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“See you soon.”
I waited until Dee was fully seated at her desk. Stealing another quick glance at her, I turned around and headed back to my own space. I wore a huge grin as I strolled across the short distance before entering my own office and sat down behind my own desk. A copy of Mad Media’s contract was waiting for me just like Russ had said and I immediately got to work going over it. I’m not ashamed to say my grin remained in place for the rest of the day. A product of the excitement I felt atfinallygetting the chance to know the woman who I hadn’t stopped thinking about since the moment we met. A woman I could see becoming something more than just a co-worker or even a friend. A woman who I wanted to be far more precious and dear.
six
Travis
“TheSecretGarden?”Isaid, reading the overhead sign as our rideshare pulled up to the curb of our destination. I don't know why but I’d expected something . . . fancier. Some place posh and pretentious. Not a quaint, warm, inviting secluded gem where the rich smell of tomatoes and the mouthwatering scent of roasted garlic floated in the air. It was the perfect location for what I considered to be our first date.
“Yeah. It’s named after the book.” Dee’s eyes twinkled in the soft, warm light. “Jason’s part owner. Casey brought me here a while back and it’s become one of my favorite places to eat.”
“It smells delicious.”
“Just wait until you taste the food!”
Within minutes, we were seated at an inside table tucked into the back corner. Casting a look at our surroundings, I couldn’t help but stare in awe. Candles flickered on every surface while the overhead lightning was neither too dark or too bright. Soft music played blending in with the soft rush of conversation from the other patrons. Soft, medium-toned woods. Elegant, satiny wallpaper, and a mixture of scarlet, creams, and rich Italian tile all came together beautifully, creating a warm, romantic ambience. It was perfect.
The table we’d been seated at was covered in pristine white linen. A glowing candle rested between us. I watched the light of its flame dance in the light of Dee’s eyes. The sight left it hard to breathe and hard to focus. We were along the wall, just out of the way of foot traffic, but not too far to give the impression of me trying to wine and dine her. Although that was exactly what I wanted to do.
“This place is amazing,” I said honestly as I glanced around, taking in everything. It really was. This place was incredible. Our server had recently swept up on us and had disappeared to go place our drink orders.
“It is. Like I said, wait until you taste the food. It’ll blow your mind.” Dee did a chef’s kiss for emphasis.
“With that glowing recommendation, I can’t wait to try it.”
A brief lull fell between us as our server returned bearing two glasses of merlot and a tantalizing bread basket with the most mind-blowing herbed butter I’d ever tasted.
“Holy shit,” I whispered as I chewed the bite I’d just taken. “This place deserves five stars just for that butter alone.”
“I’d say the secret ingredient was crack, but I know Jason would never let that fly.”
“Whatever it is, it’s addictive. I could make a meal out of just this.”
Dee and I continued to stuff ourselves on bread and herbed butter while discussing the main points of the Mad Media breach of contract suit. She took notes while I laid out my concerns and my suggestions on how we should approach this. I sat mesmerized as she did the same. Although she’d claimed not to know much about the details of the contract, it soon became apparent that Dee was being far too humble. The woman knew her stuff and I had no problem stepping back so she could take the lead. Pride filled my every cell as I realized just how good of a lawyer she was and how Mad Media should be quaking in their boots right now. The woman was a powerhouse and if those bozos were smart, they’d start waving that white flag.
Our conversation had just turned in the direction of my daughter when our server appeared with our appetizers. I’d chosen the fried prosciutto-wrapped zucchini blossoms stuffed with mozzarella. One of my favorites. Dee licked her lips, her pupils blown wide with excitement as she eyed her ricotta and roasted tomato bruschetta topped with crispy pancetta crumbles.
“Jesus, this is divine.” I groaned as the rich flavor hit my tongue. It was all I could do to not slide out of my seat and make sweet, sweet love to it. “I swear, these are the best squash blossoms I’ve ever had. And I really shouldn’t be saying that because my grandmother is Italian and makes these all the time.”
“You should try the bruschetta.” Dee damn near cried as she placed a piece of toasted bread on my plate and stole a squash blossom. I laughed at her thievery. She simply shrugged with no remorse.
“Earlier back at the office, you were telling me about Amie,” she said between bites. My grin was unstoppable as I thought about my little princess who was currently at home with one of her favorite people in the world: her sitter Miranda.
“She’s just the best,” I gushed proudly. “My girl is so smart and lively. I swear, she’s the best thing I've done in my life. Seeing her get excited about the world, hearing her laugh, watching her learn and explore. I never thought this was how I’d feel as a parent. Amie’s just the greatest. She’s getting so big every day and if I’m being honest, it’s all going too fast for me. It seems like just a few weeks ago she was born and the nurse handed me this pink-faced little thing with these sweet little wisps of hair and these gorgeous eyes that seemed so wise.”
“She sounds amazing,” Dee said, again trying to be upbeat, but something was amiss. Even though she was smiling, there was something distant in her eyes. Something that caused her considerable pain. Pain that I instantly wanted to soothe. The need to comfort her was strong, as was the need to let her know that I’d happily help carry her pain.
“Are you okay?” I asked, suddenly concerned that I might have said something that might have triggered her. I wanted to reach out and take her hand in mine, but didn’t. I wasn’t about to risk doing anything that would make her feel uncomfortable. I needed to earn her trust first.
Dee shook her head. “No, I’m okay. It’s—It’s just something that happened a few months ago that I still haven’t fully processed. It’s nothing to concern yourself over.”
I was debating whether to press the issue when a hand suddenly clamped down upon my shoulder.
“Well, who do we have here?” My best friend, Jason, stood next to me, along with his future wife. He was all smiles as he shook my hand.
“Dee! Oh my gosh! I’m so surprised to see you here!” Casey happily gushed as she bent down to give my dinner companion a hug.
“What are you two doing here?” Dee laughed as Casey went for gold and blessed her bestie with a kiss to the forehead. “I thought you weren’t going out because you and Jason were both working tonight?”
