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It makes my heart ache to see how fond he is of Kace, in particular, as if he knows. Finn makes him laugh, and he seems surprisingly at ease with Elias, whom the guys jokingly refer to as “the scarecrow” because most kids tend to stay away from him.
I can’t help but smile whenever I think how good Mikey and I have got it. There is still the fear that something might happen to spoil this little slice of heaven that I’ve found here. I don’t know what that something is, but my experience has taught me to be cautious at every step, every turn.
“Alright everyone, thank you for a fantastic session,” I tell a group of clients once we’re done with the seated cooldown stretches. I check my watch, time for a lunch break.
“Same time tomorrow, right?” one of my clients asks.
Her enthusiasm fills me with sheer joy.
“Absolutely and on the dot,” I reply with a bright smile. “Loving your progress, by the way.”
“Thanks. I think I’m ready to talk to one of your nutritionists, too,” she says.
“Good, I’ll let them know and ask one of them to reach out to you!”
Once the yoga studio is cleared, I put all the mats away and head for the restaurant, wondering what I’m going to stuff my face with today.
This place has become my home in every sense of the word.
Every corner, every view, every line here is familiar. It brings me comfort and a sense of safety, of stability. The more I think about it, the clearer it becomes that I never had any comfort or safety in the past. Not while growing up, and certainly not in my relationship with Derrick.
“Hey, Amaya, check this out,” Tanya calls me to her table. The restaurant isn’t too crowded at this hour, as the staff members always come later, usually after the estate’s customers have already cleared out. “Look at this steak!”
She cuts into a slice of braised beef to show me the luscious pinks of a medium-rare steak drizzled with a red wine and balsamic vinegar sauce. The smell alone is enough to leave my mouth watering, and the sight of such beautifully roasted potatoes and sauteed asparagus stalks only serves to amplify my hunger tenfold. “Oh, yeah, that’s sexy,” I quip and join her at the table.
“They got a shipment of fresh meat from Pablo’s,” Tanya says.
One of the waiters spots me, and I point at her plate and nod with a bright smile to let him know I want the same. He gives me a wink and a nod of acknowledgment. “Pablo grass-feeds his cows, doesn’t he?” I ask Tanya.
“Always. There’s a reason why he’s the most prized meat supplier in the entire county. Every single five-star restaurant in the area goes to him for their beef,” she says.
“I can’t blame them. By the stars, it looks delicious.”
“Wanna try it?”
“Oh, it’s okay, mine’s coming soon.”
She shrugs and scarfs down the rest of her meal while I pour myself a glass of sparkling water. My tastebuds have become surprisingly pretentious lately. I don’t like certain tastes anymore, and I’m discovering some new ones that I didn’t even know I fancied. “When are the plums coming in?” I ask.
“Well, the guys in the kitchen said they’re getting the first batch early next week,” Tanya replies. “I know, I’m dying to sink my teeth in them too.”
One of the farm’s ambassadors came over the other day with a complimentary fruit basket, and the estate’s chef was kind enough to share it with everyone on the staff. I’ve been thinking about those damn red plums since. The perfect balance between sweet and tangy. “It was like there was an orgy in my mouth,” I say, shaking my head slowly. “I can’t wait. I don’t know what’s going on with me, but I have been craving those plums like crazy.”
“Bun in the oven?” Tanya chuckles.
“God, no,” I reply, albeit a little too fast.
The idea does sink deep, though. The seedling soon sprouts, and now I’m starting to worry. We haven’t exactly been careful. Hell, we weren’t careful at all. I’m about to delve further into the possibility when Tanya pulls me out of my thoughts with a frustrated groan.
“Oh, no, what is he doing here?”
I look up and follow her gaze. For a moment, I am frozen as I watch Derrick come into the restaurant. He’s not alone. And he’s dressed in one of his fancier black suits. He doesn’t wear that unless he’s got one of his so-called business meetings. Which explains Ramada Chesterfield and another guy’s presence. “Wait, this is weird,” I mutter. “Why is Derrick, of all people, hanging out with Ramada, and who’s that other guy with them?”
“Leon Salas, another trust-fund baby just like that nightmarish woman,” Tanya says, careful to keep her voice down.
The three talk and trade inside jokes as they sit at a table by the western window. A waiter brings menus and water over while Derrick takes a second to glance my way and narrow his eyes at me. The gesture is subtle but enough to send nasty shivers down my spine. I don’t like what I’m seeing, and I don’t like the fact that he’s here, acting like he’s one of them. This man has tanked so many business ventures in the past three years alone, I have no idea what he’s thinking.
“They must be his angel investors,” I whisper, trying to be discreet in my ogling.
