Chapter 26
Dominic
“You look beautiful,”I say. I swear I see Mila’s cheeks blush a rosy shade of pink. I rarely see her blush, I think because her Latina blood keeps her skin a perfect shade of olive. It’s the loveliest contrast with her honey-colored eyes, and it takes everything in me not to stare.
“Thank you,” she tells me as I help her out of the car. We are at Blaze. It’s a swanky restaurant near my company with fire-grilled steaks, chicken, and seafood. There are amazing cocktails and fire pits on an enclosed patio.
“This is fancy,” she says as I guide her through the restaurant towards a staircase.
“We have meetings here a lot,” I tell her.
“Really?” she asks. “I don’t know if I’ve ever even been somewhere like this.”
“The food is great, and the rooftop is perfect for parties,” I tell her.
“The rooftop?” She asks, and I place my hand on the small of her back, guiding her up the stairs.
“Mmhmm,” I answer with a smirk.
There are private tables situated around firepits. There are string lights overhead and around the banisters, and a small bar catering only to our party.
“Wow,” she says with a smile as we walk in. Everyone from work turns to greet us, and it’s a flood of names, hands, and compliments in Mila’s direction.
“Everyone, this is Mila. Mila, this is everyone,” I say. “Nate is my lead man; he handles all the clients on an interpersonal level.”
“I do Zoom calls and sales,” he says with a warm smile.
“It’s because he’s the prettiest guy here. I’m Josh.”
“Josh is in charge of marketing,” I say. “And this is Dalton and Morgan. They handle logistics. Then we have Joel and Brendan. Joel is the electrical engineer, and Brendan is the mechanical engineer. Then Stephen, John and James. They’re all in software.”
“Gosh, I don’t know if I am going to remember all your names,” Mila smiles. I am dead certain is another blush.
“Oh don’t even bother,” Andrew says, coming out of the woodwork with a drink in hand. “This isn’t even half of us.”
“What’s important is that you remember who Morgan and Dalton are,” I say. “They’re my favorites.”
“That’s because we keep the ship above water,” Dalton says.
“No, that’s the engineering department’s job,” Brendan cuts in.
“Right, but we keep the boat rowing smoothly,” Morgan says. Everyone continues to banter, making Mila laugh.
“I thought my impression was the one that mattered most.” My father’s voice comes from behind me, and we turn around to greet him. As usual, he is dressed to the nines with hard eyes and a smug smirk. Some things never change, though I am surprised when he looks over Mila.
“Well, aren’t you charming,” he says, and she smiles, holding out a hand. “More lovely than the photos. Son, why didn’t you tell me she is more lovely than the photos?” he asks, taking her hand.
“I didn’t want to brag,” I say.
“A lady like this on your arm and you should do nothing but brag,” he says. I can’t help but let out a small and discrete sigh of relief. “Well, I’m starving. When can we eat?”
“After you,” I say, gesturing for him to take a seat at one of the tables by a fire pit near the bar.
“I didn’t know your dad was going to be here,” Mila murmurs through a smile without moving her lips.
“I didn’t want you to be nervous,” I tell her under my breath.
“No, because catching me completely off guard is much better,” she sasses.
