AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Their taxi turned off Broadway onto Twentieth Street. Lori’s heart leaped. No. Zane wasn’t taking her back to the Gramercy Hotel, was he? It wasn’t far from here, just in the next block over. What would she do if that was his plan? She couldn’t deny how much she wanted him, but she wasn’t yet ready for him to see the ugly scar right down the middle of her chest, and for her to have to tell him how she’d gotten it. That was something to work up to over days and weeks, not blurt out on their first date in thirteen years. She wanted to talk to her mom first, get her advice.
When the driver applied the brake right outside the Gramercy Tavern, Lori heaved a sigh of relief, wiping clammy palms on her jeans. Zane caught her in the act and arched an eyebrow, then laughed.
“I know I said I couldn’t keep my hands off you, but give me some credit on how to romance a woman before I whip her up to a hotel room.”
“It’s not… I mean… I—”
“Lori.” Zane reached for her hand, bringing it to his lips. “It’s okay. Let’s take things one day at a time. We have our whole lives ahead of us. There’s no rush.”
How she wished she could blurt out that she’d love nothing more than to dive straight into bed with him and rediscover each other in the best possible way. But to let her body and her heart win out over her head wasn’t a good idea. Vowing to call her mother and arrange a visit first thing in the morning, she simply nodded and followed him onto the sidewalk.
He held open the door for her to enter the restaurant. The place was bursting at the seams, unsurprising for a weekend. Turned out, though, Zane had a reservation. A private yacht tour and now dinner at one of the most popular restaurants in Manhattan. He’d said he knew “someone” when she’d questioned him about the boat. Something told her Zane Quinlan knew a lot of “someones.”
“You’re a revelation.”
His mischievous grin set off a kaleidoscope of butterflies in her stomach, their wings kissing her insides.
“You have no idea,” he murmured, lips at her ear as the hostess tapped on a computer keyboard and grabbed a couple of menus. “But you’re gonna find out.”
He took her hand, and they followed the elegant woman through the restaurant, the soft lighting a contrast to wooden tables and chairs and crisp white linens. She slipped into a chair, with Zane choosing one adjacent on a table that would seat four. She checked out the tasteful surroundings and smartly dressed diners, realizing that her daywear of jeans and a Mets T-shirt—however symbolic on a personal level—was out of place. She waited for the hostess to retreat, then inclined her body toward Zane.
“We should have gone home first so I could get changed?”
He frowned. “Why?”
“Take a look around.”
He did as she asked, scratching his cheek in confusion. “Not getting your point, Lori.”
Lori motioned with her hand to herself. “I’m more dressed for a diner than a restaurant like this.”
He shifted his chair closer, then beckoned her with his forefinger. She leaned in.
“You’re the hottest girl here. You could dress in a rag stolen off a homeless dude, and you’d still be more beautiful than every single woman seated here tonight. Now stop fretting. The Lori I know wouldn’t worry this much.”
“I was younger back then,” she whispered. “Less aware of other people’s opinions and how they matter.”
“That’s just it, though. They don’t matter. The only opinion I care about is yours, and the only opinion you should care about is mine. And I say you are a stunner.” He dropped his gaze. “Course, if you want to tug down that top and share a glimpse of cleavage, you won’t find me arguing.”
She laughed. “I’m trying to appear classier, not sluttier.”
“See, that’s just it, Lori. You’re a woman who carries both off. Effortlessly.”
Oh my heart.
“How do you always know the right thing to say?”
“It’s a skill, I guess.” He offered a crooked grin. “Besides, I’ve had a long time to practice.”
Her face fell. “I’m sorry, Zane.”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “No. Stop. No apologies. No going back. No wondering how this or that might’ve been. We are where we are, and I, for one, couldn’t be happier.”
“But how can you ever trust me again, after what I did?”
He shrugged. “Because it’s you, and we were kids back then, and people change. I don’t think I ever stopped loving you, Lori. I’m not sure I’ll ever love anyone the way I loved you. I owe it to myself to try to rebuild what we had. If you’re willing to try, too, that is.”
“I am.” She swallowed past a thick throat. “I am, Zane.”
