Chapter 15

Michael

I could tell Rainey was impressed by me getting my usual table at Vista. This was something expected from the other women I took out. While I didn’t think she expected that from me, it was refreshing to see that difference in her. With each new experience with Rainey, I realized I liked her more and more.

Other than her physical attractiveness, I found her strong, independent and kind, everything I would want in a woman. Too bad I didn’t meet her at Kadia or anywhere else in the City. Being her boss made my attraction to her much more difficult. If she were interested in me, I’d find a way around all of the red tape for her. There weren’t any other women I was willing to do that for.

“I had such a great time this afternoon,” she said while looking at the menu. “Rachel is fantastic. She’s very sweet and I’m happy to work with her on this.”

Her foot bumped my leg under the table. I glanced down and her foot was shaking as if the events that day had energized her.

“I’m glad you feel that way. It will make the entire project easier.”

She looked up from the menu. “Have you run this alone since your wife passed?”

“Yes. For a while, Sandra’s been telling me I needed an assistant to help. But I’ve always kept this project to myself. It has expanded throughout the years which is a good thing, but so has my business and the time came to pass it over.”

She reached across the table and touched my hand. “I won’t let you down. Thank you so much for trusting me with this.”

I looked at her hand, the smooth skin covering mine. Her fingers stiffened and she sat back in her chair. I had the urge to reach across the table and take it back, but I also didn’t want to freak her out.

“This is a really nice table.” She looked out the window but said nothing else. She continuously licked her lips and I smiled.

After a few seconds, she turned back to me, her honey-brown eyes serious instead of playful. “Just let me know what you want me to do regarding Mr. Rossi, or should the charity project be my main goal for the month?”

Demetri’s face flashed in my mind. “The charity is your main concern right now.” Thinking of speaking to Demetri again put a gray cloud over the mood of the evening. When the waiter arrived with a bottle of wine, I pushed all thoughts of that conversation away. I would deal with that later. Now I was going to get to know more of the woman sitting across from me.

“No more talk of business,” I said, watching the waiter pour a tasting glass of wine. I took a sip and approved. He poured Rainey a glass then filled mine. We gave our order and he whisked away from the table, leaving us alone again.

“A toast,” I said and raised a glass to her.

“What are we toasting?” she asked, lifting her glass.

“The start to our new relationship,” I said and clinked my glass against hers.

I briefly imagined a more romantic shift in our relationship. We’d only known each other a short amount of time but we’d already had an argument and had a heartwarming experience in the span of one day. There was something special about Rainey. I no longer had any regrets about choosing her for the position. I didn’t want another day to go by without seeing her. Dating her would be a mess, but I wanted to make the most of our time together, no matter our status.

“You mentioned going to Bar Harbor,” Rainey said. “What was the charity you did up there?”

“It was a community event that I sponsored. With the money raised, we were able to feed many families in need for the holiday. I wasn’t as involved as I am with the projects here but it was still very fulfilling. I stayed in one of my summer homes.”

“I bet it wasn’t very summery in November?”

I smiled. “It's a beautiful place even in the dead of winter.”

She pulled her glass to her lips. “Who did you go with?”

“No one.”

She looked down at the table after taking a sip of wine. “Oh.”

“Why do you ask?”

She licked her lips and shrugged. “I wasn’t sure if you went with a friend or something.”

Her earlier comment about the blonde at the club came to mind. Did she want to know if I was single? I supposed it was a fair question since during the interview she said she was divorced. And for me asking about going to the club last night to meet a guy. She was evening the playing field and I didn’t mind it.

“Nope, I went alone. I don’t mix my business with pleasure. I went up there for an event and that was the only reason.”

She nodded. “It’s nice to see you’re so dedicated.”

“I am.”

“What is the house like? Is it on the beach?”

“It has its own private view of the beach. It’s a smaller residence. Only five bedrooms.”

She laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“Five bedrooms isn’t that small you know.”

It was small compared to my apartment and any other vacation homes I owned. I’d found the house in Bar Harbor a quaint getaway in the spirit of the closely-knit community.

“How many bedrooms do you have in your house?” I asked.

She wet her lips again. “Two bedrooms. But it's no summer home.”

“I’ll take you up there sometime. It’s really quite peaceful.”

“I thought you didn’t take guests up there,” she teased.

“If all goes well with the Christmas charity, maybe I’ll consider you spearheading that one as well.”

“I don’t know,” she said, clicking her tongue. “What could I possibly do with five bedrooms all to myself?”

I thought of a hundred things—or positions— we could do in those bedrooms. I pushed that thought out of my mind, keeping myself treading on the line between professional and personal.

“I’d come with you the first time,” I said. “To help settle you into the role.”

“I’m not a fan of flying,” she said.

“That’s one trip I like to drive,” I said. “Usually I take my time getting up there, stopping at some of my favorite places.”

“So Constantine goes with you?”

I shook my head. “It’s one of the few times a year I drive myself somewhere.”

“And it would be the two of us?”

“My Maserati isn’t a very comfortable car for more than two people.”

Her eyes widened.

“Unless there is someone you’d want to take with you?” I added quickly. She seemed mortified at the idea. “I have several cars at my disposal.”

She hesitated. Had I misread her this whole time? Did she have a boyfriend? It couldn’t be that serious if she didn’t mention him. Could it? Would digging too deep push her away? “There isn’t anyone I’d want to take to a work function.”

I wasn’t sure how to interpret that but I decided to drop it. Testing Rainey’s boundaries weren't something I wanted to do tonight. I wanted her to open up, not shut down.

“Me neither,” I said honestly. Rainey was the first person since Cynthia that I would consider spending more than one night with.

“Dating sucks,” she said.

I laughed. “It really does.”

Rainey took one of the bread sticks from the basket and bit off an end of it. I felt guilty for keeping her from lunch. She was probably starving. I made a mental note to make sure I fed my assistant on a regular basis.

“It’s even harder after marriage,” she said. “I’m in no way comparing my divorce to your situation, but I can imagine it feels,—um— somewhat similar when you get back out there? Or maybe I’m wrong.” She shook her head. “I’m probably wrong.”

Her babbling was charming.

“No, you’re correct. Once you get married, you imagine spending your entire life with someone. Then when it ends, you have to start all over again.”

She nodded a few times, her gaze falling to the table, lost in thought.

“Is that what you meant?” I asked, trying to bring her back to the present.

She blinked up at me. “Exactly. I feel like it might be different for you, though.”

“How so?”

“For some reason, men get more attractive with age while women have to nip and tuck to keep everything in place.”

“I can’t imagine you nipping or tucking anything.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I think I’ll wait until forty.”

She laughed and I joined her. I refilled our wine glasses. “You have a long way to go for that.”

“I feel like I’m aging at a rapid pace since having—” she stopped as if her words were caught in her throat.

“Are you okay?”

She took a sip from her glass. “I’m fine.”

“You were saying?”

“Oh right, I feel like I’ve aged a lot since my um—divorce.”

“Do you mind me asking about that?”

She sighed. “We were young when we met and it wasn’t until later that I realized he wasn’t everything I thought he was. He wanted to be the breadwinner so for a while I didn’t work or go to school. That’s why I just graduated this May. I had to pick up the pieces of my life before properly moving on.”

I hated the guy already. “Was he the one who called you earlier?”

“Yes. I didn’t want to get you in the middle of that.”

“Do you want me to beat him up for you?”

Rainey erupted in laughter, loud enough to turn a few heads. It was the most beautiful sound I’d heard from her since we met.

I chuckled. “I mean it, just say the word.”

She wiped tears from her eyes. “I’ll be sure to do that.”

Our waiter returned to the table with our entrees then left us to eat in peace.

“Oh, this looks really good,” she said, digging in.

“This is one of my favorite places to eat,” I said.

“You seem to have a lot of favorites.”

“I know what I like.”

She twirled her pasta around her fork. “With claiming that many favorites, they’re all on the same level. How would anyone know what your real favorites were?”

“Each of the places I like has a different feeling attached. For instance, the tavern we went to yesterday gives me a feeling of nostalgia for times passed.”

“And this place?”

“Well tonight, it shot to the top of the list.”

She placed her fork down and looked up at me. I held her gaze for several seconds before saying, “This meal of course. It reminds me of my grandmother’s cooking.”

Her face fell for a split second, proving my hunch. I’d broken down a part of her wall and revealed her interest for me. While I couldn’t take it further, it warmed my heart to know she felt the same way.