Deciding how to set the table had been a tough decision. Nate had thought about all the combinations, but he couldn't find one that allowed him to sit next to Lara.
Wherever he left the plates, the pups would have disrupted his plan.
Then, there was another hassle: his table was big! It was intended for eight people, so he couldn't allow Lara to sit at one end. In that case, he would have to sit next to one of the pups or on the other side, too far from her.
In the end, he did find a suitable combination.
Since it was impossible to make the pups stay far from her, and since they were two, he had three plates on the same side. They could comfortably sit there, one on each side of Lara.
Nate's plate was on the other long side, in the centre.
That way, he couldn't be as close to Lara as to touch her, but he could stare for the whole time and hear what she would say.
