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“Here you are,” she said, as we arrived at the table.
I swallowed and feigned an air of confidence, trying to not to let her see how much she affected me. I slid into the booth and tugged at my sleeves, tucking my hands between my thighs as she towered over me, extending a menu in my direction.
“Thank you,” I muttered, as I took it from her.
Without a word she turned away, flinging her long hair behind her. It shimmered in the light like fine silk as she walked away from me. As she left, I happened to glance around the immediate area and see at least a dozen pairs of eyes locked on me. Feeling as if I were on display, I looked away as soon as I could, grateful that I had a menu to read.
From the sound of it, Gabe ate here often. I assumed he would be familiar with the menu, so I wasted no time in picking out what I wanted. I didn’t have any interest in staying here for one second longer than required, and I hoped it wouldn’t be long before he arrived and put me out of my misery.
And so I waited. And waited. Aaaannndd waited.
In fact, before I realized it, I’d been at the restaurant for nearly an hour and drunk so much water I wasn’t even hungry anymore. I couldn’t believe this. Was he really not going to show? The first time I ever get invited to dinner by a man and he stands me up! Well, enough was enough. Boss or not, I wasn’t going to let him treat me this way. If he didn’t show up in the next five minutes, I’d leave.
Frustrated, I reached for my purse. Perhaps he’d texted, or maybe my phone was on silent and I’d missed his call. The dim lighting in the restaurant made locating it difficult. I leaned in for a closer look and groped around for another moment or two until at last I found it. Swiping it on, I confirmed my suspicion—not a single phone call or even a text!
I shook my head and as I placed my phone on the table, I grumbled, “Rude mother fu…”
Just as I was about finish my angry thought, I happened to glance up and notice both Gabe and ‘hot hostess’ standing right next to me. Distracted by my search, I hadn’t heard them approach.
Gabe wrinkled his brow. “Something wrong, Fiona?”
Telltale heat flushed me as I locked eyes with him. As for her, well, she simply shook her head in disbelief.
“No,” I muttered as I slid my phone from the table.
But just then, as I reached for my purse, what happened next shocked me. Still clutching my phone in my hand, I stared slack jawed as she leaned in and kissed Gabe on the cheek. Placing her hand flat against his stomach, she lingered there for one second too long. There was nothing friendly or courteous about it. When she’d finished, she flung her hair aside, and without so much as a glance in my direction, she walked away. Stunned, I turned my attention to Gabe.
“Hey,” he said, as he slid into the booth across from me. “Did you order?”
I couldn’t believe how casual he was acting. I’d been here for more than an hour, and as soon as he showed up, the hostess kissed him and he wanted to know if I ordered?
Seriously?
I glared at him as he dropped his linen napkin in his lap.
“What do you mean?” I began with a tone of disgust. “Did I order? Where have you been? I’ve been sitting here for over an hour.”
Gabe nodded as he picked up his menu. “Something came up. Couldn’t be helped.”
I scowled at him. In the soft glow of the restaurant lighting, he looked even more handsome than usual. Apparently, I wasn’t the only woman who realized it. In fact, before I could even utter another syllable, ‘hot hostess’ was back once more.
“Gin and tonic, two limes,” she cooed, as she slid up next to him.
Gabe took the clear, icy beverage from her. With a wink, he raised it to his lips. “Thank you my love.”
“Of course,” she said, with a smile. Afterward, she turned and started to walk away and of course, didn’t bother to ask me if I wanted anything.
Gabe finished a sip of his drink and as he placed it back down on the table, he asked, “What are you drinking? Did you get anything?”
I couldn’t believe this. “Does it look like I got anything?”
“You’re my guest, Fiona,” he said, with a casual shrug. Gabe lifted the menu to his face once again. “You should have gotten whatever you wanted.”
“Well, how am I supposed to know that? I’ve never been anywhere like this before.”
“What do you mean? A restaurant?”
“No, it’s just… oh never mind,” I said. From the moment I set foot in the place, everything seemed to be going wrong. All of a sudden, it was the last place I wanted to be. “I really just think I should go, Gabe.”
