Chapter 12
“Aren’t we a pair?” Noah said jokingly after the server left the table with their wine order. When they’d arrived at their table, Noah pulled out her chair in the dimly lit restaurant, not permitting their host to complete the task that seemed to be a part of his job. Leah giggled as she placed her napkin in her lap, watching him round the table and take a seat across from her. The dining establishment was beautiful and reeked of elegance. When she walked in on Noah’s arm, she pulled from her vault of etiquette drilled into her head by her uncle. “Act like you not only belong, but you’ve been there so many times before that it’s boring” was a statement he made her adopt as a mantra when she went off to college. He taught her to school her face so that she came off as pleasant yet aloof.
“What do you mean?” They’d gotten together earlier in the afternoon for their screening. The results were sent to them via email a short while ago. Both came back clean, which was a sigh of relief, not that she had any worries on her part. She did sort of wonder what it meant for what they were starting to develop. She could have put her foot down when he summarily decided they would give up condoms, but when he took the initiative, actually doing all of the necessary legwork to get them tested…A man with follow through was sexy as fuck.
“Being hands on business owners.” When he showed up to the doctor’s office, he smelled of oil and sweat, a combination that was far headier than it should have been. He’d been underneath a vehicle working on the engine before showing up to complete his testing. When he’d approached her, the scent from his large body wrapped around her, sending her pulse through the roof. In similar fashion, she had been customizing a pair of roller skates for one of her mentee’s graduation photo shoot. Her fingers still ached from the act of using tweezers to place the rhinestones on the skates, having to leave the doctor’s office to complete the task before her date.
“People really think running a business means barely working. If they only knew that working half days meant twelve hours.”
“Amen. My dad and I had to tag team the engine on that truck. It seized up and it took both of our brains to figure out the problem. His Wheeled Vehicle Mechanics training came in handy.”
“Glad you got it solved.”
“Me too. I don’t get to work on engines very much anymore so when I get a chance to really get my hands dirty, I look forward to it.”
“Well, I get to be hands on everyday and I don’t think I would have it any other way.” Although she could be a bit more organized. It would probably allow her to spend less nights working on the drudgery of paperwork. Picking up the menu, she perused the offerings, quickly deciding on a petite steak, Brussels sprouts and potato medallions. “I hope the portions are ample. It wouldn’t do to have to stop by a burger place after eating dinner.”
Noah laughed. “I have it on good authority that the portion sizes are enough for a good-sized man.” She watched as he gave the heavily adorned dining room a quick once over. “But I think this place might be too fancy for me. It don’t look like they would appreciate me asking for to-go plates.”
“No, I don’t think so. And as for dessert, we can go back to my house and finish off that cobbler.”
“That’s definitely the way I want to end the evening.” The sommelier was soon at the table and after Noah confirmed the selection and approved the taste, she was served.
She raised the glass to her lips, taking a small sip of the red liquid. “This is tasty, Noah,” she said truthfully. “I had no idea you were a wine connoisseur.”
“Don’t get too excited, Foxy. I just know what I like. Malbec is always a safe bet when it comes to eating red meat. Haven’t had one fail me yet.”
“Red wine can be hit or miss for me. I have to admit, my wine palette is not very varied. I could drink dessert wines with any part of the meal.”
“A sweet wine girlie, huh? Well, it absolutely goes with the overall sweet girl vibe.”
“Guilty as charged.”
“In all honesty, I’m a beer man myself but I figured it couldn’t hurt to have a go to wine, just for moments like this.”
As the waiter returned with their meals, she saw out of the corner of her eye a couple being led past their table. Mingling with the aroma of her steak, the scent of a familiar cologne filled her nostrils. Leah watched as the host seated the woman, obstructing her view of the male guest. When he completed the task and moved away, she saw her father sitting across the table, his fingers intertwined with the woman across from him. “I know my eyes are deceiving me.”
“What is it, Foxy?”
“Keep those baby blues on me, but did you see the man that just walked in here in the black suit, accompanied by the woman in the dark green dress?”
“Yes. What about them?”
“That’s my father but that woman is not his wife.”
“Oh.”
The one word was weighty. “Yeah, now you see exactly why I have trust issues.”
“Okay, how do you think this is gonna play out?”
“I’m not sure yet. This is all quite new for me. I knew he was a cheater and has been since before I was born. I just never saw it live and in living color.” As Leah sat, sipping her wine, embarrassment battled with anger. Malcolm Vines never ceased to disappoint.
“Do you wanna wrap things up and leave?”
Leah shook her head. “No. I haven’t done anything wrong and I’m enjoying a night out with you. Besides, our meals just arrived. I don’t want to hurry just because something unexpected happened.”
Noah reached across the table and squeezed her fingers. For a moment she thought the reaction was done out of pity, but when she caught his glance, she saw his eyes devouring her. “Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?”
“Yes, you did.” She smiled as she thought back on the greeting she received at her front door. Noah took one look at her in the fuchsia dress and offered to order Chinese takeout and fuck up her make up instead of coming to the high-end restaurant. When she declined with a giggle, he told her she was breathtaking and helped her into his truck. Now, she wondered if it would have been a better alternative. She let her gaze find its way back to her father’s table and found the man staring at her. Instead of the contrite look she expected to find on the face of someone being caught, the man had the nerve to appear offended.
“Well, let me say it again. You look beautiful, Foxy.”
“Thank you.” She returned her full attention to the man that sat across the table from her. Her father’s sins were his alone. And if he was comfortable going out on the town with another woman, Leah wasn’t going to inconvenience herself or Noah. She would enjoy her evening. As she dug into her meal, she made a mental note to call her sisters as soon as she was free. She couldn’t wait to tell them about this.
“So, how would you feel about coming to my family’s cookout on Kiawah next weekend?”
Leah looked up from her plate. “What brought that on?”
“I was talking to my dad this afternoon and I told him what you said about me.”
“And just what did I say?”
“That he raised a fine young man.”
“And that garnered me an invite to a family cookout?” she said before popping a potato medallion into her mouth.
“Yep. My dad likes being praised.”
Leah chewed over her response as she nibbled on a savory bite of steak. Her uncle’s words still knocked about in her head. “Let me think about it.”
“Thanks for giving it some consideration, Foxy. I appreciate it.”
“I swear, you know all the right things to say.”
“What? I know you said you wanted to keep things casual, but I also know that the woman that called me up the other day, the woman that got tested with me this afternoon might be changing her mind. And if she is, I want her to have a chance to meet my family. I mean, I’ve met one of the most important people in your life and he seemed to like me. I wanted to give you the same opportunity.”
He also got to witness a not so shining moment involving a man who fundamentally shaped her life and views on marriage and family and yet here he sat inviting her to take part in a family function. She gave Noah a grin. She definitely needed to talk with her sisters about this. “Like I said, let me think about it.”
Once they were done with their meals, Leah excused herself to go to the restroom. After leaving the stall, she washed her hands, smiling at the reflection she saw in the mirror. As she used a tissue to blot her forehead, she noted the happiness shining in the eyes of the woman looking back at her. Leah was leaning heavily towards attending Noah’s family function next week, but she still wanted to have a bit of insight from her sisters. She touched up her dark red lipstick and slipped the gold tube back into her small handbag as she made her way out of the well-appointed powder room.
“What are you doing here with that White boy?”
Leah peered up at her father, her freshly painted lips tipping up in a smile. She practically giggled at how tightly his arms were folded across his chest while he stood just outside the bathroom door. “Good evening, Dad. How are you? Remember, it’s impolite not to greet a person before initiating conversation.”
Her father didn’t appear amused at now being on the receiving end of one of the rules he and his wife drilled into their heads. “What are you doing out with that White boy?”
“We’re on a date, using it as an opportunity to learn about one another. Now that you”ve opened the door to being in another adult’s business, what are you doing here holding hands with a woman that’s not your wife?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
“And that’s where you’re right,” Leah conceded. “It’s none of my business, just like who I’m out with and what we’re doing is none of yours. Now that we got that settled, I’ll let you get back to whoever that woman is. I would hate for her to come over and get the wrong impression about us conversing. She doesn’t look too much older than I am.”
When she started moving away from him towards the dining room, her father grabbed her upper arm. “Don’t walk away from me, Leah.”
“Let go of my arm before I make a fucking scene in this fancy ass establishment,” she said with a tight smile. “Appearance is everything. Ain’t that right, pastor?” Leah snatched her arm and made her way back into the crowded dining room. Noah stood at her chair, pulling it out for her. “Guess who I ran into coming out of the bathroom?”
“How did it go? Is everything okay?”
“Let”s just say he’s not impressed by you,” she chuckled.
Noah shrugged, reclaiming his seat. “I guess it’s a damn good thing I’m not seeking his approval.”
She was no longer seeking his approval either and she was sure that was the source of his contempt. “I’m ready for dessert.”
“Is anything on the menu besides Anita Kay’s cobbler?”
Leah smiled. “I think that can be arranged.”