Chapter 8 #2
I love my family with all my heart, but once again, I feel that sense of difference between Levi and me—that I don’t measure up to him.
Compared to him, my life is painfully ordinary. Small-town roots and hand-me-down furniture versus private clubs and billion-dollar companies.
“Farming’s good. Taste the wine.” He gestures to the glass.
I pick it up and take a sip. Once again, it’s another heavenly-tasting wine and the scent is like…jasmine and honey. The perfectly cadenced aroma is one I’ve never smelled before.
“Oh my God. What on earth is this? It’s fantastic.” I can’t even pretend I’m not blown away by the taste.
“Chateau d’Yquem,” he replies as simply as if we were talking about fries.
I smirk. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s one of those wines you have to go to certain places to find.”
“I gathered that.” I chuckle. “And I’ll bet it’s expensive. But do you think like that?” I hope I don’t sound rude.
“Yes. Just not with wine. Taste is a priceless experience you never forget when it’s memorable.” His gaze drops to my lips, and heat creeps up my neck. I know he’s not just talking about the wine.
“Do you ever drink regular wine?” I try to school my mind and stop it from running away.
“No.”
“My aunt believes she’s a wine connoisseur.”
He smiles at that. “Is she?”
“Not so much, but we let her think she is.”
His smile widens. “Who’s we?”
“My cousins. Aunt Bess’ kids. I… grew up with them. We lived together after my parents passed.”
His smile falters on hearing that. “Sorry about your parents.”
“Thank you. Your… dad seems nice.”
He raises a skeptical brow. “He was nice to you. Usually, he’s… firm.”
“What about your mom?”
He smiles, but a sad look enters his eyes. “I’m not close with my mother. She left when I was nine.”
I instantly feel like I shouldn’t have asked him that. My foot sometimes likes to live in my mouth. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It wasn’t a bad thing. She wasn’t a good person. I do, however, have the very best stepmom in the world. Sometimes I have a hard time remembering I’m not hers.”
I’ve never heard anyone talk like that about a stepparent. It’s good. It reminds me of how I feel about Aunt Bess. She was in my life and always there for me long before my parents died. My mother wasn’t just her younger sister; she was her best friend. “That’s beautiful.”
He nods. “Yeah. It worked out.” He slides the menu forward, shifting the conversation, and runs his finger over the main section. “I recommend you either try the ravioli or the beef tagliatelle.”
I bite back a smile. “I have actually never had ravioli.”
His eyes bulge. “What? How is that possible? Everyone’s had ravioli.”
“Unless you’re me.”
“You haven’t even tried the crappy kind in a tin?”
I give a tiny shake of my head. “I wouldn’t know the difference between the crappy kind from the good kind. I’ve mainly stuck with spaghetti and lasagna, and of course pizza, when it comes to Italian food.”
It isn’t that I dislike everything else. I just never tried it.
“Right, we’re both having ravioli, then.”
“What if I don’t like it?” I arch my brows, challenging him.
“You’ll like it, especially this one. And you’ll remember it was Levi Vale who gave you your first taste.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Okay. That sounds like a plan.” And my nerves are loosening. Just a little, though.
We’re talking as if we’re two normal people on a date, but there’s an undercurrent of attraction between us not even I can ignore. Even if I could, it would be difficult to look at him and not remember how he devoured me in his bed.
I think he may be thinking the same. It’s the way he looks at me, like he wants to own me again.
Without taking his eyes off me, he signals the waiter, who comes over eager to take our orders. Levi gives it to him and gets him to bring us more wine.
“You’ll like this wine, too,” he says when the waiter returns with two more bottles.
“I certainly hope you’re not trying to get me drunk, Mr. Vale,” I tease. “Because that wouldn’t be good.”
“I swear I’m not. Scout’s honor.”
I shoot him a skeptical look. “You were a boy scout?” There’s no way. This guy is the rebel, the kind of guy who sets his own rules and expects everyone else to live by them.
He huffs out a deep laugh. The sexy sound does strange things to my nerves. “No. But I can still give you my scout’s honor.”
“Alright, I guess that works.”
“I promised you a simple dinner. Think of this as a wine tasting.”
I nod, and we taste wine while we wait for our food, which doesn’t take very long.
The ravioli looks like it was plucked from one of Aunt Bess’ Great Food cookery magazines. And it smells divine. I swear I can smell every single ingredient and herb that went into making it.
“Go on, taste it. Trust me, you won’t regret it,” Levi prods.
I stab my fork through one of the ravioli pockets and bring it to my mouth. I take a bite and instantly wonder how I’ve lived for twenty-six years and never tried this.
“Oh my God,” I mutter, shoving the rest in.
“Told you.”
“Hmmm. I never thought it would taste this good.”
“Just don’t try the shitty can version. You’ll regret it.”
“I’ll take your word on that.”
We both tuck in and eat, but I can feel his eyes on me, watching my every move. He polishes off his food within minutes of starting, while I continue to savor every bite.
“So, how does a girl who wants to start her own company end up doing admin at my company?” he asks when I’m nearly done.
“It’s a foot through the door for now.” More like money to pay my bills.
It’s becoming clearer every day that there will be no progression for me in the marketing department.
Today, Helen was talking about getting a permanent member of staff as opposed to me—the temp—who’s already there willing and able. She just doesn’t like me.
“Is that for your fresh start?” From the curious look in his eyes, I get the impression he was hedging around to ask me that question.
God, what should I say? The answer is twofold. Part of it could help me explain why tonight can’t be any more than a simple dinner date.
“I kind of needed to make a start somewhere new after a really bad… relationship.”
I feel a little exposed admitting that. There haven’t been many people I’ve had to explain it to. Everyone who knows me already knows what happened with Reece.
Levi’s expression shifts, the ease slipping. His jaw tightens and his gaze sharpens like he’s seeing more than I’m showing.
“Bad how?” Even his voice sounds more serious—stripped of the light humor I’ve gotten used to.
“Really bad. Bad enough that I’m lucky I walked away.” My hands tremble as a memory presses too close.
I always get like this when I talk about anything to do with Reece.
Levi’s gaze darkens but steadies quickly when his eyes fall on my trembling hand on the table. He covers it with his, then gently raises it to his lips and brushes them over my knuckles. The tenderness of the barely-there kiss spreads through me.
The gesture is old-fashioned in a way that catches me completely off guard, but it’s… nice.
Warmth blooms beneath my skin, slow as molasses. I shouldn’t read too much into the comfort settling inside me, shouldn’t crave the way his lips linger a second longer than they need to. But it’s the gentleness that ruins me. Anything else, I could brace for.
“Well, now, this is a mighty pleasant surprise.” A hearty voice cuts through the moment, touched with a rich Texan drawl.
Levi and I turn toward the sound.
Standing in the archway across from us is a tall, broad-shouldered man in a beige suit. Silver threads through his short dark hair, more pronounced at the temples. There’s a polish to him that makes it easy to picture him in a boardroom, or out on a ranch.
His smile is wide and fatherly, but I don’t miss the way Levi tenses.
He’s still holding my hand, but his grip has noticeably tightened.
Not exactly possessive. It’s more protective.
“Arthur Lockwood,” Levi says, his voice edged with tension. “Fancy seeing you here.”
Arthur takes that as an invitation to move closer, and his gaze is fixed on me with the deepest fascination. It’s almost unsettling, though he seems harmless.
His gaze shifts between Levi and me, assessing. “I was about to say the same thing about you. Doesn’t seem like your kind of restaurant.”
“I’m a man of many surprises.”
“So I see.” Arthur’s gaze drifts back to me, then drops to where Levi’s hand is wrapped around mine. “This must be the little lady you’ve been telling me about. Didn’t realize you were keeping such fine company, Levi Vale. No wonder you kept your girlfriend to yourself.”
I try to keep a straight face, but it’s obvious he’s misunderstood what Levi and I are.
I’m about to correct him when Levi’s thumb taps twice against my palm, and I feel it for what it is—a silent request to play along.
“Yes,” Levi says smoothly. “I told you… she values her privacy.”
I snap my gaze to Levi, silently asking what he thinks he’s doing, but the insistent look in his eyes stalls me.
“Well, it’s nice to finally meet the elusive girlfriend.” Arthur extends his hand to shake mine.
Levi releases my hand, and my mouth goes dry as I stare at Arthur.
Lord, what am I getting myself into? Again.
I paste on a nervous smile and shake Arthur’s hand. “Piper Andrews. Nice to meet you, too.”