Page 193 of Hate Mates

Noah held up eight fingers while August was more verbose. “Eight.”

I placed a hand on the small of Amelie’s back. She was the shared connection, and we couldn’t accept this dinner until heacknowledged her contributions to his recovery. Amelie realized the same. “Hello, Mr. Cavendish,” she said with her California-girl smile.

“Call me Kai.” He took her hand and gripped it for a moment.

Before I could assess the exchange, the kids voiced a plethora of complaints.

“My dress itches,” Bella whined. “I told you I didn’t want to wear this.” She glared at me haughtily.

“August is touching me.”

August placed his hand millimeters away from Noah’s face. “I’m not touching you.”

Amelie and I spared exasperated sighs while Kai appeared amused by the exchange. “I had the restaurant set up a kids’ nook,” he told us before turning to the twins. “Do you guys want to check out the chocolate fondue machine?”

Their eyes brightened like it was Christmas.

“Can we?” Bella asked eagerly, eyeing the cascading layers of rich, molten liquid glimmering under the dim lights.

“Y-yes, of course,” Amelie told her, sounding equally surprised by the thoughtfulness Kai had put into this dinner.

Kai guided the children to the other end of the room and introduced them to the restaurant had to offer. The place had everything you would expect at a high-end restaurant: crystal chandeliers, plush velvet chairs, expensive paintings hanging on the walls, intricate gold details on the ceiling, and elaborate flower arrangements on the tables. But it was the children’s attraction that took the cake, a boxwood wall with brightly painted animals, a table filled with arts and crafts supplies, a chocolate fountain, and a kids’ buffet. Someone had set up a tepee with blankets, pillows, and iPads for a cozy movie night. There was even a koi pond with orange and gold colored fish.

When Kai noticed our incredulous expressions, he explained, “This restaurant’s famous for entertaining kids during privateevents. That’s why I chose it. They even provide an on-site babysitter.”

Was this the life of a zillionaire? A simple dinner for them equated to a private event where every detail had been meticulously planned.

“Wow.” We had mentally prepared to entertain the kids throughout dinner and hadn’t expected the thoughtfulness of a caregiver.

“This is Sasha, the babysitter,” Kai introduced when a tall brunette approached us. “She has done multiple gigs at this restaurant, and I’ve already vetted her references. I hope you don’t mind.”

Amelie and I glanced at each other. Mind? We rarely had a night out. This had turned into a mini retreat.

“This is all very thoughtful,” I told him. “Thank you.”

He laughed. “I should be saying that to your wife. She was the one who saved my favorite hand.” Kai held up his palm, a fresh scar running a zigzag line across it. He had sustained a hand injury when a large piece of glass got lodged in his palm, and he was rushed to the hospital.

I nodded, and Amelie turned red at the compliment.

The kids sprinted to each attraction with Sasha in tow before settling on the buffet for mac ’n’ cheese, nuggets, and fries. We were led to the ‘adult’ table, where we were given menus with pretentious adult foods and fifty-dollar cocktails made tableside.

As we browsed the menu, the kids laughed loudly with Sasha at the opposite corner of the room. They sounded thrilled at the goods we could never otherwise afford. Servers roamed around them with trinkets like toys, mini cakes, and Disney-themed mocktails. Even the managers spared no effort to keep them occupied. The adult section was segregated from the kids, and clearly the staff had been instructed to give us space.

Odd.

What kind of conversation did Kai plan on having that required such privacy? It was my first time at a place like this, so perhaps I was making too much of it. Still. There was something orchestrated about how effortlessly everything fell into place.

The server wheeled in a bar cart to make our cocktails tableside, interrupting my pondering. Smoke from the liquid nitrogen evaporated into the air, yet he didn’t make a sound throughout the dog and pony show. Rich people were allergic to the clinking of glassware, so you weren’t allowed to make noise while attending to their needs. Every item was noiselessly dropped off at our table, and dirty glasses were cleared too stealthily to notice.

Throughout cocktails, Kai spoke of his successful tech company. He also owned hotels, restaurants, apartment buildings, vintage cars, planes, you name it. I struggled to keep up with his accomplishments. He was determined to leave an impression on us, or at least on me, which caught me off guard since I had anticipated on doing the opposite to impress Amelie’s affluent patient.

The conversation lulled, and I found myself analyzing Kai. He watched Amelie and me like a hawk, as if dissecting our interactions and calculating how to use them to his advantage.

I was overthinking, I reassured myself. I wasn’t used to eccentric moguls, that was all.

Amelie placed her warm hand over mine, aware of my inclinations. She could tell I was in my head and carried the conversation.

“You know… I had no idea you were such a big deal,” Amelie told Kai. “Perhaps it’s a good thing. I would’ve been way too nervous to change the wound dressing of the man who manufactured my phone.”

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