“Right on time,” she said as Burley stood beside her wagging his tail and looking up at his new pal from the previous day.
“Wow,” he gasped as he looked her up and down with his mouth agape. “You look absolutely stunning.”
“Thank you,” she blushed. “You look nice, too.”
“I mean, just… wow,” he reiterated. “Now I feel underdressed.”
“Oh, shut up, you look fine,” she replied playfully while rolling her eyes. “Let me just grab my purse and we can get out of here.”
“So, this is your place, huh?” he asked as he peeked inside while bending down slightly to pat Burley on the head.
“Yes, this is my palace,” she joked as she quickly grabbed her black clutch from the kitchen counter. “Try not to be too jealous.”
She couldn’t help but notice that he had politely remained outside her door and hadn’t made any attempt to invite himself in. She respected that, and with her clutch in hand she said her goodbyes to Burley as she headed out the door and stopped to lock it behind her.
“It’s not a bad place,” Devon said, resuming the conversation as they headed downstairs. “Looks cozy from what I saw.”
“If you call having to worry about home invasions ‘cozy,’” she quipped, evoking a chuckle from the man.
He held the building’s front door open for her, then hurried ahead down the steps to open the waiting town car’s back door for her as well.
“Thank you,” she said, acknowledging his chivalry with a polite smile as she comfortable situated herself in the vehicle’s back seat.
“See? I don’t always ride in a limousine,” he said humorously.
“Yeah, but you still have a driver,” she ribbed while rolling her big, brown eyes as the car set off towards the undisclosed destination.
They drove for nearly thirty minutes with conversation flowing relatively freely along the way, but Eva could sense a nervousness in Devon. His confidence was clearly feigned, and his underlying tension only made her more curious about the handsome businessman. She was worried she’d be the nervous one, yet his awkward nature somehow managed to put her completely at ease. He asked all about her life, revealing little about his own, and seemed genuinely interested in learning about her. He’d occasionally trip over his own words, and it pained Eva to admit how cute she found it. I’ll have to pump a few drinks into this guy to loosen him up some and see what he‘s really like, she thought to herself with a sly grin.
Arriving at the restaurant, Eva wasn’t surprised to find it was one she’d heard of many times before. Like Bon Appétit, it was a five-star restaurant known for its wealthy clientele but was located downtown in the busy business district. Tavolino had been a thorn in Mr. Jameson’s side for years, and he viewed it as his primary competition even though the city was easily big enough to house both restaurants comfortably. Stepping inside, Eva found the place every bit as wonderful as she imagined. It was Italian, a nice change from the French theme she’d grown accustomed to working in, and the décor was immaculate. The walls were made of stone and adorned with artwork Eva knew had to be expensive. The lighting was low, adding an almost romantic ambience throughout the restaurant, and Sicilian music played softly in the background. She went from a sense of welcome to a feeling of dread as she surveyed the mobbed dining area. The city’s most prominent businessmen and women sat feasting on Tavolino’s pricy courses, all of them looking akin to the same elitists she served day in and day out at Bon Appétit. She glanced down at her dress, suddenly self-conscious in her choice of attire, and she could feel her face grow flushed as the hostess approached them.
“Devon Cross, reservation for two,” Eva heard her date tell the beautiful young greeter as she continued absorbing the restaurant’s atmosphere. “What’s wrong?” he whispered to her as the woman guided them to a private table in the far corner of the dining room. His words shook her from her stupor and she recomposed herself, following closely by his side as they crossed the busy room.
“Nothing, I’m fine,” she whispered back, unsure if Devon could even hear her over the banter filling the restaurant.
Seating them at their table, the hostess disappeared and two years of experience told Eva what would happen next. A waitress, or perhaps waiter if Tavolino’s owner didn’t hold the same discriminatory hiring practices as Mr. Jameson, would be along soon to take their beverage order. In the meantime, she was left sitting at a candlelit table across from a rich, handsome man she hardly knew.
“You okay?” he asked in concern.
“Seriously, I’m fine,” she replied as she soaked in the room’s décor. Their table was slightly recessed from the rest of the room, and she had a feeling he’d paid a lot of money to have it arranged that way.
“I can’t get over how beautiful you look,” he said with a warm smile.
“I’m so underdressed,” she said in a quiet nervousness. “I feel like everybody’s looking at me.”
“Oh, stop,” his smile widened and his blue eyes lit up. “Seriously, you look amazing. Belle of the ball!”
“I’m wearing all black,” she commented while looking down at her outfit. “I look like I’m going to a funeral. Why did I wear this? Ugh. Stupid.”
“And I thought I was self-conscious!“ Devon placed a hand over his mouth as he laughed in amusement, adding, “Hey, maybe this date will be the death of you.” Eva couldn’t help but giggle and smiled genuinely for the first time since they’d entered the restaurant. They were both nervous, and they both knew it.
A friendly waiter scurried over to take their drink orders and Eva, impressed that Tavolino wasn’t afraid to employ male servers, opted to stick to water while Devon ordered a diet soda. As the man hurried off to fetch their drinks, Eva followed Devon’s lead and opened her menu. The selection was decent, but she couldn’t believe the prices she was seeing as she scanned the list with wide eyes. She thought Bon Appétit was expensive, but it paled in comparison to this place. No wonder so many of these rich fuckers drive a half an hour to my restaurant, she joked to herself. Maybe they’re a bit more frugal than they let on.
“Do you know what you want?” Devon asked as he scoured his menu as well.
“Jesus, the prices are… And I thought the drinks were…” Eva mumbled, trailing off as she realized the thoughts she’d been meaning to keep private had unintentionally come tumbling out of her mouth.
“Wait, is that why you only ordered a water? Because you’re worried about the prices?” Devon questioned, his brow raised in worry.