Chapter 8
Fin
Vee’s large green eyes peered up at me as we followed the hostess up the staircase.
Before Daphne showed up, I debated how to tell Vee about my bizarre encounter this afternoon.
I will tell her. First, I wanted to do my own research.
Internet searches wouldn’t stress my broken rib.
My goal for tonight was to make our first date memorable.
Telling her that Clark thinks her family is responsible for Reid’s death wasn’t the memory I was going for.
“Here you go,” the hostess said, placing leather-bound menus on our table set for two. While there were five or six other tables in the room, ours was the only one set. “Your waiter will be right with you.”
I pulled out Vee’s chair and helped push it back in once she took her seat.
From this angle over her shoulder, I had the perfect view down her dress.
A long silver necklace dangled between her round breasts.
The vision made my cock twitch. Taking the chair to her side, I reached for her hand. “I’m happy we can be seen in public.”
Vee grinned. “And yet, there are no other patrons up here.”
“What can I say? I also enjoy privacy.” Lifting her hand, I kissed her knuckles.
Vee shook her head and lifted the menu. Before she could have scanned the choices, she put the large menu down.
“I’m sorry to belabor the subject, but I was completely taken aback by Daphne’s surprise appearance with Grant and Preston.
” Her nose wrinkled. “What did she say about Preston? Something about just because I broke things off…” Vee inhaled.
“I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable. ”
A chuckle bubbled from my throat. “He had dinner with your stepmother and cousin. I will have dinner with you. Tonight’s encounter didn’t make me uncomfortable.” I lifted my beer glass. “Besides, I might have been wrong about manure boy.”
“Why do you say that?”
I wrinkled my nose. “I think it’s because of the horses. Haven’t you noticed an odor?”
“Stop. No. Not really.” She giggled. “About your opinion.”
“I still believe the people of Bowling Green regarding the Clarks in general, but maybe your ex isn’t as bad.”
Vee’s lips opened and closed. “There’s been a lot happening lately. Your changing your opinion about Preston Clark wasn’t on my bingo card.”
“Talking about him isn’t how I want to spend my evening.”
“Good,” she said, “me either.”
“Excuse me.”
We both turned to the waiter dressed in a black suit and white gloves.
“My name is Nathaniel, and I’ll be taking care of you today…”
By the time Nathaniel left our table, we ordered another round of drinks and Prince Edward Island mussels for an appetizer. Neither of us were ready to order our meals.
Vee laid her hand on my arm. “This reminds me of when we were in college.”
“Thankfully, we have more money than in college.” I paused. “I have more money than I did.”
“It wasn’t like I had access to millions of dollars as a college student.”
Every now and then, Vee’s big secret reminded me of why we went in different directions. I lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Remember dinner before the Delta Tau Delta New Year’s Dance.”
Vee nodded. “I was so nervous about what you had planned, I barely ate.”
“Well, then I won’t tell you what I have planned for later. I want you to eat.”
“You don’t scare me anymore, Griffin Graham.”
“Good,” I said. “I don’t want to scare you. I want to get you hot and bothered.”
“You are very capable of doing that.”
“I hope I never scared you.”
Vee shrugged. “You didn’t. The idea of you being back in my world did. When I learned Royce signed you, I was completely caught off guard. At the time, I hoped we could coexist without much interaction.”
I lifted my cheeks. “I hope that isn’t your goal any longer because as I’ve stated, I have plans for much more interaction.”
Vee’s cheeks filled with a pink blush and her nipples tented her dress. Before I could make a comment, Nathaniel arrived with our drinks, and a younger waiter carried our appetizer and a warm loaf of bread on a cutting board.
“Have you made any decisions?” he asked.
I couldn’t tell him what I was thinking. My delicacy of choice wasn’t on the menu.
Instead, I replied, “Not yet. We’d like some more time.”
“Very well, sir.”
After they left, we both stared at the bowl filled with mussels, complete with their shells. It was a sight I’d never seen before. “Um. Have you eaten these before?” I asked cautiously.
Vee plucked a shell from the bowl and placed it on her small plate. Next, she poured wine broth from the bowl onto her plate. “I have. I eat some seafood. Well, I temporarily gave it up after watching Finding Nemo, but that was a long time ago.”
“Around your Twilight stage?”
She giggled. “After that. I wasn’t vegetarian when we first dated.”
Cautiously, I followed her lead, pulling a shell from the bowl, adding the wine broth, removing the mussel from the shell. While chewy, the mussel had a mild, slightly sweet and salty taste. “Not bad.”
She looked over at me with a smile. “Maybe mussels weren’t a good idea.”
My grin quirked. “They’re considered an aphrodisiac.”
“And you don’t need any additional encouragement.”
“Tonight, when I don’t let you sleep, remember you’re the one who ordered these.” I ate another mussel.
Nathaniel returned, filling our water goblets and asking us again for our order. Even though we hadn’t discussed it, we both gave him an order. Vee ordered bucatini primavera and I ordered a twelve-ounce filet mignon and bourbon whipped sweet potatoes.
“Another drink?” he asked.
“Water for me,” Vee said.
“I’ll have the same.”
When he walked away, Vee’s gaze landed on mine. “Oh, I haven’t asked. How is your rib today?”
“I did what Lacy told me to do. I rested. I’m ready to get back to Maker’s Mark.”
Vee took the last sip of her wine. “Not until next week, right? This is a bye.”
“Coach said we’re meeting on Friday to take a look at our next opponent.”
“Tennessee Titans.” Vee pressed her lips together in a straight line. “It’s Dennison’s first game back.”
“Yeah.”
“It was the Titans’ linebacker who put him on the IR.”
I shook my head. “It’s not happening again.”
“You’re sure.”
“I’d only been with the Coopers a few weeks when we played that game. Now I know this team, Vee. They’re good. They’re determined. The O-line will have it out for Pickard. He won’t get anywhere near Dennison.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Our food arrived. “Thank you,” we both said to Nathaniel. “Looks delicious.”
Vee snickered. “You look surer of your steak than you did the mussels.”
“They were still in the shells. Was everyone in your family behind signing Dennison?” It was a question that would either add validity to Clark’s story or discount it.
“Not really. Dad was. That’s all that mattered.”
Kind of confirmation.
I put those thoughts away and concentrated on my dinner. My steak was so tender, it cut with a butter knife.
As we ate, our conversation steered its way around Reid Hubbard or the Coopers. We talked about the cooling temperatures and shorter days. I caught her up to speed on Zane’s play with the Vikings. His team was struggling in the early season with injuries.
“Did the two of you ever want to play together?” she asked.
“We get along well enough. He’s enough younger that we didn’t even play together in high school. Playing on different teams works best.”
“Where did he play in college?”
I sat taller. “U of M his freshman year through senior.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah. He did better than me there.”
Her emerald eyes met mine. “You helped him, Fin. By the time he was off to college, he had a big brother in the NFL. We all know that names matter.”
“I’d never tell Zane that. I’d tell him he earned his place because he did.”
When Nathaniel asked if we were interested in dessert or after-dinner drinks, Vee vehemently shook her head.
“No. I can’t eat another bite.”
“Just our check,” I said.
Once he walked away, Vee leaned forward. “I can pay for my own meal.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You will, just not with money.”
“Oh?”
“Plans, remember?”
The sun was set and streetlights illuminated the sidewalk as we walked hand in hand back to the condo. We hesitated outside the Vine building.
“To the garage?” Vee asked.
I squeezed her hand. “No. I’m letting the world know that you’re mine. If there’s a reporter, let them take our picture.” I looked down at her. “Are you with me?”
“I’m with you.”