“I’m Jax,” he says.
“It’s not a…” I start to remind everyone here, especially myself, that this is not a date, when Phantom leans forward, and the words die on my lips.
He leans close to my ear and plants the lightest, airiest kiss against my ear. “You look stunning,” he says. Then he pulls back and sticks out his hand. “Jax, if I had a cool name like yours, I wouldn’t need a nickname. But since my real name is lame, my friends call me Phantom.”
I swear my son’s mouth falls open. But he clamps it shut fast and shakes Phantom’s hand. “Nice to meet you,” he says.
Holly introduces herself to my son, then turns and gives me a warm hug. “You look really beautiful,” she says. “Wow. I love your dress.”
Before I can answer, Daisy takes charge. “Our tables should be ready. Let’s go. Jax, you’re with me and Holly.”
I throw a look at Phantom, but he looks as confused as I feel.
Daisy is speaking to the hostess, who turns to us with a smile. “Great, you can all follow me.”
Phantom lowers one brow and shoots his daughter a look so severe that if he were my dad, I would have peed my pants. But Daisy practically skips in her whiteChucks and orange sundress, following close behind the hostess.
“We weren’t sure how old you were, so we brought some stuff to do.” Holly opens a large messenger bag, but I can’t see what’s inside. “You’re not six, obviously, so you don’t have to color, but we have comics and our iPad. Do you play any games?”
The hostess sets three menus down on one table, and Holly points to a chair for Jax. Daisy waves to her dad with a grin. “Bye. Two tables, one bill. Don’t worry, Dad, we know you’re paying.”
I must have my mouth wide open because I suddenly feel the heat of Phantom’s hand hovering close to my lower back. “Your son going to be okay with this?”
I would check with Jax, but he’s not even paying attention to me. He’s deep in conversation with Daisy, his back to the adults like we’re not even there and, in a way, we’re not.
“He’ll let me know if he’s not,” I say, shaking my head, a grin climbing over my face.
Phantom pulls out the chair for me, and I step close to him to take my seat, breathing deeply as I pass him.
I take my seat and will myself to focus on the food and not the man. I grab my menu like it’s a room divider and hold it between us so I can collect myself. I scan the food and the prices, the drinks, and, again, the prices, my eyes blurring over the menu until everything runs together.
“Poppy?” Phantom’s voice breaks through my panic, and I peek at him over the top of my menu. “Everything okay? Would you feel more comfortable at the kids’ table? I swear I didn’t know about this.”
I look behind me to make sure Jax is okay, but he and Daisy are laughing like they are old friends, while Holly points at the menu and politely places her order with the waitress.
“I’m…” I don’t know what to say. I’m not fine. “I’m freaking out,” I admit. I drop the menu and meet Phantom’s piercing blue eyes. “I haven’t done anything like this since my husband died. I’m overwhelmed.”
All of a sudden, Phantom reaches a hand across the table and takes mine firmly. “Hey,” he says.
He doesn’t say more, just holds my hand in his. The heat of his skin melts me, the tingling and warmth making their way up my arm and through my body until I swear I feel my shoulders relax.
“I love this place. Come here a lot. No doubt it’s why that little asshole over there took some liberties with the hostess. You drink?” He releases my hand and gestures for the server to come by.
I don’t drink—not much anyway, but I just nod.
He orders two drinks by their name, and I have no idea what I’m in for, but I just want to sit back and enjoy this. I don’t think, in all the years I was with Michael, he ordered for me.
I breathe in deeply, enjoying the feeling of being taken care of. And I realize once he’s ordered that my hand is still stretched out across the table, waiting for Phantom to hold it. I yank it back and adjust the napkin on my lap, then nervously pick up the menu.
Phantom takes it from me and sets it down. “Allergies?” he asks.
I shake my head.
“Anything you hate or love?”
I shake my head again, dazzling myself with my inability to form words.
He nods. “Holly picked up some food allergies as a kid. Nothing serious, but enough that I always think twice now before assuming. I’ll order, unless you saw anything that struck you.”
