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While she might explain the request away as a drunken mistake, based on the way she’s looking at me, I believe she still wants to.
That would be no problem since I want her, too.
Like a would-be gentleman, I dip my head, and she smiles.
She says something else to the maître‘d then makes her way over to me.
Her cheeks grow rosier when she approaches, and she sets her little notepad at her side.
“You’re here.” Her voice is breathy, and she looks genuinely surprised to see me.
“I am. You told me about the extensive menu, so I thought I would check it out. I wave my hand across the menu on the table and her smile widens.
“Have you found anything you want?”
“I have.” I grin, and from the tone of my voice, she knows I mean her.
“Can I get it for you?”
“How about I start with coffee, and you join me?”
The light of interest dances in her eyes as she contemplates the idea, but I can see she’s also wary of me.
And I know exactly why.
I caught her looking at the tattoos on my wrist last night. The symbols mark me as a Knight. So, whatever her natural instincts warned her about me was completely correct, and she’s right to feel like she should stay away.
Those who recognize the tattoos and their meaning are usually from the underground or the circles we travel in. But someone like Santiago’s daughter might recognize them for what they are and know I’m a dangerous man, but I can see good old curiosity is getting the better of her.
Finally, she sighs and shifts her weight from one foot to the other. “I would really love to join you, but I should probably get ready for the lunch crowd. I’m down a waitress today.”
“Ten minutes.” I hold up my fingers and set my hands back on the desk.
She contemplates again and then nods. “Okay. Ten minutes. I’ll go grab us coffee. How do you like it?”
“Surprise me.”
She chuckles and sets off to get the coffee. Minutes later, she returns with two large cups of steaming black coffee. She places mine before me and then sits opposite with hers.
“Black coffee felt like the safest option.” Nervous laughter escapes her lips.
“Fine by me.” I nod. “So, you look fully recovered.”
“I am. I promise I am more myself today than any other day.”
“That’s good to hear. Maybe I can find out some more about you.”
She laughs. “You might find this shocking, but I’m really not all that interesting.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Thanks.” She takes a sip of her coffee. “What did you want to know about me?”
If only I could just ask her what I need to know. “I noticed that while you look like you work hard here, you don’t exactly look like a restaurant owner.”
The other night, I got the full history of fashion design, so talking to her about something she has a passion for will make her feel more comfortable around me.
“I’m not exactly. The restaurant belongs to my grandparents. Well, my grandmother now. My grandfather died a few years back.”
