Chapter 4 #2
She’s stunning. It’s only at this moment does Remi realize she’s never seen Paige outside of her workout clothes.
Her long buttery blonde hair that’s normally trapped in a French braid falls in untamed waves over her shoulders.
She’s wearing a cute, loose-fitting black sweater with a white skirt that hugs her delicious curves.
She finished the look with black tights, stylish boots, and a thin silver collar necklace.
“Wow, I … wow.”
Paige’s fair skin pinkens with a blush. “Do I look okay? I wasn’t sure if—”
“Yes, yeah! You look …” Remi clears her throat and forces herself to get her shit together and act like she’s seen a pretty girl before. “You look beautiful.”
Paige’s blush deepens.
Remi’s staring.
She needs to stop staring.
Shaking herself, she diverts her gaze away from Paige. “Oh. I got something for you.” She rushes toward the kitchen where she hid her surprise. Tucking it behind her back, she approaches Paige with a shy smile.
“What is it?” she asks, trying to peek.
Remi holds out the bouquet of light pink roses, tulips, and daisies with a flourish. “These are for you.”
Paige gasps. “Really? Why?”
“Why?” Remi repeats with an amused grin. “Because my first piece of flirting advice is: Always do what you can to make the other person feel special.”
Paige blushes. She opens and shuts her mouth a couple times, before settling on a soft, “Thank you.”
“Of course.”
Remi already has a vase out and offers to put them in water until after the date. Then she grabs her keys and extends her arm out toward the parking lot. “Ready to go?”
Paige smiles and nods.
Remi returns her smile.
Neither of them move.
The air between them crackles.
Shit. Remi clears her throat and guides Paige outside. Pulling the front door shut behind her, Remi takes a steadying breath. She seriously needs to get her crap together. This is a practice date, not a real one. She needs to stop acting like this could lead to something.
It obviously won’t.
The ride to the restaurant is full of easy conversation as they talk about their days and Remi tells Paige a little more about her class.
As Remi pulls into the parking lot of The Rustic Berry, Paige says, “Oh, I’ve always wanted to eat here.”
It’s a steakhouse with a great vibe. Brick walls that lead into dark wood flooring. Each table has pendant lighting with a lantern sconce that provides the perfect dim and cozy ambiance.
“This place is a new favorite of mine,” Remi says as she holds open the front door for Paige. “I’ve been here three times before, and every meal I’ve tried has been divine.”
The hostess shows them to their table, and they settle into opposite sides of the booth. She sets a basket with a variety of breads and butter between Paige and Remi and says their server will be with them shortly.
“What do you recommend?” Paige asks as she scans the menu.
“I’ve had the ribeye, the half roast chicken, and grilled shrimp. Depending on what you’re in the mood for, they’re all fantastic.” Remi slices a roll in half and sinks her knife into the butter. “I’m thinking about trying the porterhouse steak tonight.”
“Ooh that looks good.” Paige taps her chin. Her eyebrows furrow adorably as she scrutinizes the menu. “I’m torn between that and the roast chicken.”
“I can order the steak, you order the chicken, and we can split them.”
Paige butters a roll for herself. “Can we do that?” she asks before glancing down to where she accidentally smeared butter across her thumb. Her tongue pokes out as she licks it clean.
Remi’s mouth runs dry as images of Paige’s tongue licking and sucking several other places flash before her mind. Her skin warms, and she has to tug on the collar of her turtleneck in an attempt to cool herself down while squeezing her thighs together.
Remi doesn’t trust her voice to speak, so she nods.
“Okay. Yeah. Splitting sounds great.”
Once they figure out their sides and order the crab cake appetizer, Remi says, “So, I talked to Dakota. She’s excited about you coming and can’t wait to meet you.”
“Really?” Paige brightens. “I can’t wait to meet them. And I bet your mom is happy.”
“Oh, she definitely is. She also wants to meet you.” Remi chuckles, the sound slightly strained. “But I think asking you to come to a stranger’s wedding is already a lot.”
“Remi—I’m not sure your last name—are you telling me you think it’s too soon in our relationship to meet your parents?” Paige teases.
“I think the fact you don’t know my last name answers your question.” Remi laughs.
“That’s irrelevant.” She rolls her eyes good-naturedly. “But, also … what is your last name?”
“Johnson.”
They may be joking, but it is hitting Remi that she doesn’t actually know that much about Paige.
They’ve been climbing together for three months, and while Remi knows Paige’s strengths and weaknesses as a climber, her favorite types of routes, and how long she agonized over picking out her new shoes after her last pair ripped a hole in the toe, Remi doesn’t know anything about her—the person she is outside the gym.
Well, aside from knowing she has a shitty ex, she’s super cagey about her job, and last week she told Remi she’s the eldest child—who may or may not be a secret royal.
“You know, maybe it’s a good idea if we got to know each other a little better before the wedding, just in case,” Remi says.
“That’s a good idea. So, Remi Johnson, what’s your favorite color?”
“Damn, let’s not dig in too deep right off the bat.” Remi winks.
“It’s called easing into things,” Paige protests.
“If you insist.” Remi chuckles. “It’s blue.”
“Mine’s green.”
They lob a few more softballs at each other as they discover they both prefer dogs to cats—but neither currently has a pet—Paige’s comfort show is New Girl and Remi’s is Abbott Elementary.
This is nice. It’s nothing too deep, but Remi enjoys slowly getting to know Paige better. Plus, some of her answers completely take Remi by surprise like …
“Is cheese really a snack though?”
Paige looks affronted. “Duh. And way better than pretzels.”
“Hey!”
Paige giggles. “You can’t go wrong with a little plate of Brie or goat cheese with some crackers. Also, tell me you’ve never been wrist deep in a bag of shredded cheddar cheese while standing in front of your fridge at eleven pm.”
Remi bursts out laughing. “Okay, fair. I’ve definitely done that before.”
Paige smiles and winks, her point proven.
“So, what do you do for work?” Remi asks, hoping to casually slip it in, but Paige tenses.
“Hospitality,” she answers after a long moment.
What industry would an incognito princess use as a cover? They are known for charitable duties, which could be loosely seen as being hospitable to others.
Paige bites the side of her thumb. It’s an anxious tick of hers Remi picked up on when Tyler used to corner her all the time in the gym—back before they exchanged some choice words over him needing to leave Paige the hell alone.
Paige mouths something that sounds like “screw it” under her breath before saying, “My last name is Raven. I’m the manager and soon-to-be owner of the Raven Woods Inn.”
“Oh, my god.” Remi gasps. “You really are a princess?”