, "Julia, you are my—"

A disturbance at the hostess station interrupted Stellan. The happy couple glared at the two uniformed police officers who demanded entrance.

Julia said, "Wonder why they're here." She scrutinized Stellan's face, looking for any sign of guilt. Maybe Paloma was right. Maybe I'm making the wrong decision. Her eyes widened with fear as the police officers approached their table.

The lieutenant moved around the sputtering flames of their ruined dessert and said, "Excuse me, ma'am, sir. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be held against you in a court of law. You have the right an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you."

When he finished reading the Miranda Rights to the couple, Julia's face burned red in embarrassment. Waving her hands in excitement, she said, "I don't know what this is all about, but I'm telling you I'm innocent. Take him away if you must, but I'm not the guilty party here, officers."

The female officer removed her cuffs from her belt. Stepping behind Julia, she secured her wrists behind her back. "Julia Wright—or should we call you by your real name— Stella Schlechter, you are charged with three counts of murder and four counts of embezzlement."

"You have the wrong person. This is clearly a case of mistaken identity. I am Julia Wright—" she sputtered until Paloma joined the group. "You're with them?"

Paloma grimaced at her as she paged through documents in a file. "Found these documents in her apartment, Lieutenant. Stella Schlechter, Julia Wright, Mona Moonsbury. We've got our gal." After she handed the file to the officer, Paloma grinned at Stellan, still seated at the table. "You're lucky we caught her when we did. You would have been her next victim."

"Stellan, don't believe them. I'm innocent," said Julia as they led her away.

Once the officers drove away with Julia, Paloma sat in the seat opposite Stellan, playing with the spoon on the tablecloth. "I nearly died when you were playing footsie."

"You almost blew our cover, Paloma. You screamed so loud in my earpiece—"

"Got you to stop, though, didn't it?" Paloma winked at him as she set down the spoon.

He nodded his head in gentle agreement. "How about we enjoy this dessert? Can't let it go to waste, not since the department's footing the bill."

Paloma tilted her head and said, "Why not?"

Stellan reached across the table and grabbed Paloma's hand in a gentle caress. "Paloma."

"Yes?"

With his left hand, he lifted a small, velvet box out of his pocket and placed it on the table. "Will you marry me?"