“Sorry, sorry, but you didn’t. That cyclist would have swerved. And it was only a bike, anyway, so you’d have just gotten knocked over or something.”
“You have a very cavalier attitude towards injury,” Nathan said sternly. Then he smiled. “Thanks for saving me, though. I was going to say, ‘Thanks for saving my life,’ but, as you so kindly pointed out, my life was never in danger.”
Zoe rolled her eyes. “You’re fine. Come on, we have the walk sign.”
“We had it before.”
“Yeah, but cyclists follow their own rules.” Zoe winked. “Come on, I’m taking you to eat a delicious meal that will make you forget all about this.”
“Is it better than JJ’s Diner?” Nathan asked. Zoe hesitated, then smiled.
“Not better. Just different. Have you had Thai food before?”
“Of course I have.” Nathan winked. “I’m not some hillbilly.”
Zoe chuckled. “You’ll like this, then.”
They entered the small restaurant and were immediately taken back to a table near the kitchen. Once they’d placed their orders for food, Nathan asked for a glass of champagne each to go with the meal.
“We’re celebrating, remember?” he said as the waiter walked away.
“Or you’re ordering champagne because I promised to buy you dinner in New York,” Zoe suggested. Nathan’s eyes widened, and she quickly added, “I’m teasing you. Come on.”
Soon, steaming hot plates of saucy noodles, crisp vegetables, and perfectly cooked meat arrived, along with the two glasses of champagne. Zoe raised hers to Nathan in a toast.
“Here’s to my future TV star.”
“And here’s to the PR professional who made it all happen,” Nathan replied, lifting his glass to clink against hers. “Seriously, though, this would have been a nightmare without you.”
They both sipped their champagne before turning their attention to the food. Nathan easily used chopsticks to assemble a bite of noodles and veggies.
“You’re a pro,” Zoe said, motioning to him with her own chopsticks.
“I have a surgeon’s dexterity,” Nathan told her.
“But you aren’t a surgeon.”
“No, but I did some surgery in my residency, and I do plenty of sutures and blood draws and other things in my practice.” He lifted his free hand, wiggling his fingers as if to show off his skills. Zoe’s gaze was drawn to his hand, and she suddenly remembered him kneeling in front of her while she sat on the bed of his truck, those same fingers gently tracing the outline of her ankle. She shivered and looked away, smiling.
“Sure, sure,” she said noncommittally. “How’s the food?”
“Delicious.” Nathan grinned at her. “I have to bring my cousins here sometime. They all love spicy food.”
“How many cousins do you have?”
“Twelve.” Nathan laughed at the surprise on Zoe’s face. “And we’re all close, as close as siblings, I think.”
Conversation moved on. They talked about Nathan’s cousins, their days in college, Zoe’s favorite and strangest clients, and on and on. It was easy to talk to Nathan about anything, especially when they each had a couple more glasses of champagne. Zoe felt like they’d known each other for years, instead of a few weeks.
After they’d eaten all they wanted, Zoe insisted on picking up the check before leading the way outside. The evening was warm, and the streets were still full of people heading home from work or out for the night.
“We have a choice,” Zoe said. “I’ll drop you back at your hotel, but we can either walk there or take a taxi.” She still didn’t feel like forcing him onto the subway.
“Where do you live?” Nathan asked.
“Not far, but I’ll drop you off first. Actually, if we walk, we’ll kind of go past my place.”
“Let’s walk, then.”
