Drinking the champagne without tasting it, I consider the statement. Maybe I’m not made for love. Maybe I don’t deserve love. That doesn’t mean I don’t want it. I guess I’m a selfish monster after all. “Some men are made to be cruel.”
“You know, us girls wondered if there was a heart beating in that chest of yours. Don’t get me wrong. No one has ever treated us kinder or better, but you never let emotions get in the way, not for anyone or anything. She must be special.”
“Very.”
“Are you just asking for a shoulder to cry on or are you asking for my advice?”
“For your advice.” I add, “As a woman.”
“I’m flattered.”
“You know I don’t have a mother or a female friend, and my sister and I are estranged.”
“You had no one else to turn to.” She sighs. “I may start feeling sorry for you.”
“Are you going to give me advice or not?”
“Of course. That’s what you’re paying me for.”
“Then spit it out.”
She sighs again. “I can’t speak from experience because I’ve never been married, but I have had my heart broken once or twice. What I can tell you is that she’s never going to like you, let alone love, if you don’t give her a choice in the matter.”
I clench my jaw. “I’m not letting her go. It’ll never be an option.”
She holds up a finger. “Let me finish. Even then, if she decides to stay, you’ll have to work on your trust issues. If you want your marriage to work, and I mean really work, you’re going to have to forgive her and give her another chance. If she truly is the right girl for you, she’ll prove herself worthy.”
“Are you saying I should just let my grudge go?”
“The question you should be asking yourself is this—can you?”
In that lies the crux of the matter.
Can I?
Can I let three years of blood, sweat, and tears go just like that? In a way, I only have myself to blame. If I didn’t push Violet so hard and fast to get married, she wouldn’t have gone to such extremes to escape that fate.
“I think, Leon, the real question is how badly do you want her love?”
Like nothing I’ve ever wanted. I’ll do anything.
I smile grimly to myself.
And there’s my answer.
“Well,” she says, cleverly reading my expression. “I’m glad I could be of assistance.”
The waiter arrives with our food. The candle has blown out sometime during our conversation. He lights it, refills our glasses, and discreetly leaves.
“Will you look at this?” she says, turning her plate a hundred and eighty degrees. “I have to snap a food pic for social media.”
She arranges her plate and glass just so before taking a photo with her phone. Her fingers fly over the screen as she edits the image and shows me the filter she added. “This is going to make my competition so fucking jealous.”
That makes me laugh. “I’m glad to see you haven’t lost your competitive edge.”
She wiggles the phone in my face. “Strategy is everything. You’ve got to act the part if you want to be it. Who would you rather fuck? A woman who dines on lobster and champagne or one who eats two-minute noodles?” Answering her own question, she continues, “The one who eats lobster, of course. She’s obviously coveted and successful, not to mention healthy.”
Even though I don’t have an appetite, I pick up my fork. “If you say so.” If it weren’t for Ash’s enthusiasm about the food, I would’ve left the moment I made my decision. The French chef is a celebrity in the city. People without connections like me wait months for a reservation.
“Hey,” Ash says, kicking me under the table. “This is the first time we’re seeing each other with clothes on.”
I raise a brow. “A new record for you?”
She smiles sweetly. “You okay?”
“Yeah.”
Leaning across the table, she pats my hand. “Everyone deserves a second chance, right?”
Chucking back the remainder of the liquor in my glass, I swallow the chilled champagne. Forgiveness has never been one of my traits, but there’s always a first time. Violet is my exception in everything.
“Oh, and Leon, just because I care about you, I’m going to give you my subjective opinion.”
“Which is?”