Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Tamara stood outside the restaurant and told herself for the dozenth time to stop overthinking things.
In fact, just stop thinking altogether. Calm down and just let things flow.
Relax. Yes, Nate had invited her to a great restaurant overlooking the ocean.
Yes, it was the kind of place that someone might choose if they wanted to impress their date.
But that didn’t have to mean anything. It didn’t have to be romantic.
They’d settled on it more or less because it was between their apartments, and the parking was good.
She’d taken the time to get dressed up a little bit, picking out a light blue dress that she’d worn only once—and it wasn’t to the beach.
She was wearing actual heels rather than her usual sandals or flip-flops.
But she wasn’t dressing for Nate, or at least that’s what she kept telling herself.
It was just that they were going to a restaurant that was kind of fancy, and they probably didn’t expect their customers to look as if they’d just walked in off the beach.
She gazed up at the restaurant that had taken the idea of being beside the ocean to a whole new level.
Not only did it have views out across the water, but it was also architecturally ambitious, a glass and steel protrusion that stretched out over the water, giving the diners sea views on all sides, as well as the sensation of floating.
She turned, and there was Nate. She caught her breath and immediately had to remind herself that this wasn’t a date.
It was a business meeting. He’d dressed up a little bit, too, swapping out his jeans for dark slacks.
He looked really handsome, and the clothes suited him, although just about anything would look good on his athletic body.
Tamara realized where her mind was going, and she tried to focus on something, anything, else.
“You look…” Nate began and then spent a second or two seeming to deliberate whether he should say anything or not. Finally, he made a decision. “Great. You look great.”
“Well, so do you,” Tamara said with a small nervous laugh.
Why was this awkward all of a sudden? It was okay.
She knew what this was and what it wasn’t.
The best thing would be to just relax and enjoy the evening.
After all, she was at a restaurant she’d never been to before, with a great friend and the guarantee of good conversation and maybe even a new business venture.
It sounded like a perfect recipe for a really good evening.
“Thanks,” Nate said, holding open the door. “We should probably go inside.”
As they entered, it was immediately obvious this was a restaurant for a special date or night out.
The place was packed with couple after couple, all leaning close to each other, laughing at each other’s jokes, sipping wine and enjoying their meals while brushing against each other’s hands.
Tamara found herself hoping they wouldn’t be able to get a table, but no, it turned out that Nate had made a reservation online.
He’d even secured them a table right in the corner, with the best views of the ocean in the whole restaurant.
Of course he had. Not only had he made a reservation, he’d probably taken a virtual tour of the place as well. It was just a part of who Nate was.
If he had taken the online tour, then it had missed a few crucial elements: how romantic it would feel with the red of the sunset refracting through the glass and bouncing up off the waves beneath, couples whose worlds seemed to consist only of each other, and soft music playing in the background.
The whole restaurant felt like the kind of place designed for someone to get down on one knee and propose.
“Well,” Tamara said, looking around. “This is… nice.”
Nate flushed a little, his cheeks matching the setting sun. “I hope this place doesn’t feel… inappropriate,” Nate said. “I swear I didn’t plan it all like this. I mean, this isn’t some kind of… pretext. I really do have coffee bean business to discuss.”
Tamara laughed, feeling relief as much as anything.
This wasn’t Nate trying to make some play for her and make things awkward.
It really was a business meeting over dinner.
The choice of restaurant was the kind of endearing mistake either of them could make.
So maybe she should just try to relax and enjoy it.
“And there I was thinking you were trying to romance me,” Tamara said with a laugh, and Nate joined in.
“No, nothing like that.”
And just like that, it felt as easy as ever to talk to him again.
The cloud hanging over them seemed to lift, letting things settle back to normal.
They ordered seafood starters and talked about how things had been going at the café and how Nate was gearing up for what sounded like the most technology-focused wedding Married in Malibu had done to date.
“Have you seen any more of Furface today?” Nate asked as he finished his plate.
“He’s usually around somewhere,” Tamara said. “Often, he appears when I go outside.”
“Well, he’s a very friendly dog.”
Tamara suspected it was a lot simpler than that. “Or he just knows I’m the one with all the food. It’s not like I’ve seen him running to other people.”
“Well, Furface obviously likes you.”
Tamara shook her head with a smile. “You know, Nate, that’s really not a proper name for a dog. You can’t go around calling him Furface. He’s too cute for that.”
“Well, then,” Nate said, with a smile of his own, “that can be the first item on the agenda for our business meeting tonight—what to rename Furface.”
“We can’t name a stray dog,” Tamara said. “We shouldn’t become too attached.” She wasn’t sure if she was talking about the dog or her own feelings.
“Why not?” Nate asked. “Come on, you must be able to think of a name that suits him.”
Tamara could probably think of a million names that were better than Furface, but that wasn’t the point.
The point was that names meant something—attachment, for example.
They meant acknowledging that he was in some sense her dog, and while he was certainly very cute and lovable, she wasn’t sure she had the right to name him.
Especially when he would likely soon be gone anyway.
“I get the feeling that he prefers being a stray,” Tamara said. “In fact, I imagine he’ll leave pretty soon. The pickings can’t be good for a stray like him just wandering along the beach. There’s not a lot of point in naming him if he’s just going to go. You know?”
Nate nodded, looking serious for a moment. “I know what you mean. Although it means he’ll always be Furface to me.”
Tamara laughed. “Okay, you win. Just don’t expect me to call him that.
” She paused for a moment. She’d missed being able to joke with Nate like this over the last couple of days.
This was what had always made things so good between them.
“So, tell me, have you been getting up to anything outside of work? Or is Liz keeping you too busy for that?”
They both knew Liz wasn’t the kind of boss who tried to keep everyone busy every hour of the day. If anything, she was always trying to send people home early. If Nate kept long hours, it was because he wanted to, or because he was simply committed to Married in Malibu’s success.
“Well,” Nate said, “I have yet another family wedding to attend this weekend.”
“Another one?” Tamara asked. It seemed he’d just been to a wedding a couple of months ago.
How many family weddings could one person attend?
Even with a large family, the average person was probably looking at three or four biggish affairs, and then it was done.
You could probably get away with wearing the same dress to every wedding, although her sister didn’t buy that argument.
Nate checked off his fingers. “So, there were my mom’s and dad’s remarriages, my sister’s four marriages, and now this will be my brother’s second…
Although with my mom, it’s kind of hard to be sure.
There’s a time in Vegas that she jokes about.
Add to that all the cousins, uncles, and the rest, there’s gotta be at least a dozen between them.
If we had the money, we’d be Married in Malibu’s best clients. ”
“Wow, that is something.” Tamara could barely imagine a family like that, given what her own was like. “So, your brother is getting married again this time?”
Nate nodded. “He says they’re keeping it intimate. I think he was inspired when he heard about Liz and Jason’s beach wedding. They’re planning something similar down in San Diego with just him, his fiancée, close family, and a few friends.”
That sounded a little flat. It was as if Nate was detailing a grocery list.
“I know you really love your family,” Tamara said, “but you don’t seem thrilled about your brother getting married.”
“I’m happy for him, really,” Nate said. “I’m glad he’s happy, and I’m sure the wedding is going to be great.”
“But…” Tamara prompted.
“But my family’s lives seem to revolve around the next wedding. The ones who aren’t getting married are getting divorced. The ones who aren’t getting divorced are looking to get married again. It’s just what they do.”
They paused for a moment while the waiter delivered their main courses. Risotto for Tamara, lamb for Nate. The food looked delicious. They both agreed that they usually didn’t prepare these dishes at home, so it was extra special to have them here tonight.