Page 13 of The Perfect Heart

Her eyes slid to me, hesitation in the length of time it took.

“This all looks good.” She smiled, but it wasn’t convincing.

I glanced at the prices. They weren’t expensive, but they weren’t cheap, either.

“This is on me, okay?” I reassured her. “I’m the one who asked you to dinner so we could catch up, so I get to pay. And if you only order a side salad and water, I’m just going to order more so you eat.”

Something told me Halle hadn’t been eating much more than the bar's staff meals. How did I know? Halle had grown up with a single mom, and money had been tight. I’d seen all of her tactics to save money—ordering a side salad and nothing else when we went out to eat, sneaking home extra from school lunch, or only eating at the grocery store she’d worked at in high school. They had let her take old food that would have been thrown away.

My answer had been to invite her over for meals as often as possible and to order extra so she could eat off my plate. I wasn’t sure if she ever caught on to the tactics or whether she didn’t say anything so she could keep her pride intact.

The quip about the side salad did earn me a small smile, though, and I offered one back. “Seriously. Order what you want. It’s not going to break the bank.”

Her smile grew a little brighter. “The bar looks like it’s doing well.”

“It is,” I agreed, looking back at the menu. “We even got written up on a few travel sites, vlogs, and even a local travel magazine in Seattle, which helped boost our visitors. One travel vlogger even called it—” I paused, thinking, “—a true jewel of Western Washington.”

“That’s amazing.” Halle’s smile was glowing now that she wasn’t talking about herself but my success instead. “I can’t believe you made your dream come true like that. Well, I mean, I can believe it, but I’m so happy for you. And you’re so young—how did you do it?”

“I worked my ass off, working at Dad’s office and doing other odd jobs, whatever I could just to save money—lived with Mom and Dad so I didn’t have to pay rent, that type of thing. When the old bar went up for sale, I had almost enough for a down payment, and Grandma Rose put in the rest as a kind of investment. I still pay her dividends every month.”

When I laughed at the last, Halle joined in. She had met my Grandma Rose in Seattle and knew that woman was a livewire.

“And Dad helped me restore the place. It was pretty rundown when I got it.”

Halle’s nose wrinkled. “It was already pretty rundown in high school.”

I laughed. “Yeah, it was.”

“It looks great now, though. And your staff really loves you. Some more than others.” Now Halle’s eyes glittered. Once I had told her about Nicole, she hadn’t quit teasing me about dating one of my employees.

“You would know. I’m pretty sure you think I’m a great boss.” I shoved her foot with mine to show her I was kidding, and she responded with a rare giggle.

At one time, they hadn’t been so rare.

Halle took a drink of the water the hostess had brought back, her gaze sweeping the restaurant, and I followed. The atmosphere was pleasant, even a touch romantic, the lights dimmed slightly, the hum of quiet conversation and clinking silverware above the soft music. Outside, people passed by bundled against the cold, the white fairy lights lining the window and the building’s overhang reflecting off coats and the snow.

“So you broke up with Nicole, but are you seeing anyone else?”

Halle’s question was quiet, and when I looked back at her, she was peering at me, a shadow in her expression, almost like she didn’t want to know the answer.

“No. Nicole was kind of an oasis in the middle of a desert. Well, not really an oasis, but you get the picture. The bar keeps me too busy to get into a relationship.”

That and I hadn’t found anyone who I thought was worth the time or energy.

Did I see relief in Halle’s shoulders moving away from her ears?

“So what about you? Things aren’t so great between you and your husband?”

Halle had been lifting the glass of water to her lips. But her hand froze, her gaze snapping to me before she looked resolutely back at the menu, returning her water to the table.

“I just needed a break. That’s all. Relationships are hard.”

From how she pressed her lips together after those few words, I knew I’d gotten all I would get from her. And she was too relieved when the server came to take our order.

A flare of annoyance colored my tone as I ordered, frustrated that Halle had closed herself off again. This wasn’t the same Halle who had drawn me out of my shell, gone to football games with me, and accompanied me to homecoming. This wasn’t that carefree and always smiling teenager.

This Halle was different, and I was desperate to find out what had happened to make her this way.