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“No. Thank you, though.” She looped her arm through Sid’s. “Come on in. Let me show you around.”
We walked around a hostess stand that wasn’t there the last time I visited and past a small coat room. A grand archway led into the main dining area. The booths were positioned on a platform around the perimeter of the room, and tables filled the center. Rebecca had picked out some fantastic tables and chairs that went perfectly with the feel of the space.
A magnificent mahogany bar, courtesy of Peter, lined the entire wall to our left. Black barstools stood in a row in front of it. The stools had been a little pricey, but they matched the rustic yet elegant feel Rebecca was going for throughout the entire restaurant.
“You can cook it, or you can leave. Your choice,” a deep voice yelled.
I turned and saw a tall man in a white chef’s coat standing in front of the large open window in the kitchen. His arms were crossed, and he was scowling at whoever he’d just yelled at. The window was meant to give the guests a glimpse of what the cooks were doing in there, but today, it was a window to the chaos and the new chef’s obvious temper.
“Excuse me for a moment,” Rebecca said. She scurried to the back.
“This place is amazing,” Sid said.
“Yeah. My favorite part of the whole place is the giant stone oven.” I pointed to the magnificent piece in the corner of the room. “I can’t wait to taste the fresh pizza.”
“You’ve had Pizza Pan, right?” he asked with a chuckle. “They cook all their pizzas in a brick oven. It’s kind of their thing.”
“I’ve been here for two years, Sid. Yes, I’ve had Pizza Pan, but there’s just something about sitting in front of the oven and watching your food cook instead of picking it up.”
Sid smiled. “All right, I’ll give that one to you. Next time we eat here, we’ll have to sit in front of the oven.”
God, his smile was gorgeous, and it threw me off-kilter every time since he didn’t smile often. I turned away so he wouldn’t see the blush on my cheeks. I didn’t know what was happening to me. I loved dating, but I felt completely out of my element with Sid, and I wasn’t sure how to act. Normally, I felt excited at the prospect of meeting someone new. I loved the getting-to-know-you phase, but this felt different.
Maybe because it was fake. How was I supposed to act on a fake date? If I flirted with him like I would a normal date, would he get upset? He didn’t seem like he would be into PDA, so my go-to moves to show interest were out. Why was this so confusing?
“Are those rooms for parties?” Sid asked, pointing to the large rooms to the left of us.
“Yeah. They can be two rooms, or the wall can be opened to create one big room. She could have a small wedding reception here.”
“That’s really cool.”
I agreed. My sister had outdone herself, and I was really proud of her. Rebecca had talked about opening a restaurant since college, and our dad told her he’d invest as long as she found the right space and he approved. He’d visited a year ago when she found this space and told her he could see the potential and would give her the money.
Rebecca emerged from the kitchen and joined us. “I’m so sorry about that. Follow me, and I’ll get you guys seated and started on dinner.”
“Sounds great,” Sid said.
He placed his hand on the small of my back, which caused my pulse to race. My nerves grew as we followed Rebecca to a booth near the kitchen. I slid in, and Sid sat across from me. The lighting was dim, and the only noise in the restaurant came from the kitchen.
Rebecca disappeared and returned with a bottle of wine. She opened it and poured us each a glass. “Tonight, we have a few dishes that we’re trying out for the chef’s specials. I’d describe them for you, but because it’s the first time he’s put them together, I’m not even sure what’s in them. So I’ll tell you the names, and you can tell me what you think.”
She handed us two large index cards. “You can rate the dishes on these and give me some feedback. Next week, he’s going to cook dishes from our menu, and we’ll have focus groups come in and rate the dishes like this. If you guys want to be part of that, let me know. Kat, we’re doing stone-oven dishes on Wednesday. If you make sure you’re available, you can split the first pizza that comes out of there with me.”
I did a little happy dance in my seat, and Rebecca smiled at me. It was the first genuine smile I’d seen from her in over a week. Rebecca had closed off after our fight, and it was hard for us to be around each other. It hurt. I missed her.
“Thanks,” Sid said. He reached across and pulled my hand to the middle of the table. Rebecca’s eyes widened, and she stared at our hands.
“Are you guys together?” she asked, tilting her head.
Sid smiled and rubbed small circles on the back of my hand. Each pass of his thumb over my skin sent a current through me, causing me to break out in goosebumps. “Yeah. It’s new.”
“How new? Because Mindy mentioned the other day that Frank had to come get you from a terrible date.”
Sid froze and then cleared his throat. “Yeah. That’s kind of a long story.”
Rebecca’s hip jutted out to the side, and she stared at him. “Go on.”
I pulled my hand from Sid’s and sat back in the booth. He ran his hand through his long hair, a gesture he’d done a lot around me recently. He seemed to do it when he was nervous.
