"No preference," she assured him.
He took her someplace quiet, but way more expensive than any place she had ever eaten. A Tyson King and Claudia Cantore type of restaurant. She was surprised he would even consider it, but she thoroughly enjoyed every moment. She practically salivated over every morsel as each course appeared at their table and enjoyed the way in which Daniel ordered each dish, using the right accent.
"I had no idea you had such hidden depths," she teased.
"I've traveled," he muttered.
They shared a booth in a secluded part of the restaurant. Daniel was sitting close to Addison with his arm resting near enough to her to toy with the curls resting over her shoulder, but not close enough to interfere with her enjoyment of the delicious cuisine. He seemed more intent on watching her eat than on eating himself. Though he did take time to wolf down several bites in between conversation. She could feel him constantly tense and relax, as though the desire to cater to her was at war with his habitual discomfort at being in such a vulnerable public setting.
"This isn't going to be cheap, Daniel," she said, a touch of anxiety in her tone, as she dabbed her lips with a cloth napkin.
"Let me worry about that."
"I really don't mind paying for my portion..." Addison tried to speak, but his hand came down on her shoulder with a growl.
"Stop speaking Addison. Don’t want to have to explain the vast contents of my bank account to you in this public setting. That’ll annoy me and might lead to a public spanking depending on how annoyed I am," he explained calmly. "One small meal’s not going to break me."
"Okay," she squeaked.
"Eat your dessert," he said, pushing the strawberry and kiwi tart close to her hand so she would know where it was.
"Okay."
"Addison, relax," he said, rubbing her shoulder soothingly. "I'm not upset with you. Starting to come to terms with your independent spirit. I'm far from poor. Salary’s extremely competitive. Also have a savings account that I haven't touched from my... contracting years. Most of the time I worked in deserts and jungles where expenses were low so the money just piled up. I'm a man of few needs so haven't done anything with two decades worth of contract payments except invest."
Addison nodded slowly. She wasn't surprised that Daniel had spent his lifetime saving money. She just hadn't really thought about it before. Their non-relationship was supposed to be impermanent up until now and she was nervous asking him personal questions. Suddenly discussing money so openly made things feel more permanent. Of course, he probably had monthly printouts on her bank and credit balances. The man had no concept of personal space when it came to her privacy.
“Finished?" he asked quietly and, if she weren’t mistaken, with a touch of hope.
She nodded and he took care of the bill while she found a washroom. He was waiting for her just on the other side of the door, ready to escort her back to the truck.
"We done, or do you have anything else planned?" he asked. He sounded genuinely curious, not like he was ready for their day to be done.
Yes, success!
"One more stop," she announced with a grin and gave him directions.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“The symphony?” he said, skepticism lacing his voice.
“Trust me,” Addison said, taking his hand and pulling him around the side of the building toward the musician’s entrance.
She dug around in her purse, past the bag of chess pieces until she felt her keychain and pulled out her set of keys. Feeling the ridges with her sensitive fingers, she chose the correct one, fit it in the deadbolt and turned the key. She pushed the door open and swiftly disarmed the alarm. She reached past Daniel, who had come in behind her, bolted the door again and turned on the lights.
Somewhat worried he might reject her idea, she said, “We have the place to ourselves. How do you feel about a private performance?”
He took her by the waist and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Not usually my idea of a good time, but I’m starting to like you, Addison Sterling. And so far this is the best second date I’ve ever been on.”
She grinned up at him and whispered, “Can we call it a first date? I don’t think the other one should count.”
“Whatever you want, baby,” he growled, kissing the tip of her nose.
Addison felt a warm glow spreading through her as she led him through the halls of the symphony house. She showed him the back offices, the catwalk and the area behind the stage before taking him out into the audience area. She held his hand and pointed out the different areas of the house, explaining where the acoustics were going to be best.
“…and right up there in that box is where I need you to sit. That’s where you'll be able to hear me best. Since this is the first real time I’m able to play for you, except for that time at Eleanor Channing’s party, and that doesn’t totally count because I wasn’t trying to impress you, I want everything to be perfect. I left my cello here on Friday after practice so I could do this.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment and then said gruffly, “I’ll sit wherever you want. Just point.”
