We drove through Coupeville as the sun was setting, the city lights starting to twinkle around us. We kept chatting until I realized that instead of heading toward downtown or any of the fancy restaurants I expected, he took us in a completely different direction.
“Where are we going?” I asked again.
“Patience, woman.” But he was smiling, clearly enjoying keeping me in suspense.
Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to what looked like an empty lot on the outskirts of the city. But as we got closer, I realized it wasn’t empty at all. There were fairy lights strung between tall poles, creating a magical canopy over a space that had been transformed into something out of a dream.
In the center was a table for two, draped in white linen with candles flickering in glass holders. Rose petals were scattered throughout the space, and a full catering setup was set up off to one side, staffed by people in crisp uniforms who appeared to know exactly what they were doing.
“Lesley,” I breathed, stepping out of the car and turning in a slow circle. “What is this?”
“This is us having our first real date,” he said, coming around to take my hand. “No interruptions, no business calls, no other people watching us. Just us.”
He led me to the table, pulling out my chair. Always, the gentleman I was still learning he could be. The setup was flawless.
“How did you pull this off?”
“I called in some favors,” he said, settling into his chair across from me. “I remembered Eric’s wife, Monica, from Taiwan’s wedding, and she set all this up. Said she’d be honored to help.”
I smiled, touched that he’d thought to reach out to her. When our food arrived, the conversation shifted to more personal territory. As we ate the surf and turf, we talked about everything and nothing. He told me about growing up without a mother, and I felt connected to him in that moment. I was often surprised at how calm Lesley could be when it was just us.
“When?” I asked suddenly.
“Huh?”
“When did you learn all of this about me? The food, the setup, what I like?”
“I already told you I’m checking in with Malice and watching. You not hard to learn.”
“Is that a good thing or bad thing?”
“A,youthing. Shit easy with you. That’s what those two weeks were about, but I knew I’d be back, and I knew what I needed to do when I got back.”
“And what was that?”
“Show you I’m for real about this. I handled my pops the second I got the chance. No one gets to make you uncomfortable or make you question what we’ve got going on.”
“Hhm, that’s why he apologized. What was it like growing up with your father?” I asked. “He seems like his life has been a midlife crisis since birth.”
His expression grew thoughtful, but he laughed. “Complicated as hell. He loved me, I never doubted that, but he was hard. Had to be, considering what he was preparing me for. But he also made sure I knew how to treat people right, how to show respect when it was earned.”
“Is that what this is?” I gestured around us at the romantic setup. “Showing respect?”
“This is me showing you love,” he said, his voice serious. “That you’re not just some arrangement or convenience. You’re a woman worth planning for, worth impressing, worth courting the right way. I had to check myself.”
The word “courting” sent butterflies fluttering in my belly. It was old-fashioned, respectful, the kind of word that spoke to taking time and care with someone’s heart.
As the evening went on, I found myself relaxing in his conversation and laughter. This wasn’t the controlled, careful Lesley from business dinners or the distant man who’d once shared my living space. This was someone who laughed at my jokes, who listened when I talked about my work, who looked at me like I was the only woman in the world. And he was so smart.
When dessert came—chocolate cake that was so good it made me moan with the first bite—he reached across the table and took my hand.
“I got something for you,” he said.
“Lesley, this whole evening has been perfect…”
“Just let me spoil you, Coco. Please.”
Before I could ask what, I heard the soft sound of instruments being tuned somewhere behind us. Then three musicians emerged, the members of Khemistry, a local R&B group that I’d seen perform at a few venues around the city. They were talented, soulful, the kind of musicians who could make you feel every note.
