Chapter 26
twenty-six
ELLIE
I look at the restaurant in awe when we pull up to the valet. The exterior exudes old-school Hollywood glamor, giving a 1930s feel. If the outside makes it feel sophisticated, I can only imagine what it will feel like once we step inside.
“How did you even get a reservation? I heard this place has been booked for months.” I look at him and feel my body get a warm and fuzzy feeling inside.
He looks so handsome tonight. I haven’t seen him dress up to this extent in a long time. He’s usually in a T-shirt and jeans. I like that the casual button-up he’s wearing is short-sleeved. I always love having a chance to admire his tattoos. Especially the ladybug.
“I know the owner,” he replies, looking at me before he puts the car in park.
“No shit?” I look back to the beautiful vine-covered building. “Wow.”
He shrugs. “He owed me a favor.”
“Keep the favors coming,” I mutter.
We walk into the dimly lit restaurant. The low chatter amongst the guests and the sound of clinking glasses fills the space. Rowan walks confidently to the host stand, one hand in his pocket, and his ass? Phenomenal.
I look around and admire the deep forest green painted walls scattered with old Hollywood photos. Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Al Pacino hang behind the host stand. I find myself walking toward him, still looking at the details of the lights that hang throughout the space. The mood lighting is perfect enough to feel romantic.
Romantic. Not a casual restaurant that friends would go to for dinner.
“I didn’t get to tell you how beautiful you look tonight,” Rowan says, his eyes wandering my dress.
“Thanks,” I say shyly.
Okay… Maybe this is a date.
I wanted to wear something simple but cute. Not too sexy and not too revealing. I don’t want him to get the wrong idea and make him feel uncomfortable. However, this was the perfect excuse to buy myself something new, which I haven’t done in some time, considering I was in my chef uniform most of the time.
The draped, dark red, A-line dress hugs my figure in all the right spots. The silky material glides on my skin like water. The thin straps make a crisscross on my back, and I can feel the cool breeze in the restaurant brush against my skin. The black, strappy heels give me an extra three inches. Still nowhere near close to be eye level with Rowan.
Okay, so maybe it is sexy.
“Mr. Williams, your table is ready.” The host pulls his attention away from me and we follow her to the table.
I almost stop in my tracks when I see the table she’s taking us to. It’s an intimate booth — perfect for two people—in the shape of a U. A beautiful set of candles sits in the middle of the table, lit. I notice other tables around us have a single candle lit in the middle, but there are three on our table. A wine bottle is placed in a bucket of ice on the edge of the table. Wine glasses are ready and waiting.
As we get closer, I see a beautiful bouquet. My lips part when I recognize the arrangement. Delicate, blush pink roses are tucked away with off-white rabbit tail grass and a white silk ribbon.
I feel Rowan’s hand on my lower back as he guides me onto the caramel-colored leather booth. The glossy dark wood is smooth against the palm of my hands.
The host places our menus on the table and lets us know our server will be with us shortly to get our drink orders. I set my purse on the seat next to me and then grab my hair, letting it fall onto my back. Rowan sits close to me, maybe leaving an inch or two of space between us.
He clears his throat before saying, “I hope you don’t mind the flowers.”
I pick up the bouquet and inhale the soft scent of the flowers. The rabbit tail grass tickles the tip of my nose. I glide my thumb and forefinger on a rose petal and look at him. “Do you realize that this is the exact arrangement that my corsage was when we went to prom? It’s…” I shake my head in disbelief, feeling silly for remembering something from so long ago.
The corsage was so beautiful that I preserved it for as long as it would let me. I kept it alive for almost two months until the petals started to wither away and fall off its stem.
The corner of his mouth turns up, and his eyes sparkle under the candlelight. “That’s exactly what I was going for. I can’t believe you remembered.”
A smile tugs at my lips, and I half bury my face in the bouquet. “Of course I remember. I was obsessed with it and kept it alive for over a month.”
“You looked incredible that night,” he says in a low voice.
“You remember?” I ask suspiciously.
He tilts his head, giving me a smile like he’s challenging me. I put the bouquet down and twist my body toward him, smiling back.
“You wore a blush pink, strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline. The top part of the dress had swirls of flowers stitched into it. Your favorite part of the dress was when you would spin in it, and the bottom half would swirl around you,” he finishes.
My eyebrows raise in surprise. “How did you–”
“Ellie, you talked about it for months after you found it. You told me every detail down to the stitching. But the day I saw you in it for the first time.” He pauses, closing his eyes and shaking his head. His eyes find mine again, and the sound of his voice comes out in a husk when he says, “It was better than I had imagined it in my head for weeks. I was lucky to have Ellie Thompson, the most stunning girl in our school, as my date. It was the best night of my life.”
I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. I just look at the man that I let go of all those years ago, wondering why I had made such a terrible mistake.
This is definitely a date.