She leaned forward and spoke. “Thank you. Enjoy your dinner.” She pranced away, floating on her feet, and it was one of those moments I savored. It was so seldom I could actually make someone smile in person.
Then I dealt with the odd man out. “Frank.” He turned to look at me. “I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll be right over there.” He pointed toward a table near the kitchen.
I nodded, again watching Callum to see his reaction. I was shocked by what came next. He extended his hand to Frank and said, “Thank you.”
I’d been on a number of dates over the years, and I didn’t think anyone had ever thanked Frank. Although I wasn’t sure this was a date, and maybe this whole action solidified that it wasn’t.
Frank gave Callum a nod and walked away. That was his whole shtick with being my bodyguard: he tried to be a tough guy when he was actually a softie.
As Frank quietly moved away, Callum came close. “You look beautiful,” he said, hushed and only for me.
I hadn’t planned on this evening, so I’d called Neiman’s to send a shopper over with some looks for tonight and settled on a cream-colored sleeveless blouse and dark skinny jeans. The club didn’t allow jeans, but I also knew they wouldn’t say a word to me. Before I left, I’d slipped into a pair of nude Jimmy Choo strappy sandals, and decided it was about as date-night chic as I got.
Callum pulled out my chair and waited for me to sit next to where he’d been waiting.
I took in his khaki flat-front pants and navy cashmere sweater. Cashmere was a thing back east, especially in the summer. I’d recently seen a whole spread inGQon it. I decided it didn’t matter what he wore; he looked handsome and rugged. He hadn’t shaved his five o’clock shadow, and dark hair and a few prickly grays were sprinkled along the edge of his face. I imagined him rubbing his hand over it at the end of the day, seeing his last few patients.
“You look great too,” I said while he sat. “Sorry I was a few minutes late. I had a call with the studio that ran long, and they’re on the other coast so time is on their side.”
“It’s no problem.”
“Are you always this easygoing?”
“In work, never. In life, mostly.”
The server came by and poured us bottled water, asking if we wanted a drink. Callum looked to me, trying to gauge what was appropriate.
“Whiskey, neat,” I ordered, and this got me an eyebrow raise from my date.
“Two,” he said.
When the server left, I looked at Callum and said, “This is just a regular dinner. Drinks, food, conversation, maybe dessert. I’m a person, so please don’t act like I’m not. Okay?” I didn’t admit I needed a shot of liquid courage, or that I typically avoided brown alcohol at the urging of my nutritionist.
He took my hand in his, the wide expanse of the golf course in front of us. “Is this all right?”
I nodded.
“Willa,” he whispered my full name and I laughed out loud. “It’s a beautiful name.”
“My mom would love to hear you say that.”
“I’m not out with your mom.” His voice had the smallest tinge of authority and it sent chills up my spine.
I swallowed any emotion I might be feeling, and felt it roll down my throat.
“Willa, there is nothing more real than you, and nowhere I’d rather be. But this is going to take some adjusting for me. The man watching us from the corner, meeting you rather than properly picking you up, and worrying someone might hurt you—it’s all new.”
“I’m just me.”
“Maybe to you. But to me, you’re special. Not because of your fame. Yes, your beauty drew me to you, but I’m quickly learning it’s both inner and outer beauty. The way you care for your brother, his wife, and their soon-to-be family…it’s more glamorous than any movie.” A few strands of his slightly too long hair fell on his forehead, and my hand shook with the impulse to push it away.
He was interrupted by the server carrying two lowballs of whiskey and a basket of Parker House rolls.
When we both had a drink in hand, Cal spoke again. “To just you.”
I clinked my glass to his and took a small slug, allowing the alcohol to burn my throat and warm my belly. I hadn’t felt this kind of way in years—seen, really seen.
