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“Thanks,” she said, blushing.
“You ready to go?” I asked.
“I’m starving, so yes.”
“Well, tonight’s on me, so get whatever you want,” I said.
“I figured I’d get you those files whenever we came back to the house. I’ve got the numbers and figures in my head, and the summaries are typed up in my documents,” she said.
“Honestly? I
wasn’t even thinking about work,” I said.
“What about prepping for the meeting?” she asked.
“Yes, Stella. We will talk about the meeting,” I said, grinning.
I opened her car door for her, and she slipped in effortlessly. Her legs were toned and muscular, boasting of a gym routine I didn’t realize she had. I drove us in relative silence over to the restaurant, and I watched her face as we came into view.
“I’ve always wanted to come here, but I couldn’t ever get Greyson to bring me,” she said.
“Well, I’ll take you. No questions asked.”
I ushered her into the restaurant with my hand on her lower back, and I could’ve sworn I felt her lean into it. We quickly got seated at a table against the windows overlooking the water, and we sat down just as the sun began to set over the city skyline.
“Holy hell, it’s beautiful up here,” she said.
I saw the sunlight dancing in her eyes while she brought her wine glass to her lips. The sunset reflected in her eyes while we sat there in absolute silence, and I brushed the waiter away when I caught him walking toward us. I wanted Stella to soak up this moment, to be reminded of the joy and wonderment this world had to offer.
She deserved that from someone, and I was more than willing to give it to her.
“This wine is incredible,” she said.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” I said.
“The sunset is beautiful from up here.”
“I figured you might like that,” I said.
“Why did he do it?” she asked.
“Because he’s an idiot, and the only reason he came by the office was because he realized that,” I said.
“Did I do something wrong?” she asked.
I reached over and placed my hand on her arm, and she flickered that beautiful gaze over to me. Her shoulders were pulled back, raising her head high the way a woman of her stature should walk, but her eyes were filled with a pain I couldn’t understand. I’d never allowed anyone I dated to get as close as she allowed Greyson, and I honestly wasn’t sure what advice I could offer her.
So, I told her the truth.
“The only thing you did wrong was to look past his red flags. You put on a pair of rose-colored glasses to distort what you saw because you assumed he would change. You saw he was a grown man with aspirations, and you figured the two of you would grow and change. Conquer the world together. And there was nothing wrong with that,” I said.
“But?” she asked.
“But, nothing. You looked past things you shouldn’t have, and he took that for granted. Instead of taking the time you gave him to improve, he took advantage of your kindness. That’s on him,” I said.
The waiter poured her another glass of wine, and she chugged it quicker than I’d ever seen. I was nursing my second glass myself, but by the time we got our salads, she was well into her third.
That’s when I realized work was not going to be talked about at all.
