When we got to our table, Seth's glances kept sliding back to the bar.
"I'm sorry that was so awkward," I said. "I haven't told Mr. Reynolds about the funding getting cut. I'm not sure he's ready for the community garden to be on its own."
Seth seemed to accept my reasonable excuse for the tension. "He knows it's going to happen sooner or later. Mr. Reynolds seems like an observant man."
"Speaking of observant men, maybe you know what kind of flowers these are?" I motioned to the beautiful centerpiece at our table.
It was a desperate bid to distract us, but it didn't work. Seth reached across the table, took both my hands, and then studied my face carefully. "You're right, Tasha, I'm observant too. Are you really sure I'm the one you want to be on a date with tonight?"
I resisted the urge to yank my hands back. "I wouldn't have said yes otherwise."
Seth smiled and squeezed my hands. Then he let them go and leaned back in his seat. "Then I just have to get this out: I think Rainer is in love with you."
I choked on the sparkling water our waiter had just poured. The waiter panicked, but I waved him away, and he fled gladly. "Why would you say that?" I asked Seth.
"Come on, Tasha, everyone could see it at the community garden. The way he looks at you. And he makes you smile," Seth said.
"You make me smile," I said.
Seth looked at my straight face and shook his head with a rueful sigh. "I don't mind talking gardens and landscaping. I don't even mind enjoying a delicious dinner with you. I just think we should be honest right now. This isn't a date. It can't be."
"Why not?" I asked. There was a catch in my voice and I worried it had everything to do with Rainer and very little with Seth's clear-headed decision.
"I'm sorry, Tasha, I'm just not willing to get in the middle of something. Even if you haven't admitted it, there's something going on. That doesn't mean we can't still enjoy dinner." Seth motioned for the waiter to return.
It was my turn to sigh. "You're right, and I can respect that. But I'm paying."
Seth laughed. "Fair enough, friend."
Chapter Fourteen
Rainer
The yacht was lit up so brightly it looked more like a spaceship ready to bolt off into the dark sky. I understood the mystery that drove people to buy mega-yachts. Berger stood at the prow as if he'd conquered the sea himself. I knew full well he had no idea how to start the yacht's powerful engine, much less move it safely from the dock.
His full crew greeted me as I walked across the gangplank. The entire skyline of San Francisco glittered above the dark water of the bay, and even I had to admit it was a dramatic backdrop for a party.
"Just wait until we sail under the Golden Gate Bridge," Berger said. He slapped me hard on the back. "Until then I've got, how many? Four chefs: sushi, fusion, steakhouse, and the best dessert chef in town."
A fleet of servers wove through the glamorous crowd, but I waved away the champagne. I could already tell that I was going to need something stronger. The yacht had every comfort, it was floating luxury, but the thought of being out on the water with no way to escape was already making me twitchy.
"Please tell me it's only a three-hour tour," I said.
Berger laughed and raised his hand to slap me on the back again. I dodged past a fashionable couple, knowing full-well I was going to end up in the background of their endless photographs. Then the cameras turned on me.
I didn't even have to turn around to know whose arm now linked mine. "Hello, Ellison. Nice to see you again."
Ellison laughed and gave me a playful slap. "As if we didn't talk earlier today, darling. You're right, a yacht like this might be a great venue for your groom's dinner."
I pulled her out of the stream of promenading party guests and gripped the railing to stop myself from strangling her. "Why do you insist on doing that?"
"Doing what, Rainer?" Ellison asked, her elegant head held high.
"Acting as if I've already proposed to you. We are not engaged, we are not planning our wedding, and I didn't talk to you earlier about possible venues for whatever the hell a groom's dinner is!"
Ellison aimed a serene smile up at me all during the rant. "Everyone knows it's inevitable. We are such a perfect match. Honestly, Rainer, you should be happy."
Before I could grasp her slender shoulders with both hands and shake some sense into her, a helicopter whipped across the bay and hovered about the yacht.