He breathed in.
Breathed out.
He was going to have to finish his sentence.
But he was pretty sure he couldn’t finish this date.
He finally lifted his head.
“...you,” he finally managed.
New restaurants in Hellcat Canyon weren’t precisely on Glory’s radar, since her radar only picked up things she could afford, and eating out wasn’t one of those things lately.
Cafe Cinnabar managed to be shiny and cozy and modern. One wall was painted a glossy deep green. Another was a glossy cayenne. Another, butter-yellow. She was certain the food would be farm-to-table and served in little vertical stacks centered on white plates, like framed modern art. It was almost too hip for Hellcat Canyon, but rent in town was cheap and the place was small enough to actually make a go of it. She wished them luck.
Getting here had been fun. It was interesting to see Hellcat Canyon go by in a blur through the window of a Porsche. Kind of like an impressionistic painting of a small town.
“So Glory Hallelujah Greenleaf... what made you decide to go out with me?” Franco asked when they were settled in and the wine had arrived.
“Maybe I’ve just been mulling pros and cons all this time.”
Maybe she was doing it so she wouldn’t have to think about Eli and Bethany on their third date.
“You? I have a hunch you would have given me a flat out yes or no from the beginning. Unless you wanted to toy with me a bit. Or there was some other consideration.”
“I’ve been known to toy.” Which wasn’t a complete lie.
Franco smiled. “Have some more wine.”
She’d already downed a half glass with almost unseemly haste. It was fantastic wine, nuanced and expensive, and ought to be savored. But she’d all but belted it back after she’d seen Eli’s truck parked outside Cafe Elegante.
Her senior ball date, Mick Macklemore, had taken her to Cafe Elegante for dinner lo these many years ago. There were little white eyelet half-curtains on skinny rods in the windows and cane-backed chairs and votive candles in frosted glass holders. It was romantic and charming and unsurprising and the food was very good. It was where you took dates you wanted to impress. At least in Hellcat Canyon.
After seeing Eli’s truck, getting a handle on her mood was going to be like stuffing a porcupine into a burlap sack. A few barbs were bound to escape, and Franco was sitting in their path.
“I don’t get any looser when I’m drunk,” she warned Franco. “In fact, I’ve been known to throw things.”
“I’ll just bet you do,” he said with relish.
“How did you hear about this place?” Glory twisted slightly in her chair to look around at the tasteful little original paintings on the butter-yellow wall. They were all for sale.
“I have people who find things out for me.” He waved a hand airily. “It opened not too long ago. And it met your criteria.”
Which was “nothing fancy, some place where I can wear jeans.”
It was tremendously odd to recitecriteriato a gorgeous, famous man. And then have him do her bidding.
A little silence fell. She twisted her wineglass in her fingers.
“Anyone ever tell you that you’re beautiful?” Franco said.
She stared at him. “Seriously?” she said finally.
“Well, yeah.”
“Of course. C’mon, Hollywood, I’m expecting better patter from you.”
He grinned. “Okay. Beautiful and a handful?”
