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I covered my smile as Elizabeth blushed a deep red. Can’t say I picked up on that one, but it was nice to know. “She’s beautiful even when she doesn’t try,” I said. “Actually, I think she’s probably most adorable when she’s angry.”
“Oh?” Elizabeth asked sweetly. “Is that why you spend so much time irritating me?”
“Exactly.” I smiled.
Celestine gave a dry laugh. “It’s so nice to see you flirt, Elizabeth. I didn’t know you had it in you. Honestly.”
“I wasn’t—”
“You should see her when she’s got a few drinks in her,” I said. “The woman is like one giant raging hormone.”
Her mother choked a little on her water, then raised her eyebrows. “I can hardly believe it.”
“Work has been going well,” Elizabeth said a little too loudly. “I managed to get Callie Rose to agree to wear our clothing lines on her world tour. Mrs. Glass is over the moon.”
Celestine considered for a moment. “And has she said anything more about who will take over when she retires?”
Elizabeth soured. “No, but I think—”
“Tell me,” Celestine said, cutting her off. “What have you and Elizabeth been up to since I last saw you? My daughter won’t tell me a single word about your relationship. It’s unbearable.”
I gave a tight smile. Yes, I wanted to make a good impression on Elizabeth’s mother, but I’d also learned enough about Lizz to know how much her mom’s approval mattered. She’d busted her ass for that Callie Rose deal and Celestine just blew it off like it was nothing.
“Actually,” I said. “My favorite moment in the last few weeks was watching Mrs. Glass’ face when she heard Elizabeth pulled off the Callie Rose thing. I honestly thought she might’ve orgasmed a little.”
The moment I spoke, I realized my mistake. Elizabeth went stiff as a board and Celestine’s eyebrows drew together. “You were there?” she asked.
Of course. Her mom probably had no idea we worked together, and Elizabeth hadn’t thought to warn me to keep my mouth shut about it.
“Video call,” I choked out after taking a quick drink of water to buy time. “She told her on a video call during one of our dates. Actually, I can tell you all about the date. We went on a train ride and then we…” I cleared my throat. Maybe best not to mention the arcade, given the story Elizabeth told me about her childhood history with her mom and claw games. “We kind of rampaged around this little town in the mountains.”
Elizabeth seemed to relax beside me. I discreetly stuck my hand under the table and gave her thigh a squeeze. I expected her to jerk back, but she put her hand on top of mine and squeezed back. That right there was a squeeze of progress, if I ever felt one.
I managed to avoid more close calls for the rest of dinner. By the end, I’d even coaxed out a few belly laughs from Celestine. Each time her mother laughed, Elizabeth practically jumped out of her chair in surprise, as if she didn’t know the old woman had it in her.
“Well, I’ve got to run to the office for a few things,” Celestine said once we’d finished cleaning up the table. “I know you two are probably itching to get somewhere private and take each other’s clothes off, so I won’t keep you any longer than I already have. I appreciate you taking the time to eat with me, Travis.”
“Any time,” I said, trying not to laugh at the look on Elizabeth’s face.
We left her apartment and didn’t speak until we were outside on the street below her building. It was cold, so I tried my luck and put my arm around Elizabeth while we walked. I always expected her to attack me when I touched her, but again, she let it happen.
“Sorry about that,” I said. “Nearly blew the whole working together and dating thing, didn’t I?”
“I completely forgot to warn you I hadn’t told her. But I really appreciate the way you smoothed that over. Thank you.”
I tilted my head down at her, stopping outside a little bakery. The woman inside looked like she was closing up for the night and there was hardly anyone else out on the streets. The moment felt special, even more so when I saw Elizabeth wasn’t looking at me from her usual mask of serious indifference. There was emotion on her face, and my eyes roamed every inch of it, drinking in the sight.
“Does this mean I can stop blackmailing you and using clever bets to get you to agree to dates?” I asked. “Because you know even I will run out of tricks eventually.”
She chewed her lip. “I’ve been thinking about what you said. About how it’s possible to have a career and happiness. And I’m not saying you are the one I believe will make me happy, but you won’t seem to leave me alone, so I might as well try with you first.”
