“Well,” Cierra thought about whether that was the right word, and shrugged, “I was going to say serious. But yeah, exclusive, I guess, too.”
“That’s fine with me,” he said with a calm grin. “I can work with that.”
A little taken aback by how easily he took her words, she was almost disappointed he hadn’t pushed back. But she knew that was ridiculous. After all, she couldn’t be the only adult in Manhattan bruised after heartbreak, on the lookout for something that didn’t ask for much more than a fun night out. Something to take the lonely edge off.
Just then the server arrived with drinks, and Julian raised a passion fruit margarita.
“What should we cheers to?” Cierra asked.
“How about new possibilities?” he said, eyes fixated on hers.
“I like that,” she replied, and raised her glass as well. “To new possibilities.”
The server then brought over some chips and salsa while they waited for their food. While she’d never describe herself as a shy person, Cierra felt answers and stories flying out of her with a speed she wasn’t used to. She was also trying her best not to scarf down every last one of the salsa-filled chip boats her body was so desperately craving.
As the conversation continued, the server re-appeared and apologized for the wait. He looked frazzled, perhaps because other customers weren’t being as understanding, and explained the kitchen’s backlog was because of the busy night. He offered another round of chips and drinks on the house, which both Julian and she greedily accepted, and they continued on.
“That was really cool of you,” Julian said. He now had one elbow resting on the table, with his chin cupped in the palm of a strong-looking hand.
“What do you mean?”
“Just that you weren’t mean about the food being late. I hate it when people are rude to waitstaff. You wouldn’t believe some of the dates I’ve been on.”
“Yeah, people can be real assholes,” she said.
Julian let out an open-mouthed guffaw at her candid comment, amused. “Well, don’t feel the need to sugarcoat or anything,” he joked.
Cierra shrugged and gritted her teeth. “Did you ever work in the service industry?”
“All throughout high school. And summers between classes when I was in college. It really helped teach me a work ethic, and how to treat people, for that matter.” He raised his eyebrows, suggesting he’s suffered at the hands of over-inflated guests a time or two. Harry had never worked a service job in his life. She thought about Prep School Mom again, and her face darkened.
“Oh, sorry if I said something,” Julian said, pulling Cierra out of her head.
“No, no, you’re fine. You’re great, actually. It’s just”—she paused—“I guess I’m used to being around people who don’t get it. Can’t relate to that kind of experience, I mean.”
“I don’t think anyone on my team at work has worked for under six figures in their life,” Julian said with a disapproving head shake, taking another sip.
“You work in tech, right?” Cierra asked.
“Yeah, on the business side. Acquiring companies, creating synergy, blah blah blah,” he said, probably used to people checking out.
“It seems interesting. Do you like it?”
“Eh, it’s fine. I like the pay, I guess,” he laughed awkwardly, before his eyes widened. “Whoa, sorry, that probably made me sound like such an asshole.” Cierra shook her head, but Julian continued. “What I meant was, I grew up without a lot, so it’s nice being in a place where I can be comfortable: travel, take careof my parents, sit on a few charity boards. The company I work for isn’t innocent, but I try to do what I can.”
“No, no, I get it. You make a lot of money. It’sverycool,” Cierra teased.
“Wow,” Julian laughed. “I open up about my childhood, and you make fun of me? Terrible!”
Cierra grinned. “At my last job, I felt so out of place. With the staff, the clientele. I always felt like I was walking on eggshells.”
“Sorry, where did you work, again?” Julian asked.
“Terra?”
“Oh, shit,” he said, with a knowing look of shock. “That’s serious. I ate there twice with work. That’s extremely impressive — but I can see what you mean,” he said with an understanding grimace. “But way to bury the lead about you being chef at a world-renowned restaurant like Terra.”
Cierra smirked. “Yeah, well, let’s just say I wasn’t prepared for my culinary career to come with a manual on handling celebrity special requests.”
