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When he’d joined Tessa to walk in, she leaned close and asked through clinched teeth, “Am I underdressed?”
She was wearing jeans and a grey T-shirt. She didn’t look bad. In fact, Damon couldn’t help but notice the way her shirt fit and how her jeans hugged her hips.
No, she didn’t look bad at all.
It probably wouldn’t be wise to expound on how good he thought she looked. So, he simply said, “You’re dressed perfectly. Hey, I’m in jeans and a polo shirt.” A shrug finished his thought.
Inside, they found a quaint old building where the Spanish Colonial Revival décor matched the building’s outside.
It wasn’t very busy, which was just perfect for the conversation Damon wanted to have.
As they followed the maître d’ toward the back, Damon nodded and said quiet greetings to a few other patrons.
No one made a fuss over him. He wasn’t even the only movie star dining there either.
Once they were seated and their server quickly introduced himself and took their drink orders, Damon smiled across the table at Tessa.
“This place is great. Sort of rare because they’re open for breakfast. A lot of these places don’t even do lunch, you know. Just cater to the dinner crowd.”
Tessa smiled and nodded politely, but he got the impression she actually didn’t know what he was talking about.
Silence settled over the table. Damon’s mind raced as he struggled to latch onto anything that would fill the void.
After clearing his throat, he opened his mouth to speak, but the server appeared again to deposit his coffee and her glasses of water and orange juice.
“Do you know what you’ll be having this morning?”
“I think I’ll have the raspberry pain au chocolat, please,” Damon stated. Looking at Tessa, he said, “They are the best. The chocolate mixed with that tart raspberry? Absolute perfection.”
Tessa just sort of bobbed her head.
“I’ll, uh, have a waffle. If you have them,” she said.
“The Bananas Foster Belgian Waffles?” the waiter asked as he wrote on his pad of paper that was bound in a leather insert.
“Uh… huh?” Tessa asked.
The server was patient as he moved his eyes from the pad to her. “It’s a waffle with caramelized bananas, rum-butter sauce, and whipped cream.”
Damon could tell the wheels were turning in Tessa’s mind. Finally, she said, “That actually sounds really good. Sure. I’ll have that. Thank you.”
When they were alone again, Damon sipped his coffee and then said, “I’ve had that dish before. You’re going to love it.”
Once again, the conversation fell flat.
Damon concentrated on his coffee, trying to work up the nerve to cut to the chase.
“So, when do you start your new job?”
“Not for a whole week.” She seemed to be perking up now, eager to talk about her career. “I wish it were sooner. But this will give me time to hang out with Auntie Athena and Auntie Caroline and get to know them better. Hopefully they start letting me help out around the nursery.” She suddenly looked embarrassed as she glanced around, as if checking to make sure no one had overheard.
The tables near them were empty. They had nearly complete privacy in the back corner.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Her voice was much lower when she answered. “I was making sure no one could hear.”
Damon waved it off. “It’s all good. We’re alone. And folks respect privacy in this place. Though I’m sure there is always someone who is dying to sell a tidbit of juicy gossip to TMZ or Entertainment Tonight.” He chuckled. “There’s one in every crowd, right?”
