Nik speaks, “Table for two, please.”
The host immediately replies, “Of course. Follow me.”
Still with our arms around each other, she shows us to a table just inside an open doorway that leads to the patio seating. I feel a slight breeze come through the doorway and I think she just gave us the best seats in the house.
Just as we’re about to sit, I hear multiple gasps and look over two tables to see three pretty women sitting and staring at us open mouthed. Nik stiffens and I’m confused.
What’s going on?
All the women look past us to the restaurants entrance. I feel my eyes follow theirs and when I see what they see, I stiffen as much as Nik has.
At the host table stands She-Devil Sissy. Her face flashes pain but she covers it quickly with a superior look.
She walks over to where her friends are sitting and as she passes us she acknowledges us, “Nik, and Friend of Nik’s.”
Nik sounds bored when he replies, “Sissy. Enjoy your lunch.”
As Sissy sits with her friends I hear them bombard her with questions and statements. “Oh my gawd Sis, isn’t that your boyfriend?” “I thought you guys were gettin’ married?” “Forget his cheating ass, honey.”
Nik takes out a chair for me and I sit, then he seats himself and shoots me an easy smile, “Just ignore them.”
I feel my neck get hot and itchy and I’m sure it’s bright red. I do my best to plaster on a fake smile, “Yeah, sure.”
Nik sees my obvious discomfort and reaches over to put his hand over mine. He whispers, “We can leave.”
I’m just about to answer when the waitress comes over to our table. Rather than answer Nik, I place my order. He smiles and shakes his head at me then places his order.
As we’re waiting for our meals, we chat.
I point out, “So, this is kind of awkward, having your ex-girlfriend watch us eat. Now she definitely thinks you’re shtupping me.”
Nik laughs at my silliness and says, “She was never my girlfriend, babe. Never even been to my house. We always met at the club or I would go to hers. Don’t listen to her friends. She knew what our relationship was. I never played games with her, I was always forthright. If I’m completely honest with you, it was just sex.”
I blush at his bluntness and squeak, “Oh, okay.”
He narrows his eyes, places his joined hands under his chin and says, “But I’m curious about you, little T. How does a woman who owns her own business, bakes like you do, and is as pretty as you are not have a boyfriend?”
He thinks I’m pretty?
I return with, “Uh, I guess I could ask you the same thing. You must know how handsome you are. And you own a hugely popular nightclub. How do you not have a girlfriend?”
He smirks, “Ahh, the old answer a question with a question sham. I’ll answer yours but you’ll answer mine too, okay?” I smile and nod. He says ,“Good. Okay. Well, I don’t have a tragic story to tell about lost love. I had a girlfriend in high school and she was great. I thought I’d end up with her.” A look of pain crosses his face. “My dad died when my sister Isabel was just born. I was sixteen. Max was fifteen. I was the oldest boy in the family which meant most of the responsibilities fell to me because my Mom was raising five children on her own. After dad’s funeral, my auntie and Trick came to live with us for a few months to help out. They fell in love with New York and never left. Trick helped me out a lot back then because his dad died the year before and he knew what I was going through. To cut a long story short, I didn’t have the time to date like other teenagers did. I was always fixin’ something around the house or watching the kids or working to make some extra money for Mom. When I was twenty four I took some night courses in Business and got a degree. A few years after that I decided I needed to look into a business which could be open at night so I could still help Mom during the days. I got together with two other people and opened The White Rabbit. There was no time in between for anything else. Now the club takes up most of my time and I don’t think that’d be fair to a girlfriend, ya know? There will come a time when I want to settle down. It’s just not now.”
My face dropped halfway into his talk.
He lost his father at sixteen. His sister was just born when he died, she probably doesn’t even remember him. I think back and now realize the family photograph in his office must have been taken just months before his father died because his mother was so heavily pregnant.
He took on the role of father figure at sixteen and did what he had to do to make sure his family was ok, missing out on most of his childhood and teenage years. While most teenagers we’re going out, being stupid and fooling around, Nik was watching his brother and sisters.
Who was there for him?
My throat tightens with emotion and my eyes mist. I reach over and put my hand over his, I whisper, “I’m so sorry, honey.”
With a soft face, he lifts my hand and kisses the top of it, “Your turn.”
I clear my throat and steady my voice. “I’ve dated guys. When those guys kissed me,” I shrug, “nothing happened. There was no spark. My heart didn’t skip a beat; there were no butterflies in my belly. It was just nice.”
He states, “They weren’t good enough for you.”
I feel a swell of panic. I don’t want Nik to think I think I’m pompous.
I immediately sputter, “What? No! It’s not like that!”
He chuckles, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it sound like you’re picky or some shit. What I meant was you seem like the type of person who knows when she’s got somethin’ good. So, if any of those guys were good enough for you, you’d be with one of them.”
Wow, that’s nice.
I lower my eyes, pick invisible lint off the table cloth and tell him, “I had something good once. I was young and thought he was the one. I loved him. Like, really, loved him. And he left. So, I guess you could say that I don’t trust my instincts much anymore.”
Nik sounds mildly annoyed, “That’s too bad. What kind of asshole would leave all of this?” He waves his hand up and down at me. “He must’ve been blind, babe. You’re better off without him.”
I lift my head and smile at him.
The waitress brings our food and we push both plates into the middle of the table. Nik puts the tomatoes from his salad on my plate and I put most of my French fries onto his.
We pull our plates back and smile at each other.
You’re doomed.
Yep, I’m pretty sure I am.
***
“That’s not fair, Nik. I said I would get it this time.” Tina actually looks pissed.
When I saw her come out of the Safira staff room, I was blinded. She looks like an angel today. Wearing a long white gypsy skirt, white blouse with short puffy sleeves and white sandals, she actually looks angelic. Her dark hair is down, falling in soft waves down her back, the front of her hair pinned up in a little poof. She wears little make up and only glosses her lips. That really turns me on. She has natural beauty. None of it comes from a tub of goop.
I can’t help but grin at her. She’s so damn cute. She actually thought she was buying lunch today.
Ahh, little Tina. You’ll get used to it.
While she was in the bathroom I waltzed up to the register and paid for lunch.
We’ve spent most of lunch chatting. And very surprisingly haven’t let Sissy two tables over distract us. She walked passed us a few times trying to get our attention but we ignored her. I know Sissy, and she does not like to be ignored.
I state, “Tina, I invited you. It was the polite thing to do.” When she still looks pissed, I decide to fight dirty. “Have I mentioned I’m seven hundred thousand dollars richer because of you?”
That works. She tilts her head, lifts a brow and says, “This is true.” I chuckle at her.
The girl wears her heart on her sleeve. You can tell whatever she’s thinking through her facial expressions.