AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s a wine, and I’m just a humble boy from New York,” he replied. She rolled her eyes and put her napkin in her lap.
“I’m beginning to doubt that.”
When the waiter delivered their wine, Parker also took the liberty of ordering their appetizers. Paige had never had caviar, but she was willing to try it. For dinner, she decided to go all out and ordered lobster. The listed price made her want to pass out and she watched Parker’s face when she ordered it, but he didn’t even flinch. He ordered Colorado rack of lamb for himself, so she didn’t feel too bad about the price of her meal.
“What about you, Paige. You don’t do stuff like this very often?” he asked. She shook her head, thinking about her family.
“Uh, no. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anywhere as nice as this. There are bottles of wine on these menus that cost more than my first car,” she told him. He almost spit caviar across the table as he tried to stop from laughing.
“My mom is into this kind of stuff. We actually used to come to this restaurant a lot. I spend most summers here, with my uncle,” he explained.
“Really? You guys must be pretty close,” she commented. Parker nodded and took a sip of his wine.
“Yeah, we are,” was his only response.
Their food came not long after and Paige thought she was going to die. She'd only had lobster one other time, and it had been nowhere near as good as this one. She savored almost every bite, trying not to moan after each one. Parker smiled knowingly at her and even let her try a bite of his lamb – but cut her off when he caught her trying to steal another piece.
“That ... was ... amazing,” Paige breathed as the waiter brought the check to Parker. He laughed, pulling his wallet out and dropping a card into the leather holder, not even looking at the check.
“Well, you deserve it. I’ve never had home cooked curry before, and the stuff you made the other night was pretty amazing, too” he replied. She shook her head while a waiter swooped in and silently collected the check.
“Oh, please, my mother would tell you otherwise, she thinks I’m a lost cause in the kitchen,” she told him. He raised his eyebrows.
“Is your mom some kind of chef?” he asked. She shook her head again and polished off the last of her wine.
“No, but cooking was ... they thought it was important we all learn. Taught us a lot of different kinds of dishes. It’s hard to explain,” she said.
“It seems like a very international palate,” he pointed out. A waiter reappeared with his card, thanked them profusely for their patronage, then dashed away.
“They're ridiculous,” Paige started, waving the subject away with her hand. “Let’s not talk about them. I’m having the best time with you and just thinking about them gives me a migraine. You said there would be dancing.”
Parker laughed. “Yeah, I did. I know the guy who does all the promoting and is in charge of the line for a club downtown, he’s gonna hook us up. But it’s only ten. Wanna walk down that way? We can take our time, find somewhere to chill for a bit.”
“Sounds good to me.” Paige pushed herself up from the table.
They walked slowly down the sidewalk. Parker smoked a cigarette, making sure to blow the smoke away from her. She rolled the strap of her purse around the bag portion and clutched it between her hands. The rain and lightning had stopped, but there was still a strong breeze blowing, and clouds completely hid any sign of the moon.
Dinner had been spectacular, conversation had been great, so Paige wasn’t quite sure why she felt awkward. She felt like there was a tension between them. This night just seemed different. She almost felt like reaching out and holding his hand. She blushed again and was glad it was dark, glad they weren’t really looking at each other. She knew she was being ridiculous. It was just the atmosphere, really. Fancy restaurant, fancy clothes, Parker treating her like she was a lady.
It all felt like the best date ever – but it wasn’t. He'd told her she looked amazing, but that had been it for the rest of the night. He wasn’t looking at her any differently than he had been for the last three weeks. She kept trying to tell herself that she didn't want him to look at her any different, but it was a losing battle. She wanted him to notice her, to look at her like he wanted her, like he found her attractive. She wanted him to hold her hand.
“Let’s go in here, I’ll buy you a drink. The club is just a couple doors down, we can head over there in like half an hour,” he suggested, gesturing to a dark little bar.
“Sounds good. Does this club not open until eleven?” she asked. He shook his head.
“No, I just don’t like to show up too early. A half full night club is kind of depressing, not to mention I bust a move better when I’m lost in the anonymity of a crowd,” he told her, holding open the door. She laughed.
He ordered her a whiskey sour, but surprised her by ordering a bourbon, neat, for himself. She'd never once seen him drink something like that, not in their entire time together. That was part of what was different – he was very clearly in a different element here, and he fit in. He fit inverywell. He'd seamlessly gone from the boy driving The Beast across country and living off pork rinds, to a refined man ordering expensive meals and adult sounding cocktails.
“So, Parker. Tell me. What is your family into? I have to know. I mean, you just seem made for this lifestyle, and a couple days ago, I wouldn’t have guessed it in a million years,” she pressed. He chuckled, settling back into his seat.
“Okay, okay. But you have to promise not to freak out,” he started, stretching his arms out along the back of the booth. She widened her eyes.
“Why would I freak out? Oh god, you’re in the mafia or something,” she said. He laughed louder.
“No, it just doesn’t take much to freak you out, and I think it might freak you out,” he told her. She took a deep breath.
“I make no promises. Spill.”
