Dinner arrived with a bottle of red wine Lucas had deferred to Ian’s judgment on. He hadn’t recognized many of the menu’s options, but rather than order a European red he might have trusted more, he threw caution to the wind and selected a Chilean merlot at random. The initial sip had both of them moaning in delight, and the first bottle was gone before either man had taken more than a handful of bites off their plates.
The second was gone by dessert, a lemon torta mascarpone with an almond biscotti crust for Ian, and a trio of cannolis dipped and filled in a variety of flavors for Lucas. Lucas rolled his eyes at Ian’s obvious taunt, picking up the chocolate one to hold it out in offering.
“You should get the first taste,” he said.
Ian waved his fork at the plate in front of him. “I hav
