“Derek told me you were divorced. That was about all I could get out of him.”
“Derek is a gentleman. He goes by the say nothing if you don’t have anything nice to say rule, so I’m sure he had nothing extra to say about Garrett.”
“You mentioned something about prison this morning. What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I’ll give you the short version. Married after six months of dating. Lived the American dream in a penthouse with a gorgeous, wealthy man. He was arrested three years later for securities fraud, and I saw none of it coming. I was blindsided in every way. He left me with more than my annual salary in debt that he’d racked up in my name and as the sole caregiver of his then-thirteen-year-old daughter who hated me. I’m still working to get both under control two years later.”
“Jesus.”
“Yeah.” I was anxious to change the subject. “Do you know what time visiting hours are?”
“3:30 to 5:30 and 6:30 to 8:30. But Derek said to try to come up for the afternoon hours because he has some big surprise dinner being delivered from Anna’s favorite restaurant at 6:30.”
“He’s so sweet. I guess we should get going soon then. I was hoping to check into a hotel and shower before we went back to visit, but I don’t think we’ll have time.”
“You’re welcome to shower here. And stay as long as you want. I have an early flight out tomorrow morning for work up north anyway, so you’d have the place to yourself after tonight.”
“That’s very nice of you. Maybe I’ll take you up on the shower if you really don’t mind. And then I can find a hotel after we visit the hospital.”
“After dinner, you mean?”
“Dinner?”
“My birthday dinner. You agreed to have dinner with me.”
“God. I totally forgot. It seems like that conversation was a week ago instead of this morning. It’s still your birthday?”
“Yep. But I’m passing the torch to baby Caroline after today. Thirty is the last one I celebrate. After this, it’s all hers. So you’re going to help me celebrate the very last one I get.”
“That’s a lot of pressure. Now I feel like I’m going to have put on a dress and be entertaining and witty.”
Hunter winked. “Feel free to make that dress cut low in the front and showing off a lot of leg.”
***
“You look beautiful, Natalia.”
After we visited the hospital, Hunter had dropped me off at a hotel so I could check in and get ready for dinner.
“Thank you.” It was the second time he’d complimented me since he’d picked me up. Even though he liked to tease me about sex—some of which was not really teasing—I was somehow certain his praise was sincere tonight. “You don’t look bad yourself for a man in his thirties.”
“Take it easy. I’m about eight hours into my thirties.”
The waitress came to our table. “Can I start you off with something to drink? Tonight’s special drink is a coconut margarita. It has fresh cream of coconut, lime juice, Cointreau, and Patrón tequila. The glass is lined with salted, toasted coconut.”
“Mmmm. That sounds delicious. I’ll try one of those,” I said.
Hunter ordered a Coke.
“What? It’s your birthday. Your last birthday. Aren’t you going to join me for a drink?”
“I’m driving, and I have a 6 a.m. flight.”
I turned to the waitress. “Can you make a virgin coconut margarita?”
“Sure can.”
“He’ll have one of those. And put an umbrella or something in it. It’s his thirtieth birthday.”