He raised a brow. “I look what?”
I swallowed the awkward lump in my throat and mumbled, “Hot.”
There was a minute shift in his expression. Some of the guard fell away, revealing a glimpse of true intrigue and maybe even hunger. My throat tightened. For the first time, I felt the draw of something stronger than a simple sit-down with a customer.
“No,” Elijah replied, flashing a bit of teeth in his grin. “But I appreciate. Iwasa bodyguard. Muscle for hire. Minor celebrities mostly, nothing too crazy.” His grin faded. “Of course, that changed when I lost my vision. I had to retire early, as much as it pissed me off.”
He lost his vision,I thought.So he wasn’t born blind?
He waved a hand. “Ah, it’s in the past now. Now I live with what I’ve got. Although I’m sure you’re tired of hearing my whole life story by now, right, Felix?”
I shook my head, then felt silly when I remembered he couldn’t see it. “No, not at all. I mean, it’s interesting. I’ve never known a bodyguard before.”
“Ex-bodyguard. But I appreciate it.”
“You still look like one to me,” I said, letting my eyes roam. “You have that protective aura about you.”
Elijah grinned. “An aura, huh? No one’s ever said that about me before.”
Although his eyes were unseeing, he still glanced in my direction. I wondered if it was a habit he kept from his sighted days. I stared into his dark, deep eyes and allowed myself to get lose in them.
“I know there’s a sign up front about the rules of this place,” Elijah continued. “Obviously I can’t read it, so you’ll have to tell me, Felix.”
“Hm?”
“Are there any rules about inviting employees out for a cup of coffee?” Elijah crossed his arms against the table. “Hypothetically speaking, of course, if the employee in question was actually interested in such a thing.”
My heart skipped a beat.
Is Elijah asking me out?I thought in disbelief. He worded his question in such a way that was obviously giving me an out, if I wanted it. A low-pressure invitation.
He was telling me I had the option to say no. But did Iwantto say no?
“There’s no rules against it, at least when the employee is off his shift,” I told him. “So, yes, hypothetically, it’s possible to invite an employee to . . . such an event.”
I studied Elijah’s face, and wondered if he wished he could do the same to me. I never even realized before now how much of communication was non-verbal. Could Elijah hear the smile in my voice and know I was interested back?
“All right, then,” Elijah said. A slight tug in the corner of his lips gave away his amusement. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
I suddenly remembered something and said, “You know, Mr. Cortez - “
He laughed, raising his hand. “Please. That’s way too formal.”
“Elijah,” I said, noting how his name tingled on my tongue. “We’re able to sit down with customers for five minutes for free, and then for an extra period of time for an added fee.”
“Is that right?” He seemed amused by this bit of information. “Well, my table’s wide open.”
Inside my chest, my heart continued to thrum rapidly. I’d had customers invite me to sit with them before--it was an innocent practice, no unwanted touching or harassment was allowed--but this felt different than all those times. It was like an unavoidable magnet pull between Elijah and me, and all I needed to do was close the gap.
Without waiting another second, I took a seat across from him.
And then I accidentally kicked his dog.
“Oh my god!” I yelped. “I’m so sorry!”
Beneath the table, River the guide dog stared at me, more confused than offended. My shoe had caught him in the side as I tucked in my chair, but he made no attempt to move, and he didn’t even bark. He just laid his head back down and went back to sleep.
“Let me guess,” Elijah mused, “you forgot he was there.”
