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Not the reply he’d expected. He paused before opening his mouth. “Nothing wrong with a good nap once in a while.” He winked at her. “But I’m serious. You don’t have to share anything you’re uncomfortable telling me.”
“Okay, but if the hostess or someone walks by, you might want to ask for a pillow.”
He liked her sense of humor. It was something his last girlfriend had definitely lacked. “Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll do that when our server arrives.”
No sooner did he say the words than a woman dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and matching black pants stopped at their table. “Good evening and welcome. My name is Valerie, and I’ll be taking care of you tonight.” The woman proceeded to list the evening’s chef’s special. Once finished, she turned an expectant look in his direction, and Scott realized neither of them had even opened their menus yet.
“We’ll need a little more time.”
“Certainly, Mr. Belmont. I’ll return soon.” Valerie left and stopped at another a table nearby.
Across from him Paige pressed her lips together as if to suppress a smile or a laugh. “Maybe before I start the bedtime story, we should decide on dinner.”
Scott chuckled as he reached for his menu. So far this evening was turning out much more enjoyable than he’d expected.
Dinner orders placed, Scott didn’t hesitate to get back to their previous conversation. “Okay, I’m ready for my nap. Feel free to start talking whenever you’re ready.”
“Let’s see. My birthday is April fourth. I graduated from Scituate High School and then went to the University of Rhode Island. My granddad, my dad’s father, wanted me to attend a private college like Dartmouth College, which is where my brother, Joe, went. He actually paid for us both to go to college.”
“Why didn’t you, then?”
She shrugged, the movement pulling his eyes toward her bare shoulders. “A lot of my friends were going to URI, and it has a good nursing program. After I graduated, I got a job at Rhode Island Hospital and have worked there ever since. I have seven cousins. You already know my great-aunt Bebe. I have three other aunts. Aunt Mary and Aunt Iris are my dad’s sisters. Aunt Tonya is my mom’s sister.”
Her sentence confirmed what he’d guessed from the little research he’d done on the Internet. Michael Jeremy Foster Jr. was her father. So why was he living in Scituate rather than in Texas with the other Fosters and running Foster Oil?
“My brother and his wife, Trish, live in Virginia Beach and they recently had a baby girl.” Paige paused for a sip of her water. “I love any kind of chocolate, but my favorite is dark chocolate. Aunt Bebe introduced me to one from Switzerland. It’s to die for. Whenever she goes to Europe, I make her bring me back some. Let’s see, what else.” Paige paused and took a sip of her water. “I love running. Two years in a row my ex-husband and I did the Boston Marathon together. I planned on running it again this year, but I broke my ankle in January. Since then I’ve kept my runs much shorter.”
Scott’s attention locked on to the word ex-husband. Of all the things she might tell him, he hadn’t expected to learn she’d been married. “How long were you married for?” He assumed it was an acceptable question.
“Only two years. Benjamin and I divorced three years ago.” Her voice never changed. He didn’t detect a hint of sadness or anger in it. In the past, he’d heard both when people spoke of their divorces. “It was an amicable divorce. Or as amicable as any divorce can be, I guess.”
“And afterward you adopted your dog?” he asked.
“Good memory.” She smiled at him. “Yeah, Benjamin is allergic to both cats and dogs so we couldn’t have any pets. I always had either a dog or a dog and cat growing up, so as soon I had my own place again I got Ryder.”
From what he’d seen so far Paige was smart, funny, and he assumed compassionate since she worked as a nurse. Considering all those things, he wondered what had led to her divorce. Unfortunately, he couldn’t ask, at least not until they knew each other better. Even then many might consider it inappropriate, since they’d only be together for a handful of dates.
“After the divorce I also took back my maiden name. Honestly, I never liked Benjamin’s. It was too long, and no one could ever pronounce or spell it. Foster is so much easier.”
“Had a roommate in college with a name like that. After graduation he legally changed his last name to Peterson because he assumed everyone could spell and pronounce it. I don’t say I blame him either.”
Before Paige could share any other details, their server returned with their dinners. As they sat and enjoyed their meal, their conversation slowed, and he wondered what other surprises she might share with him before the night was out.
Chapter 5
Even though she gazed at the view while they waited for the valet to bring around Scott’s car, her thoughts remained fixed on the man standing next to her. Much of the nervousness she’d experienced both in her kitchen and during the car ride had disappeared. Since the moment he picked her up, he’d been not only a perfect gentleman but also humorous and easygoing. He’d picked up on how uncomfortable she was in the beginning and immediately set out to put her at ease. Not everyone was able to do that. And she never expected he’d be one of the few who could.
Prior to tonight, she’d expected Scott to be more like her cousin Nolan Wakefield. Like all her cousins on the Foster side, Nolan resided in Texas and over the last two or three years he’d become her grandfather’s right-hand man. In fact, in another few years, her grandfather planned to turn the reins of Foster Oil over to Nolan despite her cousin Prescott’s public disapproval.
Since Nolan lived in Texas, she only saw him when she visited her family there, which wasn’t too often. So she didn’t have a close relationship with him. However, she knew him well enough. While not a bad person, he reminded her of the stereotypical wealthy businessman. He worked long hours, lived in a house far larger than anyone could ever need, and often came across as thinking he was better than everyone else. Sometimes Paige wondered if that explained why he was working on marriage number three despite being only a year older than her.
From the little Scott had shared, it sounded as if he worked a lot too, and she doubted his place in Manhattan was anything to sneeze at. But he didn’t come across as thinking he was better than her or anyone else. All evening he’d treated her, as well as the staff at the Spiced Pear, as equals. Using the time she’d spent around her dad’s side of the family as a frame of reference, she knew not everyone in Scott’s social circle treated others that way.
“Here you are, Mr. Belmont.” The valet’s words caught her attention, and she looked away from the shoreline and back at her date.
Scott tipped the young man before touching her lower back and escorting her toward the vehicle. “The view from the hotel should be almost as good this one.” His voice again rolled over her, causing her insides to do some twists and flips. Something they hadn’t done with any man she’d gone out with since her divorce.
She’d read a week earlier that before the fireworks the Providence Symphony Orchestra was performing at the Sherbrooke Hotel located on America’s Cup Avenue. She wondered if the performance would take place inside the hotel or in the outside pavilion she’d noticed on the hotel’s website.
