Jeremy looked back at me and noticed I was bristling, doing my best not to get shouldered off the path. He paused and waited for me to catch up, then wrapped an arm around my shoulder without touching me to help keep the crowd at bay while we walked.
Soon, we arrived at a stylish restaurant on the corner, where a man in all black immediately greeted us.
“Mr. Matos!” the host greeted Jeremy. “I have your table ready!”
He gestured for us to follow as he led us up an escalator to a top floor completely walled in windows that overlooked the city. Jeremy signaled for me to go ahead by gently putting his hand on the small of my back and nudging me forward. The touch sent me reeling, and I worked hard to get my composure by the time we arrived at our table. In the far corner of the upstairs was a plush corner booth.
“This is my favorite place to sit. I always call ahead and get it reserved. Nobody pays attention to this side of the restaurant because the pianist is over that way. You get a minute to yourself here.”
I looked around at all the people dining nearby. Their clothes were much fancier than mine. Their jewelry was flashier. Their hairstyles and make-up had mine beat, too.
For the first time since arriving in the city, I truly felt like a fish out of water. The rest of my adjustments had felt fun and adventurous. Suddenly, I felt like an imposter.
A beautiful young woman soon arrived, setting menus in front of us. Jeremy did not even look at his. He just nodded at her kindly and said, “You know my usual.”
She nodded as she wrote down his order, then turned to me, grinning.
“Do you need time to review the menu?” she asked.
I stared down at the selection. I could not pronounce most of it and could afford even less.
“Get anything you want,” Jeremy said, probably sensing my anxiety. “Company pays.”
I looked at him nervously and asked, “What are you having?”
“I always get the lamb meatballs with pear chutney and the grilled onion espuma,” he answered.
I had no idea what he was talking about.
“I’ll have the same,” I said with a smile, crossing my fingers under the table and hoping I’d like it.
He could sense how nervous I was because immediately, he tried to change the subject, giving me something else to think about.
“Ohio, huh?” he asked. “Big move. We recruited you, so I won’t ask what brought you to the city. I am curious if it’s everything you thought it would be?”
“So far, it’s amazing!” I said, beaming with excitement. “Don’t get me wrong. I really love Hawthorne- the town where I grew up. But it was time to get away from there, though. When I got your offer, I’d been looking for a change, and it felt like fate!”
“That’s great to hear!” he said. “So, what had you wanting to flap your wings? Tired of the small-town life?”
“No. There was something else...” I stopped short of telling him all about my ex, realizing it was probably more than he wanted to know about. At the same time, I worried that talking about surviving that abuse might leave him thinking I was damaged or crazy. I couldn’t bear the thought of him suddenly deciding I couldn’t do the work.
I must have paused for too long, though, because it was long enough for Jeremy to read me. He broke the silence.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. It’s not my business. Everyone goes through stuff, you know. No need to feel bad. As long as it doesn’t interfere with your work, all’s fine on this end.”
“Thank you,” my voice croaked nervously.
About then, the server arrived with our plates and sat them down in front of us.
I breathed a sigh of relief as I looked down at my plate, having already forgotten what I ordered. Whatever it was, though, it looked delicious.
Chapter Four
JEREMY
Oneofthestrangesttruths about Mondays is that the traffic going to work is always twice as bad as the traffic coming home. It’s a fact I’d pondered a hundred times on my Monday evening commute home, and I’d never been able to come up with a reasonable solution. It wasn’t anything I felt the need to complain about, either, though.
I pulled my Benz into the garage and walked to the bedroom, pulling my work clothes off as I entered the door. I walked through the bathroom and turned on the shower- scalding hot. I stepped in, allowing the hot water and steam to relax my muscles and untangle my mind.