Page 11 of The Present

“Oh, I couldn’t figure out what I would do with an English major. There are few jobs that would pay me to read books and write papers all day.” She smiled, which made him do the same. “And I’m a people person, so I just gravitated toward that. It’s really interesting work, you know.”

“I do know that. Vital work, too.” They stepped out of the elevator and Hal shepherded her toward his Tanzanite blue BMW.

“Nice car.” The admiring sound of her voice was joined by an appreciative look in her eyes. A hungry look. Tess had been driving a pretty old Toyota last night.

For the first time Hal wondered at the wisdom of some of his choices for their date tonight. The luxury car, the 3-star restaurant, his designer clothing. All things he took for granted, as had Janice. But was he being insensitive to Tess, to her financial situation? All he’d really wanted was to show her the best time possible. He hadn’t wanted to seem like he was flaunting his lifestyle—like Janice so obviously did to Tess. Were he and Janice more alike than he’d thought? The idea sobered him.

His mind whirled. Should he take her somewhere else instead? AuBerge was the finest restaurant in Chicago. In all the world according to some reports. Would Tess feel comfortable there? An image of the scene from the movie Pretty Woman, where Richard Gere’s character takes Julia Roberts’ character to a fancy restaurant, flashed through his mind, but he shrugged it off. Tess was more sophisticated than that. She’d be fine.

Opening the car door, he smiled at the beautiful woman as she seated herself. He needed to think of Tess as any other woman he’d dated. Not as Janice’s sister and certainly not as a woman down on her luck. While she might be those things, they were not what made her Tess. And what he needed to do tonight was find out what did.

* * *

The splendor of the BMW’s sleek exterior was, not surprisingly, exceeded by its luxurious interior. Tess sank into the barely off-white seat and relaxed into the softest leather she’d ever felt. Hal certainly had perfect taste. Expensive taste. She’d been trying to tell herself all day that tonight’s date was simply a thank you for going along with his little joke last night. She wasn’t in his league, either financially or as far as looks went. Oh, she knew she was attractive, as any woman could innately gauge their value in the dating market. But Hal dated any woman he cared to ask. That he’d asked her out was of course based solely on her behavior last evening. If not that, then on her ability to annoy her sister by going out with Hal. She accepted this as a given and settled back to enjoy tonight’s ride to the fullest.

Hal was unusually quiet on their way to the restaurant. She hoped the whole evening wasn’t going to be this awkward. Everything seemed to have been fine until they got in the car. What could have changed with him? She’d best try to make conversation and get them back to their former easiness. She nodded toward the dashboard. “How long have you had her?”

“Just over a year.” He grinned and Tess relaxed again. Men inevitably loved talking about their cars. “She’s the first car I special ordered. I got to choose the colors, the options package, all the bells and whistles.”

Tess rubbed the upholstery appreciatively. “You did a great job. It’s gorgeous. And extremely comfortable.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

The conversation continued along that vein until they arrived at AuBerge, the most exclusive restaurant in the city. Tess had heard of it, through Janice of course. Her sister had insisted on eating there, just so she could say she’d done it. Naturally, she hadn’t invited Tess, but that was actually a blessing as Tess doubted her sister would have treated her. When she’d looked the restaurant up on the internet, she’d discovered her dinner would have cost almost as much as her car payment. Thank God she didn’t have to worry about that tonight.

After turning the car over to valet parking, Hal escorted her inside, where the décor and ambiance seemed designed to take your breath away. Tess’s first impression was a bright jumble of crystal and white light. Each table was set with tall glassware that caught and reflected the light of the chandeliers overhead. Glass panels separated the various dining rooms and at the far end of the first room four huge, towering crystal vases held vast bouquets of red poinsettias and white roses.

Tess’s jaw dropped a little, but she quickly shut it and tried to feign nonchalance as she and Hal relinquished their coats, then followed the maître d’ toward that gorgeous display. Her attention was abruptly diverted, however, when Hal put his hand on the small of her back. The intimate gesture generated an unexpected heat within Tess that she could feel from her cheeks to her core. She cut her eyes toward him, but his gaze was intent on the man in front of them. Maybe he did this with all his dates, to make sure they kept pace. She certainly had no idea why he was doing it, but she had to admit, she was enjoying it very much.

They were seated at a table for two to the right of the flower display and Tess was glad Hal pulled the chair out for her that was facing away from them. She didn’t want to be rude, but she knew she’d be gaping at the beautiful vases all evening if she’d been facing them.

When they both finally settled at the table, Tess looked across at Hal, who was staring at her.

“You are so beautiful.”

She dropped her gaze immediately. This was totally unexpected. “Thank you,” she managed to mumble.

“I don’t mean to embarrass you, Tess. I just wanted you to know I do think you’re a gorgeous woman.” He smiled as he laid his napkin in his lap. “And one I want to get to know.”

Although her first reaction was “Why on earth would you want to do that?” she refrained from speaking those words and smiled instead. “Well, we have all night, don’t we?”

“Yes, we do. And Christmas Eve has always been a time for people to come together.”

The waiter approached with a bottle of champaign. When Hal had ordered it, she had no idea, but he nodded, and the server poured two flutes for them, then left the bottle on the table.

Hal gazed across at her, his smile making her stomach flip. How she was ever going to eat anything tonight she hadn’t a clue.

He picked up his glass, and automatically Tess did the same. “Here’s to a Merry Christmas to us both, Tess. And even though it’s not New Year’s yet, I hope to a new beginning for us both.”

Well, that was a toast she could get behind. “To a new beginning.”

They drank, the bubbles tickling Tess’s nose as they always did. She set her glass on the table and leaned toward him. “So, what would you like to know about me, Hal?”