Chapter Four

Anthony

As I stood outside of Balto’s waiting for Eliza to arrive, I ran over my normal conversation pieces, making sure to always keep the conversation going. The worst thing to happen on a date was to hit that awkward silence, where you just look around the room, not knowing what to talk about. I wasn’t interested in hearing her life story or anything, but I wanted to make her think I was interested in what she had to say. I didn’t know why I was so pressed on going out of my way for this girl, but she had definitely caught my attention the night before, and I was just going to go with the flow.

The air was cool, but I had reserved the outside table, so I walked inside and asked that they put a heater for us up there in case it was too chilly for her. The magic to all of it was keeping her as comfortable and satisfied as possible, otherwise it was going to be harder to keep her attention. A girl like Eliza, with her sass and charm, was definitely going to be difficult to keep focused, but thanks to Amy I was a pro at that. She always had a way of filtering off during a conversation and staring at something else. She saw the beauty in everything around her, which was awesome until you tried to have a conversation about finances or vacation.

I shook Amy from my thoughts as I walked back outside, sticking my hands in my pockets and standing to the side. I smiled at the other people as they entered and exited the restaurant, noticing that she was already five minutes late. Of course, I had only given her forty-five minutes’ notice, knowing that I didn’t want her to take her time to change her mind. I knew Mason loved me, but I also know him and his wife were trying to protect Eliza. The last thing I wanted was for her to call Missy, be warned about me, and then bail on our date. I knew she hadn’t stood me up, or the driver would have called me. Hopefully, she was just excited and taking the time to look absolutely amazing for our dinner.

There weren’t many things that turned me off about a girl when I actually asked them on a date, but showing up half put together was definitely one of them. I didn’t expect a woman to be perfect for me, but I did put the time and effort into looking my best for them, at least on a first date. My black hair was slicked back very Italian-style like my family, and my suit was pressed and free of lint. I wore an expensive cologne and made sure I didn’t put too much on that I choked my date. All in all, I thought about how they would perceive me, and I hoped the date would do the same thing.

When the car pulled up out front and Eliza stepped out, I almost fell over. She was wearing a tight black dress with tall heels, darker makeup than the night before, and her hair was flattened down and not as wild. She looked sexy as hell, and I knew I’d made the right decision. Her brown eyes were dark and expressive, and she had huge round tits that bounced, even in the confines of her dress. I couldn’t believe how lucky I had gotten; she was definitely a ten on my scale.

Between sending a town car to pick her up and taking her to one of the most elite restaurants in the city, I was positive that I was going to get laid. I had never gone to this great of a length to get a woman in bed, but since they normally fell for my fat wallet and charming smile, I knew this was definitely a home run. She looked up at me and smiled, walking toward me with a sexy hip-shaking stride. I ignored the electricity shooting through my belly since it wasn’t the typical place for me to have that kind of feeling about a woman.

She walked forward and put her hand on my shoulder, leaning in and kissing me on the cheek. I returned the kiss, taking in her scent. It was different, like lavender and patchouli, but it fit her and I liked it. Her skin was soft, and it felt good against my lips.

“You look beautiful,” I said, putting my hand on her back and walking her into the restaurant.

“Thank you,” she said, looking over at me.

We followed the hostess up to the top floor and out onto the balcony. There was only one table since I reserved the entire deck, and Eliza blushed, taking a seat as I pulled out her chair. Oh, yeah, this was definitely going to score me some points. I cross the table and sat down, staring at her as the waitress addressed us.

“The gentleman has taken the liberty of preordering both your wine and appetizer,” she said, setting the food on the table and pouring our wine. “Enjoy, and I will be back in a bit to take your dinner order.”

“Thank you,” Eliza said, nodding her head and smiling.

We both watched as the staff left the balcony, and I picked up the wine, raising the glass in the air. She laid her napkin in her lap and smiled, picking up her glass as well. I went through the Rolodex of toasts in mind and decided that less was more in this situation.

“To a beautiful night with a beautiful woman,” I said, clinking her glass.

“This view is unbelievable,” she said after taking a sip. “This is just amazing. Thank you so much for the thought.”

“You’re welcome,” I said, feeling very pleased that she was impressed.

We sat and ate our appetizer, ordering our main courses halfway through. We started the conversation talking about our jobs, what we did, and how we liked it. She was much more than a yoga instructor, and I was seriously impressed by her motivation.

“I always wanted my own business,” she said. “My parents own Young Gardens, and they always inspired me to reach for my dreams like they did.”

“Oh, yes,” I said, recognizing the name. “My family always got their gardening supplies from Young’s. There is one right over across the bridge, right?”

“Yeah,” she said, nodding. “Though I’ve never actually been in that one. There are so many now, I have a hard time keeping track. My parents started out in a tiny storefront and really just grew things from there. Now they’re retired—well, kind of. My father will never fully let go, and they live in Massachusetts in a big house with like eleven gardens.”

“You don’t want to be part of that business?”

“Well, I mean, when they pass it will be left to me, and I grew up in the business, so I am pretty up to speed on everything, but I wanted to set out on my own for a bit and see where life took me,” she said, smiling. “I’ll always have Young’s, but I wanted to be me while I had the chance.”

“I can understand that,” I said. “My parents were in marketing and had their own company. They wanted to give it to me when they die, but I wanted my own thing. Eventually, we ended up merging anyway, especially when my firm got a lot bigger than theirs.”

“Would you excuse me? I need to use the restroom,” she said, standing up.

I put my hands down on the table and rose as she did, learning those manners from my father. She blushed and looked down, her face going from happy to irritated really fast. I followed her eyes down to my hands and groaned, realizing I had forgotten to take my ring off.

“What the hell?” She was angry. “You do all of this and you’re married? What kind of man are you? What kind of woman do you think I am?”

“Eliza, please, let me explain,” I said, putting up my hands.

“I don’t need your excuses. Trust me, I’ve heard them all,” she said, shaking her head and turning toward the door.

I should have let her leave, but there was something about her that just wouldn’t let me. My shoulders got tense, and I looked around, cursing under my breath. Before she could open the door, I yelled out, not even thinking before I spoke.

“Yes, I’m married,” I said loudly. She stopped. “But my wife died ten years ago. I don’t like that being the first topic of conversation. I wear the ring sometimes, like last night, to keep people from asking me why I wasn’t married. I just forgot to take it off. I’m sorry.”

She turned back around, her purse clutched to her stomach. She studied my face like she was looking for a lie. She stepped forward and took a deep breath, her face firm but not as angry.

“You’re telling the truth?”

“I swear,” I said, sitting back down. “If you don’t believe me, you can call Missy and Mason—they know the story.”

She looked around the deck as if she were searching for answers. I knew she was trying to decide whether to trust herself or not. Finally, she walked back over and sat down, placing her clutch on the table and setting her hands down. She looked like she felt bad.

“I’m very sorry for your loss,” she said solemnly. “And I’m sorry for reacting that way.”

“Don’t be sorry.” I smiled. “This city is full of douchebags, and you don’t know me. I’m sure you just thought I was like every other one out there. Can we start over?”

“Of course,” she said, smiling and letting out a deep breath.

We sat and ate our dinner, continuing our conversation. She didn’t ask any questions about Amy, and I was glad. The last thing I wanted to talk about on a date was my dead wife. When we had finished dinner, we decided to go down the street to a relatively quiet bar and have some drinks. I was glad that she hadn’t been scared off yet, and in fact, she seemed pretty cheery in conversation.

She took my arm as we strolled down the block, taking in the cool fall air and the lights of the city. It was my favorite time of year, so festive and bright, and made me think about all the good times with family. I wasn’t a complete asshole all the time; I still had good memories of my family.

When we reached the bar, she grabbed a table at the back and I ordered us two whiskey and Diets, having seen her drink one the night before when she got tired of beer. I took them back over to the table and sat down, watching her as she glanced around the room. There was something about this girl that I actually really liked, but I pushed that feeling to the side, knowing I didn’t want to get involved with anyone on a serious level. Since Mason had already warned me, I figured keeping her around for the two-week limit might be a little cruel.

She looked absolutely amazing under the low lights, with cars passing by outside the window casting faded shadows across her face. There was something so delicate about her features but so fiery about her soul. She had no problem telling me how it was, and she was so full of energy I wondered what she would be like in bed. Speaking of that, I was getting tired of sharing her company.

“Hey,” I said, reaching out and taking her hands. “Why don’t we go back to my place and have another drink.”