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“Then don’t say anything.” He is gazing at me, a ghost of a smile on his lips. He is stunning. I choose the grateful approach. For now.
Our waiter interrupts our intimate moment with our appetizers. Pulled out of my reverie, I remember I’m starving. The oysters look delicious. I hope they taste as good as I remember. Chase tops off his glass of wine and orders another bottle. I dig in, and they are as good as I remember. Now, where was I? Oh yes, yelling at Chase.
“I would have gotten hired somewhere,” I continue, trying not to sound like a petulant child. He looks up from his oyster.
“I know. You’re highly qualified. I was just trying to speed up the process. And since you are now employed, you can start looking at apartments.”
“I need to go in to fill out paperwork tomorrow. I start this week,” I share in between bites.
“That’s even better. Now you can go off and save the whales,” he chuckles.
“Not whales, beaches,” I clarify with a hint of annoyance. “They have me working in between Nassau and Queens, so I guess I’ll start looking somewhere close to the city.”
“This keeps getting better and better,” he quips. “You can live in Manhattan, not that far from Queens. Only a bridge separates the two.” His optimism is infectious.
“I can’t afford Manhattan. Queens, maybe.” The waiter comes back with a new bottle of wine and clears our oyster plates.
“There are affordable apartments in Manhattan, you know.”
“On your salary, maybe. Not on mine,” I retort. Jeez, how can he think that I can afford anything in Manhattan besides a small closet? Even that would be too expensive.
“I am more than willing to help you.” His support warms my heart.
We eat in a calm silence. The patrons that were sitting at the bar have all left. All you can hear are the waves from the bay hitting the sides of the bulkhead. I sit and think about all he’s said. I like the idea of living close to him. It will give me a chance to get to know him better while still being close to home. On the other hand, if things don’t work out, I’ll be far from my family and friends. I need to settle on a happy medium and look for places in Nassau. He looks over at me, watching me think. I’m glad he can’t read minds because mine is all over the place.
“I think Nassau is a better bet. I’ll be close to Mom and Brenda,” I say. He starts to frown but recovers. I can see he’s not happy with my choice.
“Okay, but western Nassau. I don’t want you driving too far.”
“Wherever I can find a decent sized apartment for less than a million dollars a month,” I retort. He smiles at me as he places his last bite of steak in his mouth. That mouth.
The waiter comes by to clear our plates. Dinner was fantastic, and for once, I didn’t overstuff myself. Chase reaches over and touches my hand. “Do you want dessert?” he asks, his eyes blazing. I don’t think he’s talking about anything on the menu. Right on cue, I blush.
“I don’t think so. But I would love to sit and relax with my glass of wine.”
There are faux wicker couches and chairs with cushions by the door that leads back into the restaurant. I suggest to Chase that we go relax up there. He nods and stands to pull out my chair. He motions to the waiter.
“We’ll be finishing our wine over there.” He motions with his head to where the couches are. “Please bring me the check.” The waiter nods and scurries up the steps into the restaurant.
I take my glass and head up the steps, Chase right behind me with the bottle. He leaves his glass on the table and opts for the Pellegrino instead. I flop down on one of the many couches, and he sits right beside me. He places his arm around my shoulders and pulls me close. My cheek is resting on his chest. He smells so good. This feels so good. I sigh and snuggle in closer. He kisses the top of my head, and I can almost feel him smiling. The waiter places the check on the adjacent table and disappears. I am so relaxed. I can sit like this all night.
“I love this place,” he breathes. “I would have never been inclined to come here. Besides the Hampton’s, I don’t normally travel this far east.”
“It’s not always this slow. As a matter of fact, it’s often much busier.”
“It’s like we’re in our own little bubble. I like this.” Chase says stroking my hair.
“I like to come here on Friday nights for happy hour and the live music.”
“That could be fun. We’ll have to do that.”
“I work the closing shift on Friday’s. I wouldn’t get out in time.”
“Are you going to keep working at Anthony’s?” he asks, his expression impassive.
“I don’t know. It depends on how many hours I’ll be putting in with NOAA. Probably not,” I answer truthfully.
“Good,” he states. He looks relieved. I’m not sure I can finagle working two jobs and trying to find time to see him. The job with NOAA will pay the bills, although, the thrill of bartending leaves me wondering if I want to stop. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. He pulls me toward him and nuzzles my neck.
