Chapter 2
AVA
My gaze flipped to the sign on the all-gender restroom and back to him.
“Are you okay?” he asked just as I stepped back.
Out on the sidewalk, I saw him walk up the steps to the restaurant, but I assumed he would be given special seating, away from the regular patrons. I had not expected to run into him by restrooms.
I turned to look for the seat he could be occupying.
Smiling couples or loving families sat at almost all the tables, except for a few.
A smart man in a relaxed polo shirt and khakis sat by himself at one table while a beautiful brunette woman sat alone at another table by the window.
As I watched, she kept darting occasional looks at Desmond.
I wasn’t the only one on a date this night, it seemed.
I nodded. “I’m fine, thank you.”
“Here, let me get out of your way,” he said, stepping away from the door. “I’d watch out for the hot water at the sink if I were you. It was scalding.”
I shook my head and stayed stubbornly in place. “I don’t really need to use the restroom,” I said. I cast another furtive look around his shoulder. Thankfully, Harvey wasn’t in our line of sight.
Desmond’s brow furrowed as he looked back at me.
In the well-lit restaurant, I ran my gaze over his features once more.
He looked ruggedly handsome in his navy-blue Armani suit, and I turned my eyes away as soon as that thought hit me.
Deciding I needed to go in for a second helping of Desmond, I wiped all traces of my admiration from my face before I looked at him again.
“Ava,” he said, taking a step closer while my pulse pounded, “are you sure everything’s okay?”
My eyes met an arresting pair of strong, liquid brown ones. Ones that had previously made me swoon and that I’d decided a long time ago to stay clear away from.
“Yes,” I said, my voice sounding stronger this time. “In fact, I think I’ll use the restroom now.”
He intently gazed at me for a long moment, probably trying to read between the pauses. Finally, he bowed his head a little—a concession. He was buying it.
His lips moved, and he spoke. “Glad to hear that.” He was getting ready to walk away. He stopped and looked back at me. “Oh, when I saw gnocchi on the menu, I couldn’t help but think of you.”
I hated these reminders of how well he knew me. “Well,” I said, trying to sound cool as I stepped inside the restroom, “I didn’t get the gnocchi. See you around, Desmond.”
I shut the door and leaned against it, sinking to the floor, feeling my heart race. I need to keep my distance from him. He broke my heart once, and he’ll do it again.
And yet, as he walked away, his shoes clicking on the floor, I missed the musky smell of his cologne, and a certain warm spot came to life between my legs.
I didn’t look back at him when I walked out a minute later. I found my table and sat down across from Harvey. Our food was on the table, and Harvey’s second shot of tequila was empty. I looked at Harvey and noticed a frown on his face.
Feeling uneasy, I took a bite of my gnocchi. It was soft and flavorful, and for a second, I forgot about Harvey as I relished my bite.
For a very short second.
“Couldn’t help but notice that that’s the second time I’ve seen you speak to that man in the suit,” Harvey said, chewing his risotto. “Do you wish you were on a date with him instead?”
I froze in my chair. There was nothing normal about the tone he was using with me. It was loud and accusatory.
He turned and signaled for Stella as she walked to a neighboring table with a tray full of colorful drinks. “Can’t you see I need a refill, woman?” he demanded, his voice getting increasingly louder. “Or are you ignoring us because I’m using coupons?”
Something in his voice tipped off the nearest patrons, and people stopped eating to turn and look at us.
“I’ll be right back, sir, after I drop these drinks off—” poor Stella began while Harvey looked increasingly belligerent.
“You’d better,” Harvey said, putting his spoon down. “Unless you want a terrible review, that is.”
“Harvey,” I hissed, trying to get him to stop talking loudly. “It’s okay. She’s going to fix it.”
“No, it’s not!” Harvey said. “And you’d better shut up. You know nothing about how restaurants should be run.”
There was an itch in the back of my throat that I couldn’t seem to clear. My fingers twitched, and I wished that I could force them into a fist that would land a punch neatly onto this man’s perfectly groomed stubble.
Before I could act, a pair of feet stomped next to our table, and a warm voice—one that I’d once known so well—spoke. “Really?” Desmond’s brown eyes were hard as they looked at Harvey. “Are you really going to speak to your date like that?”
His voice, deep and somber, seemed to irk me more than his presence. I felt miserable that he had to witness me in my humiliation while on a bad date.
Go away, handsome man who I wish were just a handsome stranger. Go away and take that hypnotic, comforting voice with you.
Harvey gazed at Desmond’s sleek navy-blue suit and then back at him. His voice dropped a few notches. “Uh … and you are?”
“A man who can speak to a woman with respect.” Desmond turned to me, looking at me kindly. He held his arm out. “I have a car waiting for us outside, Ava. If you will join me?”
My eyes widened as I registered that Desmond was giving me an out. I didn’t have to deal with drunk Harvey or the scene he was creating here.
I suddenly liked Desmond a lot more.
Harvey cleared his throat and looked at Desmond. And then back at me. Going by how Desmond was looking pleasantly, intently at me, Harvey was probably wondering how to take charge of this conversation that very plainly excluded him.
I set my fork down and lifted my chin up. I picked up my handbag and took a step away before I turned around to face Harvey.
“Never ever tell a woman to shut up,” I said, my voice clear. I was almost proud of myself for not shaking in my shoes at Harvey’s thunderous gaze.
I put my hand in Desmond’s outstretched one, and we walked between the tables.
“Oh my God, Ava, I’m so sorry,” Stella groaned, clutching her empty tray as we passed the bar. We could still hear Harvey complaining loudly about the terrible service at this place. “I shouldn’t have given him that last refill.”
The restaurant manager showed up, and Desmond began to explain the situation to him.
I turned back to Stella. “Don’t worry,” I said while she darted anxious looks between the manager and me.
“Harvey showed up to the date tipsy as hell and hid it very well. Here,” I said, digging into my purse and coming up with a twenty-dollar bill.
“Thank you for helping me tonight. You’re a fantastic server, Stella, and don’t let that miserable man convince you otherwise. ”
She nodded, her fingers clasping the bill just as the manager hiked up his pants and walked up to Harvey, his jaw set.
Stella breathed a sigh of relief just as I exchanged a look with Desmond.
He gave me a comforting smile, which I understood to mean that Stella wouldn’t get in trouble with her boss. Thank goodness.
Desmond and I walked toward the restaurant door among stares from the other patrons.
I felt my knees wobble at the silence in this place.
Most of the people didn’t know what had happened.
They probably thought I’d created a scene and was walking out.
I looked up at Desmond when we’d taken only five steps out, and he looked down and seemed to realize what was going through my mind.
He gave me a smile. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice calm and gentle in the silent restaurant.
I held his gaze as I nodded. He clasped my hand while leading the way out.
But the moment they saw Desmond smile at me, people’s attitudes changed. They seemed to return to their meals, to their conversations, and I wasn’t an object of pity, someone to be stared at anymore.
We stepped out of the restaurant, and I exhaled. I ran my hand over my eyes before rubbing my forehead just as Desmond said, “My car’s here. I can see you home.”
I nodded when something hit me. I turned back to the restaurant. “Isn’t your date back there, waiting for you?” I asked.
He grinned and held the back door of the sleek gray car open for me. “I wasn’t on a date, Ava. Sean’s a friend. He understands. Please get in,” he said.
So, he hadn’t been eating with that beautiful woman I’d seen earlier. My evening felt slightly less miserable as I got in, and after shutting the door behind me, Desmond walked over to the other side. His driver shut the door after him as Desmond sat down next to me.
“Where do you want to go?” Desmond asked.
“Home,” I breathed out.
Thankfully, it wasn’t too far. If the driver hurried, I could still be in time to help Mrs. Wilson with her night shift at The Bowery Mission’s soup kitchen.
After the day I’d had, I needed to do something normal.
I simply wasn’t ready to date yet, and this horrible dinner event had been the sign I needed to see.
“It’s 54 Elizabeth Street in Chinatown, please,” I clarified to the driver as the car moved away from the curb.
Desmond’s features softened as he continued to look at me. “Did that asshole ruin your night?”
I turned away, feeling the heat rise up my neck. “It was just the tip,” I said, remembering the upcoming restaurant sale. “My day had been going badly to start with.”
“Ah.” Desmond turned around and seemed to reflect on that. “Well, I hope your tomorrow is better than that.”
I gave him a smile. “I hope so too,” I said just as the driver pulled up outside my apartment. I opened my door and then turned to him. “Thanks, Desmond,” I said a little wistfully. “Thanks for helping me out.”
He nodded. “The next time you’re on a date, call me if someone treats you like that.”
I hesitated. And then nodded. “Okay,” I said, eager to get away.