“Right,” I said.
Life without passion was pretty damn pointless, but I’d already traded the passion in my life for responsibility. Writing was the only luxury I had left in the little time I was able to do it.
“You sound like you speak from experience. Are you passionate about your new job?”
His shoulders shook with a chuckle.
“I was passionate about my old job. So much so that it took all my attention and focus for most of my life. But I couldn’t do it anymore, so I’m starting a new one.”
“So, this new job is a big change for you? Aside from moving across the country.”
“It is.” His gaze floated out the window again. “Trying to get excited for the new opportunity I’m grateful to have and not ponder all the ways I’ll fuck it up.”
He laughed, but it seemed hollow. He hadn’t given me any details, at least ones that could identify him and what he did for a living, but the sad pull in his features at whatever was making him so worried made my chest pinch.
“That sounds rough. I’m sorry, Silas.”
He nodded, pulling in his bottom lip as the waitress set our plates in front of us.
“It’s a good opportunity I was lucky to get. And I need to suck some things up and get my head in the game. I have no time to feel sorry for myself.”
“Don’t think of it as feeling sorry for yourself. Think of it as allowing yourself to mourn your old life. It’s okay to feel sad that something you loved ended and give yourself time before you can get excited over what’s to come.”
I scooped up one of the tacos and took a bite, the pork inside roasted to perfection as it melted on my tongue. I let go of a moan as I chewed.
When I lifted my head, a wide grin split Silas’s mouth as he stared at me.
“Listen,” I mumbled as I wiped my mouth. “It’s probably good that we met the way we did. Get all the big humiliation out of the way before you have to watch me eat.”
“It’s nice to see someone enjoying their food. I’ve gone on a couple of dates where the woman just picks at whatever she ordered, and I feel pressured to make conversation instead of eat.”
“I can eat around anyone. It’s a talent.” I said, trying like hell to forget Silas sayingdate. But he couldn’t have been comparing this to a date. This was… I didn’t know what this was. Dinner with a stranger. A very attractive stranger. A stranger who would give me romance-hero inspiration for a very long time.
I’d been out of the dating scene for so long, it was as if I’d never been there at all.
Maybe I hadn’t been.
“Is that why you’re staring? It’s that weird to you to see a woman actually eat?”
I laughed until he gave me a slow shake of his head.
“I’m looking at you because you’re pretty. Really fucking pretty. And I’m glad you punched me in the stomach, or else I wouldn’t be sitting here with you right now.”
A hot flush ran up my neck and heated my cheeks. I picked up my margarita and took a long sip, my mouth and throat now parched.
“Thank you,” I muttered as I set down my glass. “You’re all right too. I mean, for a gorgeous man who asks women out to dinner after they punch him.”
He laughed and picked up one of his tacos.
“Well, thank you. Now that that’s out of the way, you have me excited to take a bite.”
“I haven’t eaten for most of the day, so some of what you saw was me breaking starvation, but this is one of our favorite places in Williamsburg. I planned to come here in celebration after hitting word count because the food here is the ultimate reward.”
His brows popped as he chewed.
“This is really good,” he said, eyeing the taco in his hand. “I’ll have to come back here.” He set down the taco and brought his eyes back to mine. “Who do you usually come here with?”
“I planned to come here alone today,” I said, covering my mouth after taking another big bite.
