Chapter Twelve
Afew toughweeks later Greg helped load my things onto a moving truck. He offered to help me unpack at my new apartment, but I didn’t think it would be a good idea. I wanted to leave him behind and this new place had to be empty of Greg. I enlisted Marco and Jeanette to help me, and together we brought the things from my old life into my new one-bedroom apartment in the downtown area. It was located near the event planning business that hired me as a receptionist. My goal was to learn as much as possible and be an event planner myself. I’d even registered for classes at the local college.
Tammy threw me a goodbye dinner at her house which several coworkers attended. I already had plans for her to come over the next night to help me christen my new bachelorette pad with a wine and movie girls’ night.
That night, sleeping in a new apartment by myself for the first time, I felt proud that I had come so far on my own. With the help of friends and family, of course, but I didn’t need a man to take care of me. Greg took care of me before because I let him, but not because I needed him to. As I got used to my new life, I came to like it. It took several months, but I started to get comfortable eating dinner alone and sleeping without someone next to me.
I enjoyed my weekend nights out with Tammy and the girls from my old job. We spurned many men’s advances together. No one seemed worthy of even a first date. Until I met Jacob— a very good-looking guy with an even better looking car. He was tall and intelligent, which is what drew me to him when we met at a wedding I worked at. He was a guest and asked me out as I tried to coordinate the wedding party to enter the reception hall. We connected later, and he offered to take me to a ritzy restaurant. Utterly charmed, I accepted, and we drove in his convertible to the restaurant.
“You look amazing in that dress,” he said, as he handed the valet the keys.
“Thanks. You look nice as well,” I said, admiring the enormous chandelier at the entrance. Already my mind thought like an event planner’s, and I imagined the place would be fabulous to rent out for special occasions.
“Reservations for two,” he told the hostess. He was blond haired, blue-eyed, and delicious. A rush of anxiety mixed in with excitement came over me as I took his arm and we walked through the upscale restaurant. It was my first date since Greg (if you didn’t count any of my time with Harvey in St. Thomas or that picnic as a date), and my nerves wouldn’t quit. I hardly knew Jacob, and we asked each other questions to learn more about one another.
“So when I say I’m at work, I mean I’m off hounding others to do my work for me,” he said, laughing. He told me stories involving the development company he owned. While they weren’t terribly interesting, I loved that he was a self-sufficient man.
I laughed to be polite until the waiter came to take our order. Having decided on a braised beef entrée, I was surprised when he ordered two of the lamb. I’d never had someone order for me and wasn’t sure I liked it.
“I’d really prefer the braised beef over the lamb,” I whispered after the waiter had disappeared.
“Did you? Well, try the lamb. It’s perfection, I promise you won’t be disappointed,” he said, taking my hand, and smiling. “You look lovely. I was so glad you agreed to come out with me. I was afraid you wouldn’t. You must have men pestering you every day.”
“No, not every day,” I said, and I took my hand back as the waiter returned with a worried expression.
“I’m sorry sir, but we are out of the wine for that year. May I suggest the 2010 red Cabernet here?” he said and pointed to the wine list.
Jacob looked very displeased and showed it as he said, “Unacceptable. I specifically requested it over the phone, and the manager assured me it was available. Let me speak to him.”
“I’ll be back with him in a moment, sir,” the waiter said apologetically.
“I won’t be drinking any wine, if that makes a difference,” I said, not wanting to bother the manager.
“Don’t be absurd,” he said. “Lamb without wine is sacrilegious.” He said this gravely, as if it really would be, and I tried not to burst out laughing. I considered getting up at that moment and telling him I didn’t think we meshed well when the waiter came back this way, trailed by the manager. I didn’t see the manager himself until he moved past the waiter to be directly in front of us at the table. My heart stopped— as did whatever he was going to say.
Harvey. Apparently he’d become manager of this restaurant, and here I was on the worst first date with a man who insisted on complaining about a missing wine bottle. While I tried to compose myself and catch my breath, Harvey found his own tongue and spoke to my date.
“I apologize for the misunderstanding. John here tells me you were under the impression you had reserved a bottle of the 2009 wine, but I clearly remember our conversation from earlier where you asked for the 2010 bottle, which I do have on reserve for your table,” he said, looking over at me. He was dashing, in his long sleeve button-down shirt, hair gelled back, and the five-o’clock shadow along his jawline. These past three months I hadn’t allowed myself to think about him, but at that moment my imagination swam with the possibilities. I almost forgot Jacob until he began a long list of complaints about the restaurant beginning with the lack of bread at the table, followed by the unbecoming conduct of the waiter (huh?), to the lack of responsibility with the missing wine bottle.
“I can offer you the 2010 on the house, since I do have that one, for the inconvenience. For you and your beautiful lady,” he said. I tried to hold back a smile as I looked at Jacob, to see what he would say.
“I suppose that will have to do for now,” Jacob said, obviously not pleased. Harvey walked away and brought the bottle back himself. He opened it and served Jacob a small amount for him to taste. Meanwhile, Harvey looked at me with an eyebrow raised. I tried to act like I was enjoying myself and even accepted the wine which Harvey, surprised, poured into my glass.
“Enjoy,” he said and walked off. Now I had to sit through the entire dinner. And eat lamb— how I hated lamb!
After they served our food, Harvey himself came over to check if everything was to our taste.
“It is, thank you,” Jacob said, not looking up. I, however, did catch Harvey’s wink at me. Oooh... that got me riled up. Who did he think he was? Winking at another man’s date?
“Excuse me while I use the restroom,” I said and went off in the direction I had seen him go.
“Where is the manager, please?” I asked a waiter on his way to the kitchen.
“I’ll get him for you,” he said. I followed the man to the back into a small office and moved in front of the waiter.
“It’s fine, she’s a friend,” Harvey said to the waiter who shrugged and left. “So is that your boyfriend? You sure know how to pick ‘em.” He said sitting back down.
“Oh, I do. Like when I picked you, and then you lied to me,” I said.
