Page 73 of Up All Night

I scrunched up my face. “Ugh. Don’t remind me.”

He laughed. “Admit it. You’ve had a good time today.”

“By the looks of my hair, Ihavehad a good time today,” I teased.

His laugh had me joining in, and I really did have to admit that so far, I’d had a wonderful day. But I wasn’t going to admit it to him just yet.

“We still have dinner tonight, plus my unplanned day next Saturday,” I said. “There will be no deciding on whose day was best until both days are complete.”

He rubbed his hands together. “I can wait until next Saturday to win.”

I rolled my eyes. “Dream on, Planner Boy.”

We sat down at a table for two next to the floor-to-ceiling window. The view of the city was spectacular from the thirty-second floor of the building where Stefano’s was located. I’d never been here before, and the muted lighting, luxurious burgundy upholstery, and dark wood accents felt romantic and intimate. The restaurant was so elegant and ornate that I felt out of place in my plain black dress.

I’d scoured both my closet and Kate’s, but neither of us had anything fancy enough for dinner at such an exclusive restaurant. We didn’t have enough money for clothes like that—or a need for them since we never went to places like this.

After trying on all the dresses I owned, I decided to go with a black sheath, hoping I could pull off a simple but sophisticated look. I wasn’t so sure I pulled it off as I took in what the other women here were wearing. I considered myself fairly confident in the looks department, but how was someone who lived paycheck to paycheck supposed to compete with someone who had money to spare? Money could definitely buy beauty.

I squared my shoulders and pushed aside my insecure thoughts as I looked at the menu. None of the items had a dollar amount next to them. I nibbled on my lip as I read through the dishes. How expensive was this place? If they didn’t list prices, it had to be a lot, right? I didn’t want West to think I was taking advantage of him and his wealth. I was not going to be like my mother. She would have ordered an appetizer, salad, entree, asked what their best wine was, and then finished up with a dessert or two. Not that she would have eaten it all, but she liked being able to order it all. It provided her a type of freedom she couldn’t afford herself. I refused to be like that.

I read the short description underneath the Chicken Fettuccine. It was just noodles and chicken. That couldn’t be too expensive. It wasn’t like I was getting the lobster dish. Or should I just go with a salad? Salads were cheaper than entrees.

“Halle.” West’s voice interrupted my anxiety-riddled thoughts.

I looked up from the menu, still biting my lip.

He smiled reassuringly as if he could read my mind. “You don’t need to worry about the cost. I want you to order whatever you want.”

That was really nice of him, but he didn’t understand. I didn’t want to spend his money frivolously, and I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about how he was throwing away so much money on Italian food when Olive Garden was as fancy as I needed.

“Thanks,” I said hesitantly. “I’ve never eaten somewhere this nice before, and not being able to see the prices is freaking me out. I don’t want you spending so much money on me.”

“First of all, I want to spend money on you. Secondly, you don’t need to worry about how I choose to spend my money.” He rested his arms on the table and looked out at the room around us. “And…the meals here are only about twenty dollars a plate.”

Ha! He was such a liar. He couldn’t even look at me when he said that last sentence. There was no way a place like this cost only twenty dollars a plate. Olive Garden had meals more expensive than that.

I pursed my lips. “You’re a terrible liar.”

He let out a laugh, a lightness in his eyes. “Maybe, but I was hoping it would help you relax and let yourself enjoy the evening.”

I’d offer to pay for my meal, but there was no way I could afford it. I was completely at his mercy, and as nice as it was to be wined and dined, the thought of it sat heavy in my stomach. But this was his activity of choice for our challenge, so there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

Maybe I should just let myself enjoy this opportunity. Especially when I doubted I’d ever have another chance to experience something like this again.

A waiter came to our table and took our order after pouring us some red wine. West ordered the Tagliolini with Lobster and Truffles, so I didn’t feel too bad ordering the Fettuccine Alfredo.

West took a sip of his wine before he said, “So I’m having a hard time picturing you dating a lead singer in some rock band. Do you have a thing for musicians?”

Surprised at his topic choice and how he had jumped back into our conversation from earlier today, it took me a second to catch up to what he was asking. “Um, no. It was a random thing with Teddy. The next guy I dated was a regular college student in journalism school.”

“And what happened with him?” His look of genuine interest in my past love life had me surprised.

“With Spencer?” I took a sip of my wine. “Nothing much. We dated for seven months, but we hardly got to see each other. He was busy with classes and studying, and I was busy working two jobs.”

“You worked two jobs back then, too?” he asked, surprised.

I nodded. “I’ve worked two jobs since I was seventeen.”

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