Page 34 of His Surrender
Deciding to go with the long-sleeve shirt, I put it on and rolled the sleeves to my elbows before putting on my shoes and double-checking my hair in the bathroom mirror. After spraying on cologne and taking several deep, calming breaths, I went to wait in the living room.
Steps sounded outside, coming up the stairs. I got off the couch and slipped my phone into my back pocket. At the knock on the door, I went over and opened it.
Nathan looked great. Same brown hair and hazel eyes I remembered, but he was more muscled now. “Hi.” He stepped forward to give me a hug, and I returned it. Then he held out a single red rose. “Happy Birthday.”
The scene was romantic. Everything I should have wanted. However, it didn’t hit the right note with me. I hated admitting it, even to myself, but I knew the reason.
Because it wasn’t Jay doing it.
“Thank you,” I said, taking the rose. It was pretty and smelled nice when I pressed my nose against it. Maybe flowers weren’t so bad after all. “That was really sweet of you.”
“You’re welcome.” Nathan put a hand in his pocket and held the other one out to me. “Ready to go?”
I stepped outside and locked the door before, hesitantly, taking his hand. It was warm. His smile was too. That’s when I decided to shove aside all thoughts of Jay—a man who had no intention of treating me the way I craved—and focus on the man who was doing exactly that.
“How was your day?” Nathan asked, guiding me down the steps like a perfect gentleman and then holding my hand as we approached his BMW.
“It was good.” I thanked him as he opened the door for me, and I slid into the passenger seat. Once he walked around and got into the driver’s side, I added, “My students surprised me by playing ‘Happy Birthday’ in class.”
“Awe.” Nathan smiled over at me before starting the car. “Sounds like a good group of kids. I’d sing for you, but it’s best if I don’t. I want you to actually like me.”
I chuckled. “I do like you. Even if you suck at singing.”
Being with him was so easy. Conversation flowed well as we drove through town, and I never once felt awkward. Nathan and I had dated for four months before we broke up, and even though it had been over a year since I’d last seen him, it felt like no time had passed. He was still the same guy who crinkled his nose when he smiled and who told corny jokes.
He was also the same guy who loved big, juicy steaks. I couldn’t help but smile as he pulled into the restaurant parking lot. When we dated, we had always gone to steak houses for dinner.
Some things never change.
“I hope this is okay,” he said, once parked. Doubt shone in his hazel eyes. “I can take you somewhere else if you want. Like Olive Garden.”
“No, this is great.” If the night ended like I assumed it would, eating a bunch of garlic wasn’t a good idea.
We got out of the car, and he grabbed my hand again as we walked toward the entrance. A group of people standing outside eyed our joined hands. Nathan noticed them gawking and let go of my hand, practically tossing it aside.
I tried not to let it bother me, but it still did.
Nathan had called ahead and made a reservation, so our table was ready for us when we approached the hostess.
“Right this way,” a waiter said, grabbing a basket of fresh rolls and cinnamon butter before leading us to a booth against the far wall. Once we were seated, he took our drink orders and walked away.
“So,” I said, grabbing a roll and tearing it in two so it could cool faster—they were fresh out of the oven. “I saw on Facebook that you got a promotion last week. Congrats.”
Nathan was now head executive of some advertising agency in Little Rock.
“Thank you,” he responded with a smile. “I’m really fortunate. Three other people were in line for the position. I was the least qualified of them all too.”
“What did you do, sleep with the boss?” I was joking, of course. However, his eyes widened and he quietly cleared his throat before grabbing a menu and flipping it open.
Holy shit.
It wasn’t my place to argue the ethical violation of his promotion, so I pressed my lips into a line and looked over the menu too.
“Do you remember why we broke up?” Nathan asked a few minutes later, folding his menu and setting it aside.
“You said I felt more like a friend to you.” It had been the least painful breakup I’d ever had, but it’d still hurt because I had really liked him. “I admit I was a little shocked when you messaged wanting to see me tonight, but also excited.”
He shrugged. “I was in town visiting family and remembered it was your birthday. Kind of hard to forget since it’s also Valentine’s Day.”
