Page 14 of The Fall

“Damn, it’s my mom’s birthday, and I was just about to ask you if you wanted to join us for dinner,” he said, pulling some fresh pasta dripping with sauce out of the pot with his thumb and pointer and then bringing it toward me to taste. I opened wide as he curled the noodle into my mouth, and I moaned at the taste. He leaned in, finishing the taste test with a long slow kiss on my lips.

“It’s so good,” I said, smiling a thank you.

“Yes, it is,” he said, not referring to the pasta. I shook my head with a smile as he continued to cook another amazing meal for the two of us.

Josh.

Dean turned up the next night precisely at eight and was chatting with a nurse on my service as I sauntered up in my sexiest dress.

“Still up to the same tricks I see, old dog?” I poked.

He laughed at my comment, then stopped smiling as he took in my appearance. His eyes quickly diverted to the black dress and super-high stiletto heels I had purchased that morning before my shift. I was hoping he couldn’t see the tiny cushions under my eyes. Besides a rough day and little sleep, I was all too happy to see him. He gave me a thorough once over and waved goodbye to the attentive blonde, who was now pouting that I had all of his attention. I gave her a wink that seemed to anger her and fully revealed a toothy grin as we walked away. His appearance screamed sex. And his sex…well, I still hadn’t met his match. I shivered a little as I recalled the year we had spent tangled in each other.

He guided me with a hand on the small of my back toward his Jaguar, and I took notice that he was typically impeccably dressed in a three-piece. He had always been well dressed. While I initially found it odd, it did little to keep me away. To me, it was way more alluring than the jean-wearing, sandal-sporting guys I was used to dating. I felt a pang of guilt as I thought of Josh at home, thinking that I was probably with an old girlfriend.

He’s engaged, and you’re committed to Josh. This is dinner. Oh, and Dean’s a lying bastard.

He opened the car door for me. “Let’s go somewhere quiet where we can talk.”

“Sounds good,” I replied, completely uncomfortable in my own skin with thoughts of Josh—and the guilt I felt.

I shouldn’t have worn this dress.

“You look beautiful, Dallas,” Dean said, making himself comfortable to drive.

“Thanks, so do you. Where is your fiancée tonight?” I asked in an attempt to feel a little better about being out with another man.

“Not here,” he answered quickly. He started the car and turned to me, a smile playing on his lips. “I dug this out of thin air and thought you might like it.”

I heard the music start to play and laughed out loud. It was Dean Martin’s greatest hits. I’d given it to him as a birthday present in college. He forced me to listen to it every time we were together.

“Ain’t that a kick in the head,” I sang along as he pulled up to Chantilly, and I laughed at his choice of restaurants. We were definitely going old school tonight. It was the location of my parents’ first date and was a Dallas landmark, having been open for over forty-five years. We walked inside, and I quickly surveyed to see if my parents’ table was available. I requested it on sight immediately and reveled in the fact that it was ours. My parents had taken Rose and me here a few times when we were kids when they were unable to find a sitter on special anniversaries. We were usually grounded by the time we left, and they would swear never to take us again.

“My parents had their first date right here at this table,” I remarked as we took our seats.

“Really?” he asked with a smile. “How are they?” The hostess seating us completely covered Dean in her stare. It was so blatant that I almost felt uncomfortable for him. He simply gave her a wink as he turned his attention to me.

“Terrific. We should have dinner with them soon. They always loved you. You can bring your fiancée,” I added, reminding myself that this was a dinner date between old friends—but we weren’t friends. We hadn’t spoken in years. Our relationship ended in heartbreak. Morbid curiosity is what made me decide to dine with Dean tonight.

I saw him visibly cringe at the mention of his fiancée, then recover. “Sounds good to me. How’s Rose?”

“She’s perfect. She is in her last semester of school and is kicking ass. She is going for a surgical fellowship. I am so proud of her.”

“And you’re still going to open your own practice?” he asked as he glanced at the drink menu.

“Yep, everything is falling into place. Three years and it will be a reality,” I said excitedly as our waitress greeted us.

“That’s incredible, really. You’re doing it.”

“Yeah, we are,” I boasted, the ghosts of our pasts lingering in the air along with a deafening silence that kept us mute. When it became uncomfortable, I could feel his next question coming.

“So, are you dating?” His beautiful, ice-blue eyes drifted from his menu to meet mine, rendering me momentarily speechless. I nodded in reply.

“Anyone I know?” His question was intrusive, and he recognized it as well as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“Josh is a chef. One of Dallas’s best,” I announced proudly. “We’ve been dating a year. You’d like him.”

“Nice, well, at least he’s not a bum,” he said with a shrug. I gave him an odd look and tilted my head at his remark. Surely this man was not jealous after seven years and a fiancée later. “You expected me to be with a bum, Dean?”

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