Page 19 of The Contract Marriage

I put my phone away and escort Olivia past all the people who stare at us, some annoyed, some curious, probably wondering where they’ve seen us before and why I’m so overdressed.

“Is Marco here? Akiko sent us,” I tell a tall Asian girl manning the door.

She doesn’t bother to check her tablet or anything, just gives me a once-over. “This way.” She gestures us inside.

“See? It’s like magic.” I wink at Olivia.

She laughs. “Yes, pure magic. Good job with the open sesame, Aladdin.”

The mouth-watering scent of chocolate and sugar hits me first. The place is bigger than it looks from the outside, but somehow still manages to appear cozy. Perhaps it’s all the little Japanese dolls everywhere, all of them in gorgeous silk kimonos. Knowing the kind of expensive taste that Jeremiah’s sister-in-law Akiko has, I bet they were created by some celebrated craftsmen in Japan whose families have produced dolls since the Edo era.

The tall round table facing the window is just big enough for two, but I like that it isn’t too big. I pull a stool with back support out for Olivia, and she sits with a smile and a thank-you. The server hands us a huge laminated menu. Before I can study it, my phone pings. I check the screen.

–Jeremiah: You can get whatever parfait you want, but Akiko says you must get the apple tea. It’s probably something completely impractical but very fancy because that’s just how she rolls. Enjoy your date.

The advice tugs at the corner of my mouth. Jeremiah grumbles about billable hours, but she can be surprisingly nice when she wants to be. Olivia’s eyes follow a waiter carrying a tray of three giant parfaits. They’re bigger than melons.

“Wow. Those things are huge,” she says.

“So? You deserve it.” I search the menu for the chocolate parfait that Max rhapsodized about. “Nothing like world-class chocolate and sugar to cheer you up.” Ah, there it is. The Deutsche. Damn. It has something like twenty-five layers of chocolate. Are there really that many different kinds? I steal a quick glance at Olivia. Will she like them all?

“I’ve never been here. What do you recommend?” Olivia asks, tapping her chin. The solitaire ring from Tyler blinks on her finger, somehow odiously offensive.

Forget the ring. She’s here. With me.

“It’s my first time, too, but I’d say the Deutsche. Heard that it’s the best.”

“Then that’s what I’ll get. Want to share? These things are really too big, and I don’t want to waste any.”

I start to nod—

“Actually, never mind.” She shakes her head. “You should get what you want. You like raspberries and cream, don’t you?” Her index finger rests on a different item.

My eyebrows lift. I don’t recall having anything like that in college…at least, not around her. “I do, but I’m happy to split a chocolate one with you.” I smile warmly to reinforce the message.

She hesitates for a moment, then nods slowly. “Okay. I appreciate it,” she says, sounding almost shy.

When the server returns, I order one Deutsche parfait to share and two cups of apple tea, like Jeremiah suggested. It doesn’t take long before he lays everything out on the table. The Deutsche looks fancy, with multiple layers of various chocolates in various textures, from white to milk to dark, and from cream to meringue to small curled shavings.

The apple tea, on the other hand, is a bit…disappointing. Slices of red apples arranged into a ball inside a white porcelain cup. I guess you steep them and the water tastes like apple…? Since Akiko recommended it, I thought it’d be much cooler and would make an impression on Olivia.

Although I made the offer to marry her, she hasn’t given me an answer yet. I want so badly for her to say yes even if she isn’t sure. Given a chance, I can prove myself, over and over again, if necessary, until she’s sure enough to go through the ceremony with me.

Have to be honest with myself, though… If the answer had been a yes, she would’ve said so. The fact that she changed the topic means she doesn’t want to hurt my feelings. Which is disappointing. But I’m not going to let that bother me so much that I can’t enjoy the moment with Olivia.

The waiter pours hot tea into our cups, his movements practiced. I cast a slightly bored eye at the tea…but then, as the heat hits them, the apple slices begin to unfurl like a blooming yellow rosebud edged with red. Olivia stares, riveted, her mouth slightly parted.

“That’s gorgeous,” she whispers.

“Yeah,” I say, my eyes on her soft expression. Okay, fine. I should get Akiko a nice Christmas gift.

Olivia tilts her head, raising her eyes to mine. “This is…” She exhales shakily. Suddenly there are tears clinging to her lashes.

My chest tightens, and I clench and unclench my hands. “Uh… If you don’t like it, we can go elsewhere. I shouldn’t have assumed you’d want to have chocolate. I just thought you would because you seemed to like the Belgian truffles—”

The skin around her eyes starts to redden.

Dread floods me like a ten-foot tsunami. Stop babbling!