“Heather, thank you for the tour and inspiration for my small town spa.” Kendall shakes Heather’s hand. Her bright smile lights up everyone around her.
“Yes, thank you for your time, and hopefully we’ll be back to enjoy these amenities soon.” I look over at Kendall—her hair flowing over her shoulders. She’s a sight to be seen. I place my hand on the small of her back and bring her to the restaurant for our dinner date.
Walking through the lobby straight to the Chophouse entrance, the hostess asks if we have reservations.
“Yes, it’s under Dane Walsh.”
The hostess looks down at her screen and says, “Yes, right this way to the patio.”
As we walk through the few tables in the dining room, we reach the wall of French doors.
“Dane, Dane!” I hear a woman’s voice behind me yelling my name. It’s familiar, but I can’t place it. I turn my head to lock eyes with the blonde.
NINETEEN
Kendall
Who knows Dane here? I’m staring at a tall blonde woman wearing a red dress that hugs every curve of her body. My eyes drag down her long legs and straight to her red sparkling heels.
“Dane, how are you?” The blonde wraps her arms around him and pecks his cheeks.
He steps back away from her. His face looks contorted and confused. “It’s been a while, Shawna. What are you doing here?”
“Just passing through. What are the odds of our running into each other? How have you been?”
Dane interrupts her. “This is Kendall.” He holds me a little tighter around my waist as he pulls me to his side even more. Something is off with him, but I can’t pinpoint what—old friend, girlfriend, someone he dated, one-night stand…
“Nice to meet you.” She holds out her hand to shake. I do it out of courtesy and plaster a fake smile on my face.
“It was great seeing you, but we have a reservation.” Dane turns us and walks back to the hostess, as she holds the door open.
I can’t help but glance over my shoulder to see a scowl on her face. One day, I’ll hear about that story, but right now, I’m good with forgetting all about her and having the best date ever, just like Dane promised.
The hostess leads us to the corner table. I’m not complaining; it’s the best seat on the patio.
He slides the chair out for me to sit, and I do. When he pulls his chair out, he flops into it, elbows on the table, and his hands on his face.
“You good?” I ask, curious to hear about Shawna, but not willing to push the issue.
“Ugh, that was weird as shit.”
I nod, letting him process and decide if he’ll say anything more. I lean forward and touch his forearm, offering him a small measure of comfort.
“She’s an ex-girlfriend from college; our parents know each other. They wanted us to get married, but she wasn’t the one for me. I haven’t seen her in years.”
“No need to say anymore. This is our night, and you promised that this would be the best date ever.” I squeeze his arm. He slips his hands down his face, and our eyes meet.
With a slight smile on my face, I wink at him. Just enough to see his shoulders relax and a breath escape him.
“And it will be.” He reaches down and rubs my arm. Smiling at me, he continues. “We have the best seat in the house, and I have the best, most gorgeous woman sitting across from me. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
I’m melting in my seat. He’s tracing circles with his thumb on my arm, and goosebumps erupt from my arm down to my legs. His smirk is a bit arrogant, and the tilt of his head makes me say, “What?” As heat creeps up my neck to my cheeks, I shake my head at him.
“Nothing. Nothing.” He shakes his head and glances down at my arm.
He’s so observant; his attention sends tingles through my palms. I’m feeling things even more intensely than ever before. With him, it always feels different; his eyes gaze into mine, and I’m done for.
The waitress approaches our table to take our order, which separates us. With a sigh, we reluctantly release each other. The menu was full of dishes that piqued my interest, so I opted for the fillet and lobster tail. My mouth was watering as I placed my order. Dane orders oysters for an appetizer and the NY strip—medium.
