Page 57 of The Grump

Decatur Street was one of my favorites in New Orleans; it wasn’t as touristy, and things moved more at my pace. Even though Xander had warned me, I was still surprised that there was no sign of a restaurant whatsoever when we reached thebuilding. It was bright red with white shutters and had a very small balcony with a white railing.

“Where’s the entrance?” I asked.

“Right through here.” He pointed to the small nondescript door next to the main entrance and opened it, revealing a very narrow staircase.

“The plot thickens. This is so exciting.”

Xander laughed. “I thought you might appreciate this place. It was what sold D on giving us a table at the last minute.”

I looked over my shoulder as I went up, and what do you know? I caught Xander LeBlanc staring at my ass. Well, at my coat, really. Although he could probably see the contour of my ass if he really looked because the coat was snug. It was still buttoned up.

“I thought you convinced him using your prowess.”

“My prowess?” he parroted, looking up at me.

“That’s right,” I countered.

“Myabilitieshelped. But they had to bring in an extra table for us, something he never does.”

At the end of the staircase, there was another small door, and I immediately opened it.

“This is so cozy,” I murmured as we both went inside.

There were only a few tables for two throughout the smaller room, with a small fireplace to the right of the window. The fire was crackling, and they’d put candles on the mantelpiece. Soft piano music played in the background.

Xander was looking at me with a curious expression when I faced him after taking it all in.

“I love it!” I gushed.

He smiled instantly. “I’m happy to hear that. I’ll take your coat.”

Xander watched me intently as I unbuttoned my coat and then slipped it off.

As I handed it to him, I heard him inhale sharply and immediately glanced up at him. He was checking out my cleavage now.

So, this was the evening where he finally forgot his manners, huh? Although, if I thought about it, he’d already shown me that side of him when we were making eggnog... and when he’d kissed me against my door. Still, this was a bit different because we were in public. I liked that he couldn’t hold himself in check.

After he took my coat, I turned away. There was no way for me to hide my smug smile anymore.

There was a door opposite the fireplace, and it immediately opened. A man who looked to be in his late seventies stepped in.

“Xander, this must be your lovely lady.”

“Hi, D,” Xander said.

“Your lovely lady,” huh?I was liking this more and more.

“That’s for you.” He pointed to a table close to the fire. “If it gets too hot, let me know and I’ll—”

“I’ll move it if necessary,” Xander assured him. “Thank you for everything, D.”

“Sure. Why don’t you two sit down, and I’ll start serving right away.”

“Thank you. Your restaurant is very cozy. I can’t believe I didn’t know about it,” I said.

D smiled at me, and it transformed his whole face. “My wife and I started it many years ago. It was just a place where we served food to our friends. Then we asked our friends to send friends, and it slowly became a restaurant. But we wanted to keep it small, so we only took reservations based on recommendations. I lost her ten years ago, and I’m doing everything on my own, so I don’t want more people anyway. No need.”

My heart ached when his eyes turned sad at the mention of his wife’s passing.

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