Clara stopped me from pulling my phone from my pocket. “No, it’s fine. I had reindeer for lunch.”
It felt good to laugh with her. Life felt lighter with her at my side. Taking the night off had been the right move. There was no one else in the world I wanted to be with right then besides her.
“Go get dressed, you crazy woman. We’re going out on the town.”
“I thought you had work,” she said.
“I’m taking some time off.”
She got so excited when I said it, filling me with warmth. “You took time off from work for me?”
I nodded. “Christmas will be here soon enough. So yeah, I wanted to spend some time together.”
She squealed and squeezed me in a crushing hug. “You’re the best. I’ll be ready in twenty minutes.”
Clara scampered off to her room like an excited rabbit. I changed into a nicer suit and shirt, humming to myself like a fool.
When Clara reappeared, she looked incredible in a dress I had bought for her the other day. Clara looked good in anything, but tonight she had me drooling.
“Do you think the penthouse will burn down in our absence?” I asked.
“Probably. Luckily, the lights turn off.” She flipped a master switch, plunging us into darkness.
Blind, laughing and cursing, we found our way to the elevator and headed out into the night.
CHAPTER 24
CLARA
The restaurant was called Starshine. Inside, it was dark and moody, lit mostly by candlelight. The dining room only had around a dozen tables, filled mostly with couples like us, leaning in close to each other, staring into each other’s eyes, and whispering sweet words over a romantic dinner.
Although I had no idea if they were like us because I didn’t know what Luke and I were. This was unquestionably a date, of course. No one would bring a friend here. As mind-blowing as it had been, having sex once didn’t mean we were boyfriend and girlfriend. We had been faking that relationship, but we had entered uncharted waters now.
I didn’t want to ruin the night by overthinking, so I forced myself to be present and in the moment. One look into Luke’s eyes anchored me back in. “You said this was one of your favorite places?”
He nodded. “They make amazing dishes, but without veering off into anything too out there. I’ve been to some places that got way too far up their own asses.”
I laughed. “What was the most ridiculous dish you ever saw?”
Luke thought for a second and then chuckled. “Okay, it was a seafood dish. They made a scallop foam, served on a seashell,and they piped in a recording of the actual ocean where the scallops were caught. They said it added to the experience.”
“Oh, my God, that’s insane.”
“Right? Is that even food anymore?” I tapped the menu in front of me. “Not here. Order fish and it’ll be damn fancy, but it’ll still be recognizable as fish. Plus, they don’t give you the stink-eye if you want to order fries.”
I glanced at him. “So you won’t judge me for ordering fries? Is that what you’re saying right now?”
Luke shrugged. “Do it. They’re truffle fries made in duck fat. You’ll dream about them. In fact, we’ll get those as our appetizer.”
“You know how to treat a girl.”
Luke slung his arm around me and squeezed. “Stick with me, baby.”
We laughed. He let me go and we sipped our wine. The alcohol warmed me up, but so did he. Luke wasn’t who I thought he was. He had a sweet side and he treated me like a queen. I didn’t need a man to spoil me to get my affection, but it was still a dream come true when he did it.
The candle on the center of our table flickered with our breaths. It painted shifting shadows on Luke’s face, adding an air of mystery to his gloriously handsome features. The light caught his strong cheekbones and made his blue eyes sparkle. I had difficulty looking away from them.
We ordered, getting the fries as a starter. Luke also got a steak and I went for the fish, after he’d talked it up. I would just have to imagine the sound of the ocean where it was caught.
