Page 57 of Bossed By Three Billionaire Brothers

“I might hold you to that. Anyway, this place has them fresh from the sea—best you’ll ever eat in your life. Thought we’d begin there, have some appetizers with a little wine to start us off, then… well, you’ll just have to wait and find out the rest.”

“You’ve got my attention.”

A pleased grin on my face, I turned my focus back to the road. I loved the drive into town, short as it might’ve been. A winding road led through the foothills of the Alps, the lights from various mansions visible in the distance. After one final turn, the town of Louveciennes opened up before us, the sea vast beyond the shore of the village it was tucked against.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her smile, excitement all over her face.

Chapter 21

Gen

“You want another round?” The mischievous glint in Sean’s eye clued me in right away as to what his answer was.

“I couldn’t. Seriously. I might explode.” And the tone in my voice made it clear I was ready for him to talk me into it.

Sean chuckled, raising two fingers a little above his head in order to catch the waitress’s attention. Once the waitress was near, Sean said something to her in perfect French, and she nodded before heading off.

“You didn’t get more, did you?” I glanced down at the big bowl of empty oyster shells in front of me, scarcely believing that I’d polished off as many as I had.

“Of course, I did. That’s the great thing about oysters, you can suck down as many as you want. Pretty sure I could eat every last one in the Mediterranean if you gave me half the chance.”

“At this rate, I’m starting to think you might pull it off.”

L’Amour en Provence was just as lovely as Sean had led me to believe. It reminded me of something I’d seen on a postcard as we approached, the warm glow of the fading light washing over the charming little restaurant nestled on a quiet street corner. The air around the place was thick with the scents of delicious food mingling with the fresh flowers from the park next door.

The interior was adorned with simple, yet elegant décor, with the perfect sort of warm, low lighting to create a cozy and inviting ambience. The windows were open, allowing the evening sea breeze to flow throughout the place. As the sky faded from a deep blue to a burning orange over the sea, the restaurant took on something of a magical quality, the service staff lighting candles on the tables, the flames casting a gentle, orange glow that flickered upon the faces of the patrons.

That evening, however, there was only one face I was interested in. Sean and I had sipped delicious white wine while nibbling on some bread and cheese, our meal and conversation only interrupted by the waitress refilling our wine or putting down a fresh plate of oysters.

“You know, I can’t believe this is only just the start of the night,” I said, punctuating my words with a sip of wine.

“Is that right?”

“Yep. Back in the states it seemed like guys didn’t even know what a date was. If you were really lucky, they’d take you to their favorite dive bar or whichever place had the cheapest shot-and-beer combo. I mean, it’s not like I expect a fancy dinner or anything, more that it was like they were scared to show they were interested, like caring might scare me off or something.”

“That’s kid’s stuff,” he replied. “When you get a little older, you’re not afraid to show someone you care.”

I smiled, his words sending a tinge of warmth through me.

“It’s kind of a moot point, anyway. It’s not like I was going on tons of dates to begin with.”

He scrunched his forehead, cocking his head to the side in disbelief. “You serious? I’d think a woman like you would have guys chasing you around Manhattan to take you out.”

“Not when you’re as busy with school as I was. I did the occasional Bumble or Hinge thing, but after five or so times of spending my evening getting ready only to be disappointed, it kind of wears down the enthusiasm for dating. And then there was Mark…”

I trailed off, stopping myself as I realized I’d nearly gone into detail about my shitty ex. Last thing I wanted was to spoil the mood with bad relationship talk.

“Mark?”

“He’s no one. I mean, not no one, just an ex.”

Sean regarded me with an expression of mild concern. “You seem like you want to talk about it.”

“Yes and no.” I sighed, frustrated with how I hadn’t finished sorting out my feelings on the subject.

Sean leaned forward, placing his hand on mine. “Listen, you don’t need to talk about anything you don’t want to. But I don’t ever want you to think that there’s anything you need to hide because you’re worried about being judged. I’m taking you out because I want to spend time with you, and learning about who you are, and where you come from is part of all that.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his words. As much as I loved Sean’s lighthearted, humorous nature, I was equally glad to see a more serious side of him.

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