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“Do you have dinner plans?” he asked.
She didn’t answer right away, and his mind started filling in the blanks. Of course, she had dinner plans. She was young and single. She no doubt had countless friends and guys wanting to take her to dinner. At the very least, she had a dog or a cat she had to get home to feed.
“I don’t,” she said. “And I just realized I’m starving. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”
“Come on. I’ll take you to my favorite place.”
But she didn’t move. “My car is in a guest spot.”
Oh. Right. She pointed to the parking garage attached to the building they’d just exited.
“I’ll be right back.”
Time to show off for her a little. He headed back into the lobby and tipped the security guy generously to make sure her car was okay for a couple of hours. It only worked sometimes, so he was already lining up a backup plan in his head. But this time, the guy pocketed the cash and took Jesse’s phone number in case there was a problem.
“All done,” Jesse said as he exited the main doors onto the sidewalk. “Bobby will keep an eye on your car for a few hours.”
Kimmie just stared at him. He could see her weighing whether or not she could trust the situation. But if Bobby didn’t come through for him, he’d just get his driver to go get it off the tow lot. No big deal.
“Let’s go,” he said.
“I’m not really dressed for fancy.” She made that objection as they passed a hotel known for hosting wealthy guests. Mostly because the rooms were so pricey. There was a restaurant on the main floor, but that wasn’t where he was taking her.
Still, he was worried his choice of restaurant was too predictable. Maybe he should choose something a little more casual. No. He wanted the right atmosphere. He wanted to impress her.
“You look great,” he said.
In the silence that followed, Jesse realized he’d just given her a compliment. But he’d thrown it out as though it was no big deal. Itwasa big deal. She’d look amazing no matter what she wore, but today she wore a pair of dress pants and a long-sleeved blouse. Perfectly suitable for where he was taking her.
Jesse rushed to add something to keep from having to expand upon what he’d said about her appearance. “We’ll be right in the middle of the after-work crowd. Guaranteed, you’ll see people wearing everything from jeans and T-shirts to ‘Hey, it’s our anniversary’ attire.”
As they walked, Kimmie turned to look at him. “‘Hey, it’s our anniversary’ attire?”
It was an odd way to put it. “You know, the couples from the suburbs who come downtown once a year wearing their fanciest attire like it’s prom night? Anniversary attire.”
As he said the words, it occurred to him that she probably didn’t spend that much time downtown at night. He wanted to ask her some questions—where she lived, where she grew up—but they’d arrived at the restaurant.
There were four hostesses at the desk near the entrance. The sign of a popular restaurant—it took a team of people and a computer database to manage reservations.
“Mr. Fulton!” Anna called out. She was the hostess who normally seated him when he met the owner of this place for dinner. Her smile widened further when she saw Kimmie standing next to him. “Two for dinner?”
“Yes.”
Here he was, trying to impress Kimmie, but she probably had no idea that this place was booked for weeks in advance. Jesse could get in at a second’s notice because he regularly hooked the owner up with game tickets.
“Follow me.” Anna flashed a look at the closest hostess to her. Jesse knew that look. It was a look that told the other hostess to juggle things around to make up for the fact that they were working in a surprise guest.
He felt a little bad about that, but it was Monday night, so not the busiest night for a restaurant. It was rare he showed up here without at least calling first. Tonight was definitely a special occasion.
Anna did him a huge favor. She took them to a small table in the very back corner. He definitely preferred that to being out in the center. It was as if they had their own private dining room. This couldn’t have gone better if he’d planned it.
But as soon as they were settled, the illusion of this being a romantic dinner shattered. They ordered, and Kimmie immediately launched into work talk. What amenities did he want? Did he need a gym, or did he just like knowing he had access to one? Did it have to have a saltwater pool?
“I don’t use the pool,” Jesse said, taking a sip of his drink and leaning back in his chair. “I don’t have time.”
“So that’s optional.”
He shook his head. “No. I want a pool. My nephews come to visit in the summer for a couple of weeks, and they’re going to love it.”
