Chapter 16 #2
“All right. It’s time to call it a night,” Davide said. “Daddy has a date tonight.”
I blinked, my brain taking a moment to focus on him. “For the last time will you stop calling yourself Daddy? It’s disturbing.”
“Only because you’re sexually attracted to me.”
I laughed even as I rolled my eyes. This was what I loved about working here.
Yes, there was stress, and it was busy, but Davide never took himself too seriously.
He made me laugh more than any other boss I’d had.
He also encouraged coffee breaks and gossip.
Any work I did was acknowledged and appreciated.
He never took credit for the things I did.
“Go have fun on your date,” I said. “I need to finish up this email, and then I’ll head out.”
“It can wait until—”
I waved a hand toward him. “I’m almost done with it. It’s the last thing I need to handle.”
“Okay,” he drawled. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”
With a wave, he all but danced out of the gallery, singing tunelessly beneath his breath. I shook my head as he disappeared from sight. Who went on a date on a Monday night? Well, Davide obviously. The man had a more active social life than anyone I’d ever met.
I chuckled to myself as I got back to the email.
I’d just hit send when a warm hand slid beneath my hair and curled around the nape of my neck.
Warmth spread across my shoulders even as a shiver went down my spine.
The calluses on his fingertips and palms rasped across my flesh as he stroked his fingers across the tense muscles between my neck and shoulder.
“Are you done for the day?” Elijah asked.
I nodded, tilting my head to look up at him as he moved to sit on the edge of my desk.
All day I’d been aware of him. His presence seemed to fill the gallery since he began coming in daily, but today was different.
Instead of scratching at my skin and making me fidget, his proximity filled me with anticipation.
Every time I caught sight of him or each time our eyes met, the tension between us grew.
Even now, it was so thick it nearly shimmered in the air.
“Are you ready to go to dinner?”
“I just need to shut down the computer and turn out the lights.”
He pushed himself to his feet. “I’ll take care of the lights in the back rooms and meet you back out here in a minute.”
I went through the shutdown process on my computer and the printer.
Then, I gathered my jacket, purse, and phone, and walked through the front area of the gallery, turning off the overhead lights.
The spotlights over the paintings and sculptures remained on—partially for security and partially so anyone walking by could see the artwork we had to offer.
I was waiting by the front door when Elijah appeared from the shadows, shrugging into his jacket as he walked toward me.
“I made a reservation for us at the French restaurant down the street.”
I loved the food there. Rather than fine dining, the menu was more rustic and casual.
Coq au vin and potatoes, roasted lamb with root vegetables, homemade breads, and desserts like clafoutis or apple galettes.
The wine list complemented the food perfectly, and I loved the comfortable, cozy feel of the dining area.
The chairs and booths were sumptuous and comfortable, the lighting was dim, and the tablecloths and napkins looked as though someone’s mother had sewn them.
At my silence, Elijah asked, “Is that okay? We can always go somewhere else.”
“It’s one of my favorite places to eat,” I answered.
“I could tell when you told me about it.”
I studied him in confusion. “When did I tell you about it?”
“At Lucy’s wedding.” He put his hand on my lower back and guided me out of the gallery. “Though you probably don’t remember. I think we were three shots in at that point.”
I didn’t remember. I was shocked that he did, considering how much we’d both had to drink that night.
He locked the front door and turned to face me. He paused when he saw the expression on my face. “What is it?”
“You remembered a restaurant I mentioned when we were both drunk over three months ago?”
He reached out to take my hand. His long fingers and large palm enveloped mine, warming my chilly skin.
“I remember everything from that night. I might have been drunk, but I was hanging on your every word.”
A lump formed in my throat. “Really?”
He stopped, tugging me closer until I was leaning against his chest. “Brown Eyes, I love hearing your thoughts and listening to the way your mind works when you speak. You’re one of the most interesting women I’ve ever met.”
Tears welled along my bottom lids, and I blinked rapidly to keep them from falling. One managed to escape, trailing down my cheek. Elijah lifted his free hand and brushed it away with his thumb.
“I’m sorry I never told you that before,” he said. “But I will always tell you from now on.”
I sniffled a little but managed to get myself back under control. “That is one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me.”
The same thumb that wiped away the tear touched the center of my bottom lip lightly. “Do you always cry when people compliment you?”
I shrugged. “It doesn’t happen very often, so I don’t know.”
The muscles in his jaw feathered as he clenched them. “Well, it will happen a lot more often now, so you’ll just have to get used to it.”
We walked the rest of the way to the restaurant, hand in hand. When we entered, the hostess greeted us with a smile.
“Reservation for 2 under Lawson,” Elijah stated.
We followed her to a small round booth. I took off my coat before I sat down, and Eli took it from me, laying it with his on the other side of the circular seat.
She swept away the extra plates and glasses and assured us our server would be with us momentarily.
I fidgeted with the menu in front of me, unsure of what to say now that we were actually here.
I hadn’t been this nervous around Eli since the night of Lucy’s wedding.
“Grier.”
At the sound of my name, I looked up at him. We were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, so our faces were close together. His palm moved to rest on my thigh.
“We’re going to have a delicious dinner, and we’re going to talk. I don’t want you to weigh your words or bite your tongue. I want to hear what you’re thinking, even if it’s not something positive. Okay?”
“Okay.”
A woman wearing all black stopped in front of us and poured ice water in our glasses before placing the glass carafe on the table.
“I’m Natalie, and I’ll be taking care of you tonight. Can I get either of you a glass of wine or cocktail?”
After I told her I wanted a glass of red wine, Elijah ordered tea and a baked brie appetizer. When she left, I turned toward him with my mouth open to respond to what he’d said before.
“Let’s talk once we’ve ordered our entrees,” Elijah said. “I want to be able to give you my full attention, and I know we’ll be getting our drinks soon.”
I nodded and looked at the menu. The roasted lamb with root vegetables was my favorite and what I always ordered.
I wasn’t going to change it up tonight. I did glance at the dessert menu because it often changed with the seasons, and I definitely wanted to order something.
I saw feuilletée aux pommes and smiled. They were my favorite.
Thin apple slices were placed on a pastry dough that was then rolled into a rose shape.
Not only were they beautiful, they were also delicious.
Natalie came back with our drinks, and we placed our orders for our entrees. Once she left, Elijah turned toward me and put his arm along the back of the booth. He was so close that I felt surrounded, but in the best way.
“Okay, Brown Eyes. What did you want to say earlier?”
Any thought in my head vanished at the way he was looking at me. His blue eyes were so warm and intent, as though he would happily listen to anything I had to say, no matter how inane.
After I stared at him in silence for a few moments, he asked, “Grier?”
I licked my lips, trying to figure out where to start. His gaze dropped briefly to my mouth, then returned to my eyes. “Talk to me.”
“I’m not sure where to start,” I admitted.
“Start wherever you want. I’ll try to keep up.”
“What do you see happening between us?”
A quizzical expression flashed across his face. “Okay, I know I said I’d keep up, and this is your first question, but I’m confused.”
I laughed. “I didn’t word it correctly.” I smoothed a hand down the front of his shirt without thinking, and he laid his fingers over the back of it, holding it to his chest. “When you think about us, what do you imagine? Do we go back to what we were doing? Or do we try something different?”
His eyes heated at my words, but he didn’t say anything suggestive. Instead, his words made my heart drop. “I liked what we were doing before.”
I tried to school my face, but I must have given myself away regardless.
“But that wasn’t fair to you.” He pressed my palm deeper against his chest, and I could feel the steady thump of his heart.
“I’m not ashamed of you, Grier. I’m selfish.
I like having you to myself. But you deserve more than hanging out at your apartment all the time.
I’d still like to do that a lot, but I also want to take you out.
Go places with you. See the world with you.
Spend time with your friends. I…” He paused, his eyes searching mine.
“I know you don’t have any relatives left, but I’d like to become your family. ”
God, everything he described was exactly what I wanted. I yearned to dive into those plans headfirst, but I was still hesitant. Elijah lifted my hand from his chest to his mouth, pressing a kiss to my palm before putting it to his cheek.
“I know that I screwed up, Grier. I know that it will take time for you to see that I’m serious, because the only way I can earn back your trust is by showing you every day with my actions. Can we start there?”
I nodded. “Yes, we can start there.”
His shoulders relaxed. I hadn’t noticed the tension in his muscles until he released it. Watching them loosen, I realized that my answer mattered to him a great deal.
I slipped my hand from his cheek to the back of his neck and pulled his face to mine. I kissed him softly, gently. Before it could get out of hand, I pulled back. This restaurant wasn’t the place for a make-out session.
“Thank you, Grier.”
“For what?”
“For giving me another chance when I probably don’t deserve it.”
“Please don’t hurt me again, Eli. Not like that.”
“I can’t promise I won’t be stupid from time to time, but I will never hurt you like that again.”
Natalie arrived with our appetizer. I wasn’t hungry any longer, but I also wasn’t ready to end the night.
It took another glass of red wine and a delicious meal for me to settle. We talked like we had before. The conversation was easy, and we were both laughing by the end of the dinner. Especially when I jokingly poked at his hand with my fork when he tried to sneak a bite of my dessert.
We lingered over cups of coffee until I realized how late it had gotten. We’d been there for nearly three hours.
“I need to get home,” I said, not bothering to hide my disappointment.
Elijah insisted on paying for dinner, refusing to even let me leave the tip, and guided me outside. He held my hand as we walked back to where our cars were parked, his a few spaces down from mine.
An invitation to come back to my apartment hovered on the tip of my tongue.
But I hesitated. I’d missed him over the past weeks.
Not just the sex but having him in the bed with me at night.
Drinking coffee with him in the morning.
I wanted that back, but I wasn’t sure if jumping right back into those habits would be the right move.
We stopped next to my car door and Elijah cupped my jaw in both hands, tilting my head back. I rose up on my toes as his head lowered, and our lips met. The kiss was gentle, almost chaste, but the tenderness behind it made my chest tight. I could feel his intentions behind it. His emotions.
By the time he released my lips, I was more than ready to ask him to follow me home, but he didn’t give me a chance to say anything.
“Text me when you get home, Brown Eyes.”
He reached out and opened my car door.
“Eli, I—”
He didn’t let me finish. He kissed me quickly to stop my words.
“Not tonight, Grier. I’m not making the same mistakes again.” He sighed and shook his head. “That came out wrong. Being with you has never been a mistake. I just don’t want to rush back into things until you know you can trust me.”
I couldn’t argue. I liked that he wanted to rebuild my trust in him.
As much as I wanted to believe that he was serious when he said he wanted to become my family, there was a voice in my head telling me to be careful.
The only problem was that I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to silence that little voice.
I’d been disappointed and let down too many times in my life.
Too many promises broken. Too many hurts. Not done by Elijah, but by others.
“I want to trust you,” I said.
“But?”
“I have a lot of trouble trusting anyone. Especially if they have hurt me in the past,” I admitted.
He did say he wanted to hear my thoughts, even if they weren’t positive. My blunt words weren’t meant to be a test, but they still were regardless.
He didn’t even blink. “Then, I have my work cut out for me.” He kissed me again and opened my car door. “Don’t forget to text me when you get home.”
I had no idea what to say. His response wasn’t what I expected. I found myself in the driver’s seat of my car and he shut the door. He stepped up onto the sidewalk and watched me until I started the vehicle and backed out of the spot.
After I drove away, my phone chimed, but I didn’t check it until I stopped at a red light down the street. As soon as I read the message, I smiled.
Elijah: Don’t forget to text me when you get home.
A laugh escaped me. It was the first time in a long time that someone wanted to know I got home safely. Well, someone other than my girlfriends.
Grier: I will.