“I like her,” Ethan said cheerfully.
Em rolled her eyes. Everyone loved Barbie.
Chapter Fifteen
ETHAN
Ethan neededthe ruse to last a touch longer.
Nosh actually loved the schtick with him having a girlfriend. And in a few weeks the president of Nosh was gettin’ married up in the mountains only an hour out from Denver. He wanted Ethan to attend…with Em.
This was his problem as the maître d’ met them at the door, greeted Ethan with a quick rundown of restaurant business—as he did whenever Ethan stopped in during operating hours—and then wasted no time snapping a few photos to send to the social media team. The staff would take more pictures and send them along all throughout the evening.
The hairs on his neck tingled and raised with the stares coming at them from the dining room. There were cameras on them already; he could feel it without even glancing that way.
Ethan reached for Emmaline’s hand as they moved along the edges of the restaurant to be seated. This was part of the deal, discussed and agreed upon. But it didn’t feel forced the way Em’s hand molded to his. It just felt normal. Natural.
She linked their fingers together. Then she glanced at him from under her eyelashes and the subtle smile radiated all through his bones. The urge to kiss her came out of the blue, and he was keen on the feeling of wanting and not having. Something about it made the chemistry between them crackle.
The little sizzle at their touch wasn’t half bad either.
Bit funny, though, that would happen now. For some reason, the timing made the back of his neck itch.
“Your restaurant is fantastic,” Em whispered to him, but all he could focus on was the curve of her upper lip and how her mouth moved as she spoke.
His restaurants received praise regularly from some of the best in the industry. Yet, when Em gave her stamp of approval? Well, his chest puffed up and he got weirdly warm inside. “Thank you.”
He liked that she liked his space. Wished he could take credit for it. But here’s the thing, Ethan was a chef—exceptional with all things cuisine. He was not good with décor. Didn’t particularly want to be, either.
So he’d hired that part out in the restaurants he’d opened. He was fussy when he chose the interior decorator, but once they came on board, he gave total control over the dining space. One might expect they’d go with contemporary chic.
They didn’t.
They’d picked blue velvet and twinkle lights, white accents with cream undertones, along with chairs they’d called Queen Anne inspired. He did not know what that meant, but they were comfy and looked good. He figured nothing else really mattered when it came down to it.
For tonight’s charade, Ethan reserved the table in the center of the main dining room. If this was a real date, he would’ve taken Em to the private tasting table in the back. But this was not that. This was the time to be seen. To get social media traction since she was the one to #DateMyCelebrityDad.
He released her grip so they could sit. She lifted an eyebrow as she took a leather-bound menu.
Why did this feel so different tonight? There was no reason for it to be different.
They neared the end of their sticky situation so no one would #DateMyCelebrityDad publicly, ever again. But he needed to ask her to hang in there a little longer.
A dose of courage and then he’d ask.
So, why did havin’ her in his restaurant feel like more than a ruse? Why did the spark between them crackle like it was charged with electricity?
“I can give suggestions if you’d like?” He scanned the menu out of habit. “But since I created the menu, you won’t go wrong with any of it.”
Her cheeks went rosy at that. Pinked in a way that made the twinkle lights seem to be only shining for the two of them. She snapped her menu closed with an efficiency he expected from his sous chefs.
“I’ve already decided.” She folded her hands under her chin and smiled his way.
So he’d been correct, after all.
A gut feeling Emmaline would prefer to pick her own meal bothered him the entire time he tried drafting a special spread. Finally, he chucked in the towel so she could choose for herself.
Didn’t seem that in her previous life she’d had much of a choice in things.
