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I pretend to mull this over, but deep down, I’m in full agreement. Now that some time has passed since I heard the news, I feel a lot less guilty and more satisfied with Carter’s actions. It was all oddly chivalrous of him.
“It does,” I say, resting my back against Carter’s chest as I peer up at the clear blue sky above us.
Carter rests his head against the side of mine. “If it counts for anything, I wish I could have brought you here a long time ago.”
I sweep a pair of suspicious eyes at him. “Now you’re just buttering me up. What’s the reason?”
He shrugs. “It’s the energy of Monaco. It’s bringing out the hopeless romantic in me.” He gestures to the other side with his chin. “Should we eat? I heard there are a few restaurants here.”
I nod, only just realizing how famished I am. We’ve been doing so much walking these past few days. I’m probably burning off everything I eat, which has been quite a bit.
We walk across the property to a restaurant called Le Salon Rose, where Carter successfully manages to snag us a table without making a reservation in advance.
We pass through several glass tables with mustard yellow chairs tucked in them. They perfectly match the drapes hanging upon the tall and narrow windows across one wall that overlook the Mediterranean Sea.
Once we arrive at a table for two next to one of the windows, we take our seats, and the waiter hands us each a menu.
“Everything looks so good here,” I say as I scan the dishes of the local cuisine. Of course, the price isn’t listed next to any of the items, leaving me feeling like I’m playing a game of Russian roulette with my order. “This has to be expensive.”
Carter huffs. “Who cares? It’s a business expense.”
I raise a single, suspicious brow. “Something tells me you’re going to use that as an excuse for everything we do.”
“Is that a problem?” A soft smile spreads across his face, assuring me that it’s perfectly okay to go big today. “How many chances do we get to vacation in a place this gorgeous? Let’s take full advantage of it. How can you not have a good time with a man as handsome as me?”
He holds his hand up to his face, and I can’t help but laugh.
“So confident,” I say, returning my gaze to the menu. “Watch it. I just might order the most expensive item on the menu.”
He leans in closer to me. “I would love it if you did.”
I chuckle before settling on the beef main course dish. This feels nice. Easy even. I never would have guessed I would get along so well with Carter, but I suppose there was an air of comfort around him from the very beginning.
It’ll be a shame when we return to New York, and things go back to the way they were before. Professional. I’m sure it’s what Carter would want.
When our waiter returns, I order the beef, and he gets the lobster roll. He definitely has me beat in the more expensive meal.
“What should we do after this?” Carter asks as we wait for our food to arrive.
I release a yawn. “I’m getting kind of tired. Why don’t we rest in the villa for a bit, then figure out what to do next from there?”
“Is resting all you want to do?” Carter asks with a mischievous tilt of his head.
“Don’t get your hopes up.”
“I knew it.” He claps his hands once. “You can’t get enough of me.”
“Oh, please,” I say, using this as the perfect opportunity to gaze out at the ocean. Under the crisp sky, it’s especially bountiful.
Carter rests his elbows on the table. “You know, if we’re going to need to take frequent breaks in between every location scouting, I might have to extend our trip.”
I scoff, my attention returning to his blue eyes, as vast and blue as the ocean beside us. “You say it like it’s a bad thing.”
“It’s never bad with you.”
My eyes widen like saucers as I peer at Carter, his sincerity radiating off his face. It’s so unusual for him to be so direct for something personal. It makes me wonder if there’s potential for us even after we get back to Manhattan.
It’s never bad with you.
