Jane scooted in and was next to Sandra, who carried a fairly large purse with a strap over her opposite shoulder. Shelley had left a space between herself and Jane to put their purses.

"Want to pile that purse up with ours?" Jane asked Sandra.

Sandra looked shocked. "No, thank you," she said, as if the suggestion had been inappropriate.

"Let's order before we get to business," Bitsy said. "I've already asked for a bottle of the house merlot. You'll love it."

A silence fell and Jane filled it. "Bitsy, I've always wondered what your real name is."

"I'm afraid it's really Bitsy. My parents were from Savannah and Southerners often do awful things like this to baby girls," Bitsy said. It was obviously a well-rehearsed line she'd developed over the years of being asked this question. "It was part of Itsy Bitsy Baby, of course, and thank heaven they didn't give me that whole name. I had an awful time getting a passport until I

showed them my birth certificate that clearly stated that Bitsy is my real name."

Everybody laughed sympathetically, then fell on their menus for lack of a suitable subject for more chitchat.

"Jane, you must try the filet mignon," Shelley said. "I had that the first time I was here and it was so good I'm having it again."

Jane noticed it was the priciest of the entrees. Shelley was really going out of her way to make sure Jane got her money's worth out of this meal.

The waitress, also dressed all in black, brought their drinks and recommended the filet as their house specialty, along with the vegetarian version, which made Jane's skin crawl to consider. Bitsy and Sandy ordered meatless salads, and Jane and Shelley ordered the real filet.

Bitsy immediately launched into her spiel. "I've had extraordinarily good luck to be able to afford to get into this renovation. I thought I should let you know what my intentions are. Many corporations have their headquarters in Chicago. Often they bring in their suppliers or people they want to hire and wish to impress. Shelley's husband is a good example."