We had nothing but bones in front of us and had just ordered dessert. It was time. He cleared his throat, whipped off his napkin, and knelt by my chair. People nearby were starting to notice, and nudge their neighbors and point.
Suddenly, a horrendously loud bell started clanging. It sounded like one of those old-fashioned fire alarms. At first, I thought Talbot had set it up to make it memorable, but that didn't make sense. He wouldn't have been able to keep the secret. Besides, he was looking just as confused as everyone else was.
"I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but the fire has jumped the pit and we must evacuate." Our waiter was trying to shoo us out. I looked back and sure enough, one of the wooden decks next to the fire pit had caught fire. The cooks were setting up hoses while t
