Page 70 of Reputation
“I was thinking I would go with a classic little black dress.I picked one up on our shopping trip in LA that I thought might work.”
“I like that.Are you going to wear your Louboutin’s with it?”she asked.
“That was my thought.”
“Nice,” Mandy said with an approving smile.“Well, I’ll let you get back to work then so you can get out of here.Send me a selfie of your outfit before you go.I want the pre-date look instead of the post-date one,” she said with a wink before leaving.
Laughing, Eavie said to her back, “I don’t plan on sleeping with him on the first date!”
“Nobody plans for that.We must only be prepared,” Mandy tossed over her shoulder before sitting at her desk.
Smiling, Eavie shook her head.She could stick true to what she said until she was blue in the face, but the fact was that Mandy was right.Still, she was utterly sure her clothes would stay on tonight.
She arrived at the restaurant perfectly on time.Opening the large, gold-trimmed glass doors, she entered the small lobby before climbing a set of wide, curving stairs to the second floor that housed the restaurant.At the top, she gave the name on the reservation to the host as one of the assistants came to take her coat.
The restaurant was the entire second floor of a three-story brick building.The lighting was low and trendy, with chairs and booths covered in dark velvet material.Tea lights sat on the tables, adding to the romantic atmosphere.
She was shown to a table close to the middle of the restaurant.Already seated in one of the two chairs was a man with dark, close-cropped hair that was shorter on the sides and longer on top.The military style of his cut suited the sharp lines of his clean-shaven jaw.Beneath dark eyebrows were dark brown eyes fringed with thick lashes.
He stood as she approached, unfolding his tall, lean frame from the chair.He was dressed in a white shirt under a dark blue jacket that matched his pants.
“Eavie?”he asked, smiling at her as she neared.
“You must be Austin.It’s nice to meet you,” she responded, returning his smile.
He stepped forward, reaching out for a friendly hug.She stepped into his arms briefly, noting he smelled like sandalwood.He held onto her for a few seconds before pulling back.
“You look lovely,” he said with a slightly shy smile.
“Thank you.”
He pulled out her chair for her, and as she slid into the seat, she studied his profile out of the corner of her eye.He was lean, with average shoulders, but she could see there was muscle definition beneath, the kind you get from physical activity instead of lifting weights.
Suddenly, it occurred to her she was comparing him to Jax.He had snuck into her thoughts again without her even noticing.Giving herself a mental slap for letting her thoughts slip, she turned to look at Austin.
“I have to ask,” Eavie said once he’d taken his seat again.“How did you get reservations here?”
Lila was famous for its exclusivity.They only opened reservations a month in advance, and they were impossible to get.
He smiled shyly again.“The manager here is a good friend of mine.When I mentioned our date, she offered to book me a table.”
“Ah,” she said, shaking out her napkin and placing it in her lap.“Well, I’ve been dying to try it, so tell her thank you for me.”
“I will,” he answered, picking up the wine list.“Do you have a preference?”
“Anything red works for me,” she replied.
Their server came over to take their drink order, and Austin ordered a bottle of a California Merlot.He then turned his attention back to her when the server left to fetch their drinks.
As they picked up their menus, Eavie said, “So, Elizabeth mentioned you fly back and forth to London a lot.What type of work do you do?”
“I work for a bank in capital markets.I mostly manage the UK division, which has me flying back and forth to our offices there.A lot of what I do is client-based, but I also oversee the researchers and traders for my division.”
“Wow,” said Eavie, impressed.“That sounds interesting.How much time do you normally spend there?”
“Usually about five days every two weeks.It varies depending on whether I’m meeting current clients, trying to sign new ones, or working from the office.”
“You spend about a week, every two weeks, in the UK, and you live here?Have you ever thought about moving there?”she asked, surprised at how much time he spent flying back and forth.
