Page 49

“Thank you, Johnny,” David nods to our host as he exits the room, closing the large wooden door behind him. David gestures toward the table and pulls out the nearest chair, which is the same velvet as the arm chairs in front of the fireplace.

I take a seat, still in awe of the gorgeous space. “This is so cool. It feels like a castle!”

David smiles, looking pleased that I approve of his restaurant choice, and takes a seat across from me. “It’s one of my favorite restaurants in the city,” he says as he unfolds his cloth napkin and places it in his lap.

“How do you have access to this private room? Do you know the owner?”

He clears his throat and shifts in his chair like he’s uncomfortable with the question. He mutters something quietly that I can’t quite make out.

“What was that?” I ask, leaning in closer to hear better this time.

“I am the owner,” He shrugs. “Of the building anyway. It’s one of my real estate properties. But the building is leased to the restaurant manager.”

My eyebrows shoot up. I didn’t realize he owned real estate; I thought he just did finance stuff. “Wait, one of your real estate properties?”

He fidgets uncomfortably again. “Yes. I own a few other properties… they’re all leased and managed by other individuals. This is the only restaurant though.”

“Fascinating.” I prop my elbows on the table and rest my face in my palms while I study him. “So, what are some of the other properties?”

He grabs the pitcher of water and fills his glass and mine. “Umm… one’s an apartment complex and another is a convention center. Nothing terribly interesting.” He takes a drink of his water.

He acts slightly uncomfortable telling me about the real estate properties he owns, and there’s something really charming about that. I like that he’s humble and doesn’t invest in real estate to impress people but just because he likes it. Or maybe it’s a challenge for him?

“Wow, you’re quite the entrepreneur,” I quirk an eyebrow and take a sip of my own water.

“Just like you.” He smiles. “Anyway, enough about my boring real estate… let’s talk about your wildly successful Peru article. It was up to six thousand comments last I checked.”

I blow out a deep breath and shake my head. “It’s so crazy. I’ve never had an article blow up like this before.” I bite my bottom lip, contemplating whether or not to tell him about the Monaco Hotel sponsorship, but decide to go for it. “I had several emails for new sponsorships too… one from a hotel chain.”

David’s head snaps to attention and he sets his water glass down. “Wow, that’s great. Which hotel chain?”

“Monaco Hotel Inc.,” I roll my lips together to keep my expression neutral. “They’re offering me all-inclusive trips to their hotels as well as compensation for articles I write featuring their hotels, restaurants, and spa services.”

“Monaco… that’s incredible. My parents love staying at their hotels.” He smiles and his eyes soften.

He looks genuinely happy for me, which makes my heart flutter even more than his kisses do. I’ve never had anyone be so supportive of my travel website, and it means more to me than he could ever know.

“I’m pretty excited about the offer. But my parents aren’t going to be happy.” My shoulders slump and I lean back into the plush velvet chair. “Traveling full time would mean I couldn’t work at Abuela’s anymore, and to them, that’s like me choosing myself over my family.”

“That definitely makes your decision complicated,” he says with a sigh.

I nod my head to agree with him.

A waiter knocks, opens the door, and steps inside the room. Wearing the same uniform of suspenders, white shirt and trousers as the bartenders.

“Mr. Windell, what a pleasure.” He smiles congenially. “Would you like your usual bourbon, sir?”

“You know me too well, Mark,” David tells him with a small laugh.

Mark turns toward me, “And what would the lady like to drink?”

I pause for a moment, wanting to see if David is the type to order for me. Because I hate that. He meets my gaze and raises an eyebrow, as if urging me to order what I want.

“Do you have sangria?” I ask the waiter, realizing we don’t have menus.

“We do, yes.” The waiter, Mark, looks down at our table then over at David. “Would you two like some menus?”

“A menu for the lady would be great. I don’t need one.”