Page 9 of Timeless Valentine

It will take a while for her to trust me enough to let me spoil her.

But for my beautiful Grace, I have all the time in the world.

5

GRACE

Being with Leo is like living in another world. He spoils me completely, but it's so much more than that.

After driving me to the flower shop Saturday morning with yet another fancy coffee, he understood that I didn't have time to take a lunch break, and simply dropped by with a container filled with bite-sized snacks so I could nibble while I worked, and my fingers would stay clean.

He's so thoughtful. I honestly would never have imagined that a man would be so caring and patient, and willing to work around my schedule.

Leo doesn't even mind when I text to say that I have to work an hour late at the shop at the last minute, preparing everything for the extra shift coming up on Monday night. Valentine's Day is always a complete tornado of work, and the owner, Mrs. Mackie, calls in a few former employees so that we have extra help.

When I slip into Leo's car he looks up from his phone with a start, then pretends to scowl. "One of these days you'll actually let me run around and get the door for you."

"Haha! I'm too quick — always on the run."

"But you're done for the day, right?"

I sigh heavily. "Yeah. Long day."

He squeezes my knee. "I know you're probably too tired for a fancy date, and that's fine, but I was thinking… You're saving time on the bus. I could save you time making dinner, if we grab something quick together at a restaurant."

I look down at my jeans and navy t-shirt. "Sounds great, but I'm not dressed for dinner."

"Have you ever been to Ray's Diner? Very casual, but amazing food. We pop in, you fuel up, I drive you home, you get a great night's sleep."

I take his hand. "Thanks for understanding. A diner sounds perfect."

When we walk in, I see it really is perfect. Ray's Diner is one of those quaint fifties throwbacks, complete with a perky waitress wearing a blue and white uniform and sporting an adorable grin.

"Hi!" she says. "I'm Claudia. I'm in charge of your feeding and watering needs this evening. There's a big squishy corner booth all ready for you."

We sit down at the only table with an extravagant flower arrangement on it, and two white candles. Claudia hands us menus, then leans down to whisper, "I've honestly never had a customer call to make a reservation and request special arrangements. He's head over heels for you, girl."

Leo looks around the room, pretending not to have overheard.

By the time we finish our burgers and onion rings, I finally understand more about what Leo does for a living, and I appreciate that he enjoys his job so much. On the surface, it sounds pretty straightforward, fitting the right people into the right positions as if it were one of those block games.

But Leo is extremely particular about people, and who fits with what company. He is interested in the clients and their needs. He knows which engineers are willing to travel anywhere for a position, and which aren't. Who is interested in a deadline-driven, high-stakes environment, and who is better suited to pure research.

I also love that he explains everything to me simply, while at the same time not talking down to me. He's extremely smart, but I'm no slouch either.

Leo pushes the plates slightly toward the edge of the table so that he can take my hands in his. "Grace, it's time for a very important question."

I blink, curious.

"Do we know each other well enough to order two different kinds of dessert and split them?"

I burst into laughter as Claudia approaches, her high ponytail swishing behind her. "Since this is clearly a special occasion, folks, we've got cake, we've got brownies, but much more importantly, pie. I repeat, we have pie."

She sets down a small dessert menu, conspicuously pointing back and forth between the lemon meringue and chocolate raspberry.

"If I've learned anything from many years of visiting fabulous restaurants, it's that people should always listen to their server." Leo looks up at Claudia with a wink. "Those two, thank you."

I love how he's so friendly and sweet with the staff everywhere he goes. As we dig into the pie, I realize he's the most even-tempered man I've ever spent time with. Even when traffic was horrible he never got angry. He wouldn't snap, just make a snarky quip about the person cutting him off being the Emperor of the Road.

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