Page 31 of For Butter or Worse
He walked toward her, but when he reached her side, he wasn’t sure what to do. Should they hug? Hold hands? Kiss each other on the cheek? Or...?
Tom neglected to leave instructions in his email as to this part of the night. But the paparazzi were watching, so he had to act fast. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder protectively, bringing her into his side.
“I’m shorter than you, but using me as an armrest is a little offensive,” she said through gritted teeth.
He had to admit that she fit perfectly under the crook of his arm, armrest or not. He leaned down until they were so close that her wavy hair brushed against his cheek. He blinked away the cinnamon smell of her, not about to get distracted.
“Go on,” he said in a hushed tone. “Wrap your arm around my waist. I assure you it’s quite trim.”
Her fingertips grazed the side of his torso. He unexpectedly stiffened. Her touch was so light that it was difficult not to think of what her hands could do if they trailed their way down the rest of his body.
Think of church, clipping toenails, people who say the movie is better than the book, cold showers, Nina undressed in a shower and...No.
He didn’t want to think about her naked, but the dress and her arm around him had short-circuited his brain. He just needed to keep reminding himself that this was Nina and she didn’t even want to be here with him.
As if to prove him right, when they got inside the Sunset Grande, she pulled back. The cameras were gone and they were away from the photo op. Clearly, she knew what they were here for—business—andhewas the one who had to keep his thoughts in check.
They sat at an outdoor table, under a crisp, white umbrella by the edge of creeping green vines. The space was outfitted with woven Parisian chairs, cream tablecloths and enough potted plants to create the illusion of a secret garden in the middle of Hollywood.
But he wasn’t there to enjoy the ambiance, even if the twinkly lights above his head were undeniably whimsical. His mission was to make a valuable connection for Vinny’s.
As they sat down, he looked at her. She glanced at him. They both licked their lips at the same time. Their dates always seemed to have their share of awkwardness, but for some reason, this one felt even thicker with tension.
“How was your...day?” Leo’s voice shot up an octave at the end, like even he didn’t know why he was asking this. But, hell, they had to start somewhere.
“My day was...” She stopped herself. Then drummed her fingers on the table and nibbled at her bottom lip. “Fine.”
Nina had been short with him plenty of times in the past, but her response felt different from when she was trying to exit a conversation. Something was off...and judging by the way she was avoiding his eyes, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. He wasn’t going to assume she’d open up to him, but he at least wanted to give her the opportunity.
“Fineis one of those words that usually means not fine,” he hedged.
Nina opened her mouth slightly, as if considering this. But then the waiter approached the table, looking bored.
“All set to order?” he asked.
Leo wondered if he’d been trained not to react to anyone—including celebrities—with any kind of emotion. “We haven’t seen the menu.” He picked up the menu in front of him and scanned the page.
“Mind if I order for us?” Nina asked. “I’m craving comfort food. And I know what I want.”
He looked up from the menu. The flickering candlelight on the table cast a warm glow on her face. He’d never noticed how long and thick her eyelashes were.
“Go for it.” He leaned back in his chair. Why not? He was curious to hear what a food snob ordered for dinner.
“We’ll have the beet salad, linguine and clams, and the burger. But give us an extra side of fries,” she said without so much as taking a breath. Then she glanced at him, checking to see if he wanted to add anything.
Leo waved a hand to say he was all set, but he was admittedly shocked she’d ordered a burger—a rather normal menu item. It was as odd as the video Gavin had sent of his cat riding around on a Roomba.
The waiter looked past them as he asked, “Anything to drink?”
“We’ll take the 2014 Corton-Charlemagne, please.” She gave him a friendly but fake smile.
As the waiter turned away from the table, Nina exhaled. And she seemed relieved to be alone with Leo, which was new.
“You ordered without seeing the menu,” Leo said.
“I always check out menus before I go somewhere. And I’ve watched you eat food for the last three years.” She sipped her water before launching in. “We both know you give extra points when people cook with beets, and they happen to be in season. Linguine and clams will be a light and salty middle course. I don’t know if you like burgers, but I do. Like I said, I need comfort food.”
So she’d been studying him. Cataloguing what he liked and disliked. Making mental notes of his actions on set. Which was probably just her way of sizing him up, right?
