“You know,” she said, scooping some steak onto her plate, “you keep the dirty hidden well, but when it comes out…”
She widened her eyes before she cut a piece and brought her fork to her lips.
“It takes a lot to surprise me—” she pointed at me with her fork “—and that still does.”
“I still surprise you?” I gazed at her as I speared a piece of steak.
“You do,” she said, holding my eyes as she chewed. She exhaled a long breath as a smile drifted across her mouth. “All the time. This is delicious, by the way.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you like it. It’s a little more on the rare side than I normally like, but since you like hamburgers medium, I adjusted for tonight.”
“You remembered? That’s really sweet. And a relief since after getting a good look at your hamburgers whenever we go out, I was afraid you’d serve me charcoal from the bottom of the grill,” she teased, but I was too distracted by the swipe of her tongue along her bottom lip to tease back.
“How’s it going at the bar? Ready to take over?”
“I suppose so. Locked in now, right?” she said with a throaty chuckle that went straight to my dick. “I’m officially giving up my apartment in Brooklyn this weekend, so there’s no going back after that, even if I’ll be squatting at Peyton’s for a while longer until I start shopping around for a place.”
She took a long sip of wine before she continued. Claudia was one of the most self-assured people I’d ever met, but rambling was her tell when she was nervous. It was adorable whenever I caught her doing it.
“I’m heading back to Park Slope this weekend to pack all my stuff and have dinner with my family. My cousin Eric will load his truck after I clear out my apartment and follow me home.”
“Your cousin? Why?”
“I didn’t want to hire a moving company to come all the way up here, and he has a big truck like you do and owes me a favor.”
“Why don’t you just use my truck? I could come down with you.”
Her glass stilled in her hand as she was about to take a sip.
“You’d want to do that? What about George?”
“I’m told he’s okay by himself now. Even his aide is cutting down to three days per week because she said she’s not needed every day. Luckily, nosy neighbors can come in handy sometimes and will keep an eye on him if I ask. Unless you don’t want me to come with you.”
She dropped her fork on her plate with a loud clang.
“Are you kidding? I’d love it if you came with me. You could meet my parents and have dinner at the Palace with us.” She stretched her leg against mine under the table, rubbing her ankle against my shin. “And you could spend the night with me at my soon-to-be-old apartment. The headboard and frame will be gone since my cousin is giving away my furniture piece by piece, but there’s still a mattress.”
“Is that so?” I said, picking up her hand and bringing it to my lips.
“Are you sure, though?” Her eyes searched mine as she crinkled her nose. “I know how you worry—”
“I do, but he’ll be fine to be alone for a night. Delighted, even.” I squeezed her knee under the table. “I’m sure.”
She smiled, pushing off her chair and making her way over to my side of the table.
“Thank you,” she said, climbing onto my lap and draping her arm around my neck. “You’re kind of wonderful.”
“Don’t let it get around,” I whispered, cupping the nape of her neck to pull her into a kiss. “Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?” I murmured against her lips and dragged kisses down her neck and along her collarbone.
“Iloveyour collarbone kink,” she said, her voice breathy and low.
“I think I have a Claudia kink.” She jumped in my arms when I skimmed my hand up her bare thigh. “Clearing out your old apartment and bringing all your stuff up here gets you this much closer to staying for good. I am all for making that happen.”
She leaned into me, burrowing her head into my neck. “It’s probably going to be weird going back. I left, thinking I was just going to take a break, not start a whole damn new life. Do you know I’ve only lived two places, and they’ve both been within blocks of each other in Brooklyn? My parents’ house and my apartment,” she scoffed, reaching for her wineglass as her gaze drifted to the woods behind our house.
“I’ve only lived four places. Here, my college dorm, my own place in town for a while after I graduated from the police academy, and then Putnam County with Mag…when I was married.”
Why had I stopped myself from saying my ex-wife’s name as if it were a curse? Maybe I just didn’t want to taint any of my good present with ghosts and guilt from the past.
