“At Lucy’s wedding.” He put his hand on my lower back and guided me out of the gallery. “Though you probably don’t remember. I think we were three shots in at that point.”
I didn’t remember. I was shocked that he did, considering how much we’d both had to drink that night.
He locked the front door and turned to face me. He paused when he saw the expression on my face. “What is it?”
“You remembered a restaurant I mentioned when we were both drunk over three months ago?”
He reached out to take my hand. His long fingers and large palm enveloped mine, warming my chilly skin.
“I remember everything from that night. I might have been drunk, but I was hanging on your every word.”
A lump formed in my throat. “Really?”
He stopped, tugging me closer until I was leaning against his chest. “Brown Eyes, I love hearing your thoughts and listening to the way your mind works when you speak. You’re one of the most interesting women I’ve ever met.”
Tears welled along my bottom lids, and I blinked rapidly to keep them from falling. One managed to escape, trailing down my cheek. Elijah lifted his free hand and brushed it away with his thumb.
“I’m sorry I never told you that before,” he said. “But I will always tell you from now on.”
I sniffled a little but managed to get myself back under control. “That is one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me.”
The same thumb that wiped away the tear touched the center of my bottom lip lightly. “Do you always cry when people compliment you?”
I shrugged. “It doesn’t happen very often, so I don’t know.”
The muscles in his jaw feathered as he clenched them. “Well, it will happen a lot more often now, so you’ll just have to get used to it.”
We walked the rest of the way to the restaurant, hand in hand. When we entered, the hostess greeted us with a smile.
“Reservation for 2 under Lawson,” Elijah stated.
We followed her to a small round booth. I took off my coat before I sat down, and Eli took it from me, laying it with his on the other side of the circular seat.
She swept away the extra plates and glasses and assured us our server would be with us momentarily.
I fidgeted with the menu in front of me, unsure of what to say now that we were actually here.
I hadn’t been this nervous around Eli since the night of Lucy’s wedding.
“Grier.”
At the sound of my name, I looked up at him. We were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, so our faces were close together. His palm moved to rest on my thigh.
“We’re going to have a delicious dinner, and we’re going to talk. I don’t want you to weigh your words or bite your tongue. I want to hear what you’re thinking, even if it’s not something positive. Okay?”
“Okay.”
A woman wearing all black stopped in front of us and poured ice water in our glasses before placing the glass carafe on the table.
“I’m Natalie, and I’ll be taking care of you tonight. Can I get either of you a glass of wine or cocktail?”
After I told her I wanted a glass of red wine, Elijah ordered tea and a baked brie appetizer. When she left, I turned toward him with my mouth open to respond to what he’d said before.
“Let’s talk once we’ve ordered our entrees,” Elijah said. “I want to be able to give you my full attention, and I know we’ll be getting our drinks soon.”
I nodded and looked at the menu. The roasted lamb with root vegetables was my favorite and what I always ordered. I wasn’t going to change it up tonight. I did glance at the dessert menu because it often changed with the seasons, and I definitely wanted to order something. I saw feuilletée aux pommes and smiled. They were my favorite. Thin apple slices were placed on a pastry dough that was then rolled into a rose shape. Not only were they beautiful, they were also delicious.
Natalie came back with our drinks, and we placed our orders for our entrees. Once she left, Elijah turned toward me and put his arm along the back of the booth. He was so close that I felt surrounded, but in the best way.
