His lower lip quivers, and I’m more than tempted to drop my plans. But I can’t stand Axel up a second time. I give him a wan smile. “Next time, okay?”
He sniffles and then deflates into Grayson’s lap as if the entire fight has left his tiny body. I feel horrible.
I turn around and walk away. I make it about ten steps before I hear it.
“Dad, what’s a date?”
A beat of silence. Then Grayson’s voice, easy and unbothered. “It’s when two people sit across from each other and pretend.”
I shoot a dirty look over my shoulder, but he’s already rolling up his window.
Axel Hudson is an attendingphysician at Silverpeak General Hospital. Since I am one of the senior nurses, our paths often cross, but till a few weeks ago, I never knew he was interested in me. But then again, I’m so busy that I rarely notice anything outside of patients.
He’s already at the table when I arrive, and he stands when he sees me. Wearing a perfectly pressed dark blue shirt with brown slacks, he looks handsome, and his smile is charming. But I feel nothing when he beams at me. My heart doesn’t so much as flutter when he hurries around to pull out my chair.
“Thank you.” I smile hesitantly. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long.”
“No, I got here just a few minutes ago.”
We settle down, and he gestures to a waitress. He clicks his tongue when she hands us both a wine menu. “I’ll be picking the wine.”
I stare at him, his words making me feel uncomfortable for some reason. But it’s not that big a deal, so I try not to let my feelings show. He orders some wine with a fancy name and glances at me as if to gauge whether I’m impressed. I pretend to be studying the cutlery.
Once the waitress leaves, Axel says, “The Rosa 1930 is only available at a few places now. It was brewed in France. There are fifteen crates left in the world. One bottle is incredibly expensive.”
Once again, he pauses as if waiting for me to be awed.
I struggle to smile. “Sounds impressive.”
His own smile fades, and I see irritation flicker behind his eyes. I don’t know what he expects me to say. Should I gush over how expensive the wine is? Him mentioning the price makes me feel awkward. I didn’t even order it. I would’ve been happy with something cheap as well.
Once the wine arrives, another waitress reappears with the menus. She’s tall, with sharp cheekbones and baby blue eyes. The smile she gives Axel when she reaches the table has nothing polite about it before it swings to me, briefly, gone as quickly as it came. When she hands Axel a menu, her fingers curl around his for just a beat too long. He glances up at her. She holds it.
I’ve barely opened my own menu when Axel reaches over and plucks it clean out of my hands.
“I’ll order for you,” he says, not looking at me.
I open my mouth. “I’d really feel more comfortable choosing my own—”
He’s already looking back up at the waitress, who is watching this with an expression of total pleasantness. “She’ll have the salad. I’ll have the beef tartare.”
She writes it down, and when she looks back up at him, she tilts her head slightly, her voice slightly breathless. “Anything else, sir?”
Axel smiles at her. “Not yet.”
As she leaves, I catch her eyeing me, a sneer on her lips, and I grind my teeth. Axel doesn’t notice and leans forward. “You should have just let me pick you up.” His smile makes me want to kick him under the table.
“I don’t live far.” I keep my tone pleasant.
“I’ll drive you home after.”
“You really don’t have to.”
“I want to.” He leans forward slightly. “And we should get drinks after this. There’s a bar nearby with excellent cocktails.”
I open my mouth to answer and realize I would rather be watching Ethan make an absolute disaster of a pasta plate right now than sit here. Even if this date had been going well, my idea of a good time would be spending time with that little boy. And Grayson, perhaps. But mostly Ethan.
I try to push the thought back as the waitress reappears. I watch her refill Axel’s water over his shoulder. Her hand skims the back of his chair as she reaches past him. Not obviously. Just enough.
