Chapter 9 #2
Now I remembered why I hadn’t made a point of visiting Kristoff’s restaurant before now, and it wasn’t only due to my hectic schedule. He was a man who took holding a grudge to new levels. He practically made a sport out of it.
“There have been some changes made,” Claudia made a point of informing him with a gentle laugh. “You should stop in, sample for yourself. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing what your kitchen offers tonight. Your restaurant has been on my list ever since I got to town.”
“How flattering.” He then introduced himself to Hadley and Lucas, leaving me to stare at Claudia suspiciously. She caught me and lifted a shoulder. What else was I supposed to say? I looked down at my shoes, attempting to hide a smirk.
“Dinner’s on me, folks,” Kristoff informed us, holding up a hand in protest when I attempted to argue.
“I won’t hear of it. It isn’t every day an old friend stops in and brings two beautiful women.
You’re classing up the place,” he told them, making Hadley giggle while Claudia offered a brief, incredibly insincere smile.
It was almost alarming how similarly our minds worked.
I could almost forget how fucking irritated I was with her after that interview, not to mention all the other times she had managed to irk the shit out of me over the last few weeks.
“Oh, and best of luck with your new place,” Kristoff added, shaking my hand again. “I’m looking forward to paying a visit once you’ve opened.”
“Be sure to let me know when you plan to stop in so I can prepare something special for you.” It wouldn’t happen, but these were the things men in our position said to each other. As far as I knew, he’d never darkened Home’s doorstep over the years. Why start now?
Claudia maintained a suspicious silence for the rest of the meal while Hadley chattered with Lucas about various preparation techniques and where they’d originated. The two of them seemed to get along well—maybe the night wasn’t a complete loss for them.
“I haven’t exactly been lucky in love, either,” Hadley confessed to Lucas, who seemed amused if nothing else. “I’ve never been engaged like Claud has–”
Claudia cleared her throat and, if I wasn’t mistaken, kicked Hadley under the table.
“How about we don’t talk about that?” she muttered, teeth clenched.
“I’m trying to enjoy this cheesecake.” As if to prove her point, she slid a mouthful between her lips, drawing my focus the way she’d done throughout our courses.
I had never wished I could be a fork until tonight.
The sudden glance she threw my way damn near made my heart burst out of my chest. A jolt ran through me, something close to what I’d imagine an electric shock felt like.
There was no embarrassment over being caught staring.
No, I wanted her to know what she did to me.
That, out of the two women seated at this table, it was her I wanted to take home.
Something in my face sparked something in hers. She set down her fork with a trembling hand. “Excuse me,” she murmured, standing, her head swinging in all directions before she spotted a narrow hall in the back corner, where discreet signs announced the restrooms.
“I’ll make sure she’s okay.” Hadley moved too fast, swaying after popping to her feet. “Oh, shit. I’m dizzy.”
“Have some water,” Lucas suggested, sliding her untouched glass closer.
“I’ll check on her,” I offered, already out of my chair before the sentence was complete. I couldn’t bear the thought of her suffering. Something in me demanded I do something, anything, to ease the pain she was so clearly in.
It took a minute or two of waiting until the door swung open, and she emerged, her nose and cheeks pink like she might have shed a few tears. She stopped short on finding me waiting, her shoulders sinking. “Tell me you aren’t waiting here for me.” She sighed.
“Would that be a crime? Caring whether you’re okay?”
“I’m fine.” The way she sniffled told another story, as did the emotion hanging thick in her voice. “Thank you.”
“I only wanted to help.” Why was I defending myself? There was no reason to any more than there was a reason to flinch when she did. “You don’t have to be embarrassed or anything.” How fucking awkward. I wasn’t helping a damn thing.
Instead of rubbing that in my face, a grunt burst out of her. “Have you ever wanted to keep one single thing about your life private?” She held up a finger in front of my face. “Just one thing for yourself after so much of your life was suddenly considered fair game? I couldn’t even have that.”
“Trust me.” Closing my hand around hers, I lowered them both until they hung between us, still clasped. “You’ll have plenty of life for yourself. There’s still time to build it, and it’ll belong only to you.”
She released a long, silent breath, gazing up at me. I liked it almost too much. This moment, the two of us, the sense of her letting her guard down, allowing herself to be so vulnerable, I could almost see myself kissing off the lipstick she’d reapplied.
That was nothing new.
What was new was the way she leaned toward me, lips parting as I slowly lowered my head.
Until I caught sight of Lucas out of the corner of my eye. Dropping her hand, I turned to him. “I think Hadley needs to go,” he murmured, giving Claudia an apologetic look. “She’s in bad shape.” The man’s timing in the kitchen was impeccable, but not so much outside of it.
Minutes later, the four of us made our way outside. “But I wanted to go on that crazy ride that takes you waaay up into the air,” Hadley reminded her, blinking hard as she tried to pull her friend into focus after drinking too much wine.
“Uh… not tonight,” Claudia decided, guiding her to the car while Lucas and I followed. “Unless you want to puke all over yourself.”
“You sure you don’t need help?” It was clear Lucas felt left out, let down.
I had wanted to punish him for having the audacity to think Claudia was available.
I knew that now. It made me no better than a small, petty man like Kristoff, who had let jealousy over a woman I didn’t want destroy a years-long friendship.
“No, we’ve been putting each other to bed like this for years now,” Claudia assured us once I helped Hadley into the passenger seat of a small Honda after the valet brought the car around. Something durable, not flashy in the least, probably because she grew up the way she had.
Hadley gazed up at me, her hazel eyes unfocused as she swayed ever so slightly. “I shouldn’t have drank so much wine,” she confessed as if I didn’t already know.
“It happens.” Considering it brought an end to her incessant flirting, I wasn’t unhappy that it had.
Until she leaned out through the open door and threw up on the pavement, mere inches from my shoes once I backed out of the way. Claudia groaned and hurried around from the driver’s side, looking horrified. “Don’t worry,” I told her. “It all stayed outside the car.”
“I’m sorry,” Hadley whispered, tears on her cheeks. “I was nervous. I drank too much.”
It looked like none of our evenings were ending as we’d hoped or imagined as Claudia closed the door, holding up crossed fingers while hustling back to the driver’s door. “Wish me luck.” She sighed, meeting my gaze over the car’s roof before ducking inside.
It wasn’t entirely a bad thing. Hadley had given me an excuse to get out of the evening without having to let her down gently.
If only things could be that simple with Claudia.