The Dating Tutor: Alec's Story by Melissa Frost Page B

protested at first, but he could see just how in love she was with the place, and she hadn’t even stepped through the doors yet. Coming here had been a wise choice. Maybe Jake was on to something.
    “Are you ready?” he murmured in her ear as he placed a hand to her back.
    Dragging her eyes from the exterior of the restaurant, she beamed up at him. “This place is beautiful. I feel like a princess.”
    She looked like a princess. He grinned at her exuberance. “I think that’s the point.” Guiding her inside, he made his way up to the counter to give his name to the maître d’. While she ogled the place a bit more, he figured out where their seats were. When instructed, he followed after a woman dressed in a black pantsuit wearing a pin emblazoned with the restaurant’s name.
    Drawing her attention away from décor, Alec took Ellie’s hand as the hostess began leading them toward their table. “Come on, El. We’ve got a table right next to the band.” They approached their very intimate spot, and he gave a polite thank you to the hostess.
    Once the hostess had retreated, Ellie tugged at her chair to pull it out, but Alec slapped her hand. “Wrong.” Nudging her out of the way, he pulled the chair out for her. “It’s my job to do that.”
    He could tell by the way her shoulders tensed that she was trying very hard not to show her exasperation. She’d never been one for all of the girly rituals, and waiting to have her chair pulled out for her was no doubt an annoyance.
    Still, she put forth the effort and took a compliant step back. Waving a hand at the chair, she said, “By all means then.”
    Despite her best efforts, there was a mocking yet playful tone to her voice. She was put off by his chivalry. He couldn’t help but smile behind her back. She was not a predictable girl, and he found that refreshing. Hopefully Jake would, too.
    He bumped his hip good-humoredly against hers as he positioned her chair behind her knees. “You’re finding this far too amusing,” he informed her. “Dating is serious business.”
    “I’m just finding date Alec to be comical,” she retorted with a small smile. Sitting down in her chair, she allowed him to help her scoot inward toward the table.
    Just as she was nearly situated, there was a loud bang. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. Had she just cracked her knee against the table leg?
    “Son of a—”
    “Don’t you dare curse on our date or so help me…you’re not getting a goodnight kiss!” It was the only date-like threat he could think of spur of the moment.
    Ellie looked up from massaging her knee long enough to glare at him. “You’re not getting a kiss whether I curse or not.”
    “Ouch.” He followed his complaint with a slap of his palm to the back of her chair. “I hope you don’t say that to Jake, or he’s going to give up real quick.”
    “I won’t say that to Jake. I’m sure he won’t smash me into the table.”
    “Yes,” Alec said sarcastically. In all of his dates, he’d never once led a girl into the table leg before. This couldn’t have been any fault of his own. It was just that she was so clumsy. “Because he’s so dreamy and perfect.”
    “Exactly.” She placed her cloth napkin over her lap and smoothed it out with a smug expression. “He’s perfect.”
    “Yeah. Yeah.” He flopped down into his seat with a grunt and lifted his menu for examination. His eyes automatically went to the drink list, and he scrutinized it with Ellie’s future rendezvous in mind.
    When the waiter approached their table and inquired into their drink order, Alec answered for both of them. “We’ll both take a glass of apple-raspberry juice. Thank you.”
    He could see the outrage on Ellie’s face the instant the words were out of his mouth, but he kept a patiently neutral expression on his face.
    As soon as the waiter was out of hearing range, she let loose with her tirade. “What the hell was that?”
    “I’m not letting you order