Page 19 of Breakaway Heart
“Okay, you’re hired. We open in one week, okay?”
“Oh, so we’re staying in Mexico and running Randy’s Finest American, French, and Asian Restaurant.”
“We definitely need a better name.”
“You’re not wrong.”
In an unexpected way, I was actually enjoying the evening. It had been a while since I’d had a moment like this. As the night bristled by, Harry’s Diving Duck turned out to be nothing short of sensational, and Randall, on his part, was actually acting like someone you could spend time with, without wanting to strangle him.
He went to retrieve a second bottle of wine and, as he came back, he looked at me inquisitively. “So, how am I doing so far?”
“I think you’ve done well enough to let out the real Randy for a minute.”
“Oh, thank God!”
Randall flopped back and then reclined into his chair, one foot lying casually over his other knee. There wassomething so confident about all of his movements. Like he owned the fucking world, and that was how it should be. No nervous twitches or second thoughts. He just was.
“Sooo,” he turned the corkscrew with perfect deliberation, each twist creaking in the wine neck as he watched the cork turn. “What if I told you I had a magic cock?”
“Hah! Is that right? And what makes it so magical?”
“It’ll make all your troubles disappear.”
He made a sound like a puff of smoke at the same time as the cork popped free, like a magician who had just made a card disappear in front of your eyes.
“Jeez. That really was…excruciatinglyawful!” I told him, pulling a faux expression of disappointment.
“That’s actually worked before,” He told me as we laughed.
“I don’t think it’s because of the line. More that they were desperate enough to want to sleep with you already.”
“Huh. And I suppose you wouldn’t?” He looked up at me with a dark smile on his lips, before leaning over to refill my glass.
Suddenly, I was flustered. I should’ve just brushed it off, but I didn’t trust myself to look inside and find the actual answer to that question.
“Sorry, Randy, you haven’t quite won me over. A girl really needs to feel desired.”
“Uh huh, make you feel special?”
“No.Actuallymake me special. No games or tricks.”
“One night with me and you’d feel special. Trust me.”
I wanted to laugh dismissively, but the sound wouldn’t come. It was somehow trapped in my throat by the impossible thought of the suggestion.Was that actually true? Was I actually even considering this? Lucy. No.
We sipped our wine in the cool air and looked out acrossthe hills. I couldn’t tell what Randy was thinking, but it was a moment without any sparring conversation, just peaceful and beautifully calm.
I checked my watch.
“Oh, shoot! My car is going to be here in five minutes.”
“Ah, really? You’re leaving me? I can’t tempt you with dessert?”
The look he gave me suggested more than dessert was on the menu, and it made me pause for a moment.
“Nope. That’s today’s lesson, Randall. Tomorrow, same time, if you want?”
“I’d like that,” he replied.
