“If you don’t, I will.”
“Careful, Cash.” She winked. “Keep this up, and you’ll ruin me for any future mediocre dates.”
“Good.” He finally pulled away from her and captured her hand. As much as that dress begged him to push her back into her apartment and find the bedroom, he wouldn’t cheapen their first date. He liked this girl. It bothered him that she was human,but he couldn’t resist the pull in his chest every time he stood in her presence. She didn’t feel like some mortal stranger. She felt important… a hint of fate dancing around her aura, and he genuinely wanted to get to know her.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“I’m starving, so absolutely.”
“I haven’t been to this restaurant, but people talk about it all the time,” Cash said as he led her to the elevator. He didn’t release her hand, though. There was only so much self-control a man could exhibit, but thankfully, Sable clung to his fingers as tightly as he held hers.
“Can I get you guys another bottle of wine?” the waiter asked as he finished arranging the Tapas selections on the table.
“Yes, thank you,” Cash answered. He was an unusually tall Fae male, so the almost drained bottle he and Sable had shared at the Spanish restaurant before their food arrived had done nothing to settle his nerves. The longer he spent in Sable’s presence, the more he liked her, and he was nervous he would mess the date up. He was severely out of practice. Ten years of nights at home watching cartoons with a little boy would do that to a man.
“Sable, would you like the same red, or do you want to try something else?” he asked.
“Huh?” she jerked up in surprise. “Sorry, this food. I must be dreaming because it looks amazing.”
“The wine.” Cash smiled at her, completely taken with the woman’s excitement. “Same or new bottle?”
“Ooooo, same.” She flashed the waiter an eager grin. “I think I’m in love with this red.”
“Excellent,” the server said. “And I hope you fall just as in love with the food.”
“If it tastes anything like it smells, I may move into your kitchen,” she said, and the waiter chuckled as he left their table. Everyone was enamored with Cash’s date, but instead of jealously pooling in his gut, pride swelled within him. She was here with him, and what’s more, she seemed thrilled about it. Cash had learned about this Spanish Tapas restaurant from his coworkers, and he’d made a reservation, hoping that Sable would be impressed with his choice. But even if she wasn’t, he was. The Tortilla de Patatas. The bacon-wrapped dates. The Gazpacho. The Croquetas de Jamon. The meats and cheeses and olives. It was heaven on a multitude of little plates.
“You were saying before the food came?” Cash said, resuming their conversation as he served Sable portions of each Tapas.
“Oh, right, I went to art school to become a conserver,” she said as she sipped her wine, and Cash tried not to envy her glass. “After I graduated, I worked odd jobs at local museums and exhibits, but I’m between jobs right now, so I figured I would visit the La Merveille De L’art for the first time. I doubt I’ll ever work there, but I want to immerse myself in the museum while I'm free.”
“Well, I have no pull with the conservation department,” Cash chuckled. “Security, on the other hand.”
“Head of security at the La Merveille De L’art, though,” Sable said, moaning slightly as she took a bite, and Cash watched her mouth with a little too much enchantment. “That’s impressive.”
“It’s a decent compromise,” he said. “I was a great soldier, but it became too hard to leave Clover. I’m all he’s got, so this job is perfect. I put my skill to good use, plus I can be home for dinner.”
“All he has?” Sable asked. “What about his mom?”
There it was. The dreaded question. He knew she would eventually ask it, and he would’ve been upset if she hadn’t cared enough to, but still. How did he tell her about Clover’s mother without her thinking he was pathetic? Would she hear the story and worry that if Clover’s mom left, maybe she should follow her lead and get out too before she was trapped by whatever bad luck Cash owned?
“Clover’s mom,” he sighed as he mentally prepared to confess to his gorgeous date why he’d been a hermit for the past ten years.
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry.” Sable snagged another piece of The Tortilla De Patatas as the waiter delivered their second bottle of wine. “Okay, I do, but I only meant it conversationally. If it’s too personal, you don’t have to tell me.”
“No, it’s fine,” he said. “It was a long time ago, and if this date ends as well as I think it will, I’ll be seeing more of you. You should know. Plus, I don’t want you to worry about another woman showing up.”
“I’m not worried,” she said as something slipped against his pant leg. Cash jerked until he realized it was Sable’s stilettos, and before he could stop himself, he reached below the table, caught her teasing foot, and pulled it into his lap, pinning her heels against his broad thigh as his fist captured her ankle. Being around her was so deliciously easy. She was equally in sync with him that he didn’t even bat an eye at the contact. She simply kept eating as his fingers wrapped around her calf.
“I met Clover’s mom almost twelve years ago,” Cash began. “We had a fling, hot and heavy, and I thought I loved her. I assumed she loved me too, but one day I woke up, and she was gone. No note. No call. Nothing. All of her belongings had vanished, and her number had been disconnected. I tried to find her, but it was no use. It was like she’d never existed.”
“She just ghosted you?” Sable’s jaw fell open. “She couldn’t even text you goodbye? Which is a shitty way to break up with someone, but a text is better than fleeing in the middle of the night.”
“Nothing,” Cash said. “To this day, I don’t know why she left or where she went. I eventually gave up searching for her and resigned to never see her again, but nine months later, she returned.”
“No.” Sable reached across the table to grab his free hand.
“Yes.” He nodded. “She showed up with this tiny infant, and I didn’t need a DNA test to prove it. You’ve seen Clover. He’s one hundred percent my son.”
