Page 89 of The Charmer

"So is this a— " I cleared my throat. "—dinner, or—"

"It's a date, Georgie. It's a date."

All right, then. Super-sexy lingerie was on the menu.

"It's a date. I like that."

"You do?"

"Of course.”

“Fuck yes," he growled. "Look, I know this started in a very unorthodox way."

"You could say that," I murmured.

"But you and I have something, Georgie. And I don't want to ignore this thing between us. Which is unusual for me."

The last bit sounded strange. Almost like he wasn't even ready to admit it to himself, let alone to me.

"Don't worry," I said in a serious voice. "I won’t take advantage of you."

"Thanks for the reassurance."

I was going out with Julian LeBlanc for real! I'd already started planning the outfit in my mind even though I had no idea what we were doing.

The bell rang, and I figured Zelda could deal with whoever it was. But then it rang ten times in a row, which told me a group had arrived.

"Listen, I think I have to go to the front and help Zelda."

"Sure. So, you're going to be staying up late tonight at the shop, huh?"

"Oh yeah. Honestly, probably until ten or eleven or something."

"And then you'll leave the Quarter alone at that time?"

"Yes. But it’s always full of people in the evening.”

"A lot of drunkards, too, among those people."

"Julian, I've lived here my whole life, and this won’t be the first time I'll be leaving my shop very late. I can handle myself," I insisted.

"I can walk you to the bus."

"No, no, no, no."

"Why?"

I didn't know how to explain this without sounding completely silly, but I had to try. "If I know you're waiting for me, I might not be able to concentrate on my work."

After a few seconds of silence, Julian burst out laughing. "Georgie, you can't mean it."

"But I do."

"I don't like the thought of you being out in the Quarter at night."

It was endearing that he was so protective. "Look, I'm far from where the main bars are. I rarely run into drunks around here."

"Your station is next to the cathedral."

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