12.
S TAN
Thank you for the flowers. I tried to call, but it went straight to voicemail.
I smiled when I saw the text from Stan, and without even thinking, I hit the button to call her.
“Hi!” she answered cheerfully.
“Good afternoon. I’m glad you liked the flowers. Did they cheer you up?”
“They did. They’re beautiful. Thank you.”
“So, today has been a better day?” I asked.
When I spoke to Stan yesterday, she’d sounded really down. When I asked her what was wrong, she didn’t seem to want to explain, so I changed the subject. I was still curious but figured she’d tell me if she wanted me to know, so I wasn’t going to bring it up again.
However, it made me happy to know that the flowers I sent her on a whim may have brightened her mood at least a little.
“Today has been great. I was officially offered a job in the media and marketing department at the hospital, and I accepted. I start at the end of the month!”
“Congratulations!” Since I hadn’t pinned down a day for our first date, I said, “We should celebrate. Can I take you to dinner?”
There were a few seconds of silence before she said, “I’d like that.”
“It’s probably too late to get reservations to any of the nicer restaurants in town, but I can . . .”
“I’d really like to go to some hole-in-the-wall where I don’t have to get dressed up and can just relax. Do you mind?”
“Honey, you’re speaking my language. I consider any day I don’t have to wear a shirt with a collar a win.”
Stan laughed before she said, “My wardrobe has gotten very relaxed, but I’m going to have to jazz it up when I start working. I’m actually a little excited about that.”
“Better you than me.”
“How did the fishing expedition with your fathers go today? Did you catch a world record . . . something? I don’t know anything about fish other than how I like them cooked.”
“We didn’t catch anything, so I took them to lunch. It was a great morning, and since I get to spend the evening with you, I’ll be able to consider this a great day.”
“Especially since you don’t have to dress up.”
“Exactly. What time can I pick you up?” I asked.
“Um, well, there’s a problem with that.”
“You don’t trust my driving?”
“No, it’s just that I won’t exactly be alone. Today is Avi’s day to work, but if we’re going out somewhere, either Sho or Ciro will insist on coming along too.”
“That is an obstacle I never considered.”
“Most people don’t.”
“Most people aren’t trying to take out a woman with her own security detail.”
“About that. I guess I should explain.”
“Who you are is not a secret in my family, Stan.” When she didn’t say anything, I asked, “How did you date when you lived in New York?”
“I didn’t date much before I went to college, but when I did, we usually went out in one of my father’s Town Cars with one guard driving and another riding as passenger.”
“That’s going to make things awkward when I try to kiss you goodnight.”
“Only if I don’t want you to kiss me. Otherwise, I’ll let them know they need to make themselves scarce so we can have a minute.”
“I guess I’ll know the date went well if that happens.”
“It’s a good indicator. And, of course, they won’t sit at the table with us, so we’ll have plenty of space to talk alone over dinner.”
“I look forward to it.” I thought about the best way to go about this and said, “Would it be easier for all of you to just meet me at the restaurant?”
“I would think so.”
“I’ll text you the details so they can make a plan or whatever it is they do.”
Stan laughed before she said, “They’d appreciate that, I’m sure.”
“I have a question.”
“I’m sure I have an answer.”
“Will we always have a chaperone?”
Stan sighed before she said, “As hard as it may be to imagine, you’ll just get used to having them around after a while.
I’m lucky because we’re all friends, so we get along really well, but that hasn’t always been the case with guards I’ve had in the past. I feel like once you get to know them, you won't mind having them nearby.”
“It’s going to take some getting used to, but I’m more than willing, especially since you’re talking like this isn’t going to be our only date.”
“We’ll see if I send them away or not so you can kiss me. You’ll have a better idea then.”
“I look forward to it.”
◆◆◆
STAN
“I have no idea what to wear! I need to look up this place we’re going to so I can . . .”
Sho groaned because she’d been laying on my bed, watching me pace in and out of my closet fretting over my clothing choices for the last hour.
Avi was a little more vocal and said, “I’ve seen the man. There’s no way in hell he’s going to take you anywhere that requires more than a T-shirt and jeans.”
“What does that mean?”
“I mean he’s a real guy, not one of those pretty boys that were always trying to get your attention in New York.”
“Those pretty boys all wanted something from my father and were trying to use me to get it.”
Sho laughed before she said, “As if your father would put up with that.”
“Exactly. It was pitiful that they thought I was stupid enough not to see through their shit and seriously laughable that they didn’t think my father would.”
“What does this guy want?”
“I don’t think he wants anything but my time and attention,” I said honestly. “That’s very refreshing.”
“What are you going to tell him about Park and Sully?” Avi asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s say that you and Rin hit it off and decide to make this a permanent thing. You fall in love and decide to get married and raise a family, complete with four children, a dog, cat, and goldfish named Bubbles.”
“That’s oddly specific, Sho,” I said with a grin, although the thought of having my own family appealed to me .
. . especially when it included waking up to Rin’s gorgeous face on the pillow next to mine.
Good grief. What was wrong with me? We hadn’t even been on a date yet.
It was way too early to consider anything that permanent. “And what if we do?”
“You have been making plans to have Park and Sully live here with you.”
“And?”
“With you, the hottie, four kids, a dog, a . . .”
“I get it,” I said in exasperation. “If he’s not okay with it, then he’s not the one.”
“Do you know how rare it would be to find a man who is willing to live in a house with his wife’s past lovers? Have you ever considered how bizarre that situation would be for someone?” Sho asked.
“It would be much more difficult to imagine if either of them remembered anything about that time in our lives.”
“Sorry, Stan. I wasn’t thinking,” Sho said sadly.
“It may never even come to fruition. Park may breeze through therapy and decide to move back to New York to do some kind of work for my father, and Sully may end up better suited to live in a full-time care facility, but either way, they’ll always be a part of my life.
” I sighed before I said, “I’ll always be there for them, even if my life is full of children and pets. ”
“I think we’re all jumping the gun here,” Avi said, trying valiantly to lighten the mood. “We don’t even know how he’s going to handle date night with two extra people hovering in the background. If he can’t deal with that, then this entire conversation was a moot point.”
“True,” Sho agreed.
“I guess we’ll have to see how tonight goes.”
What I didn’t say was that I had complete faith in Rin. I had no idea what made me feel that way, but it was true. I felt like Rin could handle whatever life threw at him with a smile on his face.
Only time would tell if I was right, but I knew that I was going to enjoy the journey either way.
◆◆◆
Before we even stepped inside the restaurant, I knew that all my worries about what to wear had been for nothing.
This looked like the kind of casual place where locals hang out.
I could definitely see the appeal. The patio was filled with picnic tables that held wooden baskets of condiments along with rolls of paper towels.
The food I saw as we walked past the patrons looked so good.
I couldn’t wait to get a basket of my own.
Even if my date went horribly sideways, I already knew that I was going to leave here with too much food in my stomach and a sated smile. I could tell this would be a favorite restaurant that I’d be coming back to again and again.
But when I caught sight of Rin sitting at one of the tables, I knew that the food wasn’t going to be the best part of the date at all. Even if we didn’t manage to have a good conversation, I could look at the man for hours and never get bored.
This evening, while I feasted on whatever delicious burger I happened to choose, my eyes would get to feast on him while my ears enjoyed his sexy voice. My gut told me it was going to be a wonderful evening.
“I’ve never been more grateful that I gave up being a vegetarian than I am right now,” Sho said under her breath as she pulled the door open and held it for me and Avi.
“Why can’t candles smell this good?” Avi asked. “The smell of a fire-grilled burger is an aphrodisiac for me.”
“I can’t stand candles that smell like food. At first, I love them, but after a while, the smell makes me nauseous. The last thing I want is to eat whatever it was I was smelling.”
I laughed at Sho’s description and said, “That sounds like the perfect diet plan!”
“That may not be a bad idea,” Avi agreed.
We maneuvered our way around tables inside, dodging servers with trays piled high and other patrons that were coming or going.
It didn’t take long for us to find the door to the patio, and Sho led us outside.
I paused behind her until she nodded and then followed her over to the table where Rin was sitting.
As I sat down, Sho and Avi stepped back, but I knew they wouldn’t go far. I glanced over my shoulder and found them talking to a table of men who were more than happy to let them join their party. I smiled at Rin before I said, “See? They blend right in.”