Page 46 of Love to Hate You

“Are you ready?” he asks.

I nod and follow him out. “It’s strange leaving so early,” I say as we walk down to the elevators.

“Kind of nice to have something else planned, though.”

“It is,” I agree.

Down in the garage, he guides me over to his Tesla and opens the door for me.

“Thank you,” I say and slip inside.

The drive back to his place takes a little longer because of traffic and the bad weather so we don’t arrive at his apartment until nearly 6:30 p.m.

“You’re late,” a voice says, and I look over to see Tanner. “Hi, Charlie.”

“Hi,” I say and send a surprised look at Nash.

“Tanner is an excellent cook and prepared our dinner tonight,” Nash says.

“Oh!” I exclaim as Nash helps me take my coat off. “That’s so nice of you.”

“You two have a seat. I’ll be right out with the wine.”

Nash gives me a smile and nods toward the terrace. “I had plans to do dinner out there, but the weather changed that. So, I figure we can sit right by the window and still enjoy the view.”

“Sounds good.” He pulls my chair out and I sit, not knowing when he turned into such a gentleman. I really like it, though. A candle burns in the center of the small table and Tanner returns with a bottle of red wine. He pours us each a glass.

“Appetizers are on the way,” Tanner says and leaves the bottle on the table.

I lay the cloth napkin on my lap, look over the nice place setting and realize how much trouble Nash and Tanner went to tonight. It’s beyond sweet and he’s the only man who ever took the time and trouble to do such a kind gesture.

“What’s wrong?” Nash asks.

I look up and force a smile. “Nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

“This is all very nice. You really didn’t have to go to so much trouble.”

“Tanner deserves all the thanks,” he says as his brother walks back out with a tray of hor d'oeuvres.

“Dig in,” Tanner says with a grin. “There’s bruschetta, Greek salad skewers and grilled squash ribbons and prosciutto with mint dressing.”

“It all looks delicious,” I say.

“The chef does accept tips, by the way,” he says and heads back to the kitchen. I chuckle and reach for a piece of toasted bruschetta.

“It must be nice having a brother who cooks,” I say.

“I just found out and, yeah, it is,” Nash says and bites into the grilled squash.

I’m curious about their relationship but don’t feel comfortable asking yet. It seems to be improving, though, so that’s good. The food is delicious and it’s not long before Tanner serves us chicken with roasted baby potatoes and other assorted veggies on the side.

“That’s about it for me,” Nash says and sets another bottle of wine on the table. “Hope you enjoy it.”

“Thank you, Tanner. It’s all so good,” I tell him.

“My pleasure.” He leans over and I hear him tell Nash dessert is in the fridge. As Tanner quietly slips out, I study Nash closely over the rim of my glass. He looks extremely handsome tonight and I get the overwhelming urge to know more about him.