Page 33 of For Butter or Worse
“It’s an institution!” Nina smiled broadly.
He wasn’t sure if Nina was being genuine, but she was doing him an incredible favor. If you’d told him a month ago that he’d be out to dinner with Nina, and she’d call Vinny’s an institution...he never would’ve bought that. But here they were, helping each other.
So maybe thingshadchanged between them, and they’d come to some sort of friendly understanding. Whatever the case, a rush of enthusiasm shot through him. Buoyed by Nina’s confidence in him, he knew he could navigate the conversation with this chef. But then...
“I think I ate at one in the Dallas airport.” The chef scratched the side of her chin. “Or maybe that was an Applebee’s?”
All the confidence Leo had felt drained out of him as a beat of silence stretched between them, across the restaurant and maybe all of Hollywood. Leo was on a date with one of the most well-respected chefs on the planet, talking to a chef who cooked for celebrities every single day and he...ran a chain of family restaurants.
There were a dozen things he could’ve said in response: “Hope you liked the service!”or “Wait ’til you see what we have planned for LAX.” But his mouth went dry. How could he convince the chef that he was a serious force in the food world when she’d knocked him down to size without even trying?
“This meal is on the house,” she said to Nina. “We’re honored to have you.”
As if on cue, the waiter appeared with their meal and set it on the table.
Nina elbowed him in the ribs. He looked at her, and she nodded toward the chef. Her expression basically said, “Say something, you unbelievable moron.”He should at least thank Rhoda for the meal, but his anxiety had finally caught up and taken every possible word from his mouth.
So without so much as saying goodbye, the chef walked away from the table.
They sat back down.
He hadn’t realized how quiet he’d become until the sound of Nina’s finger tapping against the water glass forced him to look up. She was staring back.
“Leo,” she said gently.
“Nina,” he said curtly.
First the woman at Dodger Stadium, and now the chef at the Sunset Grande. Two people from very different worlds who had both found him unremarkable in comparison to Nina, all within less than twenty-four hours. Could he feel any smaller?
“I’m sorry.” Her eyebrows formed a worried line.
“Why are you sorry?” he asked.
“That wasn’t how I wanted the conversation to go. Let me ask her to come back—”
He stopped her. “I own restaurants that exist in airports. That’s a fact.”
Why did this bother him so much? Oh, right, because his business was always second-rate in comparison to Nina’s, and nothing he did would ever be good enough.
“Okay. I just feel...” She shook her head and looked down at the table.
“Pleased? I’m sure that was fun for you to watch.” Wow, he didnotintend to sound as bitter as he did, but he couldn’t stop the words, or the tone, from spilling out.
“I knew you didn’t like me, just didn’t realize you think I’m a terrible person.” She rubbed her temples.
He didn’t think she was a terrible person—not really. Especially not after she’d tried to help him with the introduction and supporting Vinny’s. He’d just...choked, and completely blown the opportunity that was right in front of him. He’d been lost in his own insecurities, so when it came time to speak...he’d frozen. His anxiety was to blame, not Nina. How other people reacted to his business was out of her hands. The least he could do was be friendly back to her, the way she’d attempted to be to him.
“I don’t think you’re terrible, Nina.” He was an idiot, is what he should’ve said. He was aware that his pride often got the best of him. What would his mom say if she saw how Leo had acted? How he’d made Nina feel? “You tried to help me big-time, and I’m just disappointed in myself. I took that out on you. I’m sorry for saying that. If my mom were here, she’d smack me on the head.”
A barely perceptible sniffle came out of Nina. When he looked at her, really took a moment, he could see that her eyes had welled up. She wiped at the corners with her napkin.
“Oh, shit, Nina...”Goddamn it. Had he seriously made her cry? He shifted in his chair. What should he do in this situation? Should he go to her side? Give her a hug?
“Calm down,” she said as she dabbed away more tears. “Not everything is about you. Today is just tough for me. It’s my mom’s birthday.”
Leo straightened. She’d never mentioned her mother, and he had no idea why her birthday would cause Nina to cry. But he sensed there was more she was about to share, so he waited.
“She died, a while back. When you mentioned your mom, it just made me think of her. Sorry.” She nervously laughed and wiped tears from her eyes. “I don’t usually cry.”
