to her face and her heart leapt in her chest. The sight of him automatically sent a jolt of attraction and electricity through her core.
She strode across the hardwood floor, and the crowd almost seemed to part for her as she closed the distance between them. He held out a hand as she neared and she placed her palm in his.
‘Hello gorgeous.’ He smiled.
‘I’m sorry I’m late, rush-hour traffic really can be a terror.’
‘Don’t worry about it, and I’m used to waiting for you. What are you having?’ Shane got up from the barstool that he had been sitting on and offered it to her. The place really was packed.
She took a seat and considered the extensive wine list on the countertop. Normally, she was a red wine lover, but tonight was different.
‘A Grey Goose dirty martini, extra dirty,’ she said to the barman. Shane’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. ‘Extra dirty? What’s gotten into you?’
‘Just looking to mix it up a little, you know yourself.’
From the look on Shane’s face, clearly he didn’t. He smiled nervously and placed a protective hand on the back of Cara’s stool.
The barman duly delivered her drink and she turned to Shane. ‘To fun,’ she said, clinking the edge of his gin and tonic.
‘To the future,’ he said, meeting her gaze. His look was surprisingly intense and Cara felt her heart give a deep thump in her chest. She took a sip of her drink and reminded herself once more:
sophisticated and sexy . . . no marriage talk
.
‘So how was your day then?’ she said, starting the conversation.
‘The usual cut and thrust of the Irish accountancy world . . .’
‘Right – how fascinating.’ Cara feigned a yawn and Shane elbowed her.
They chatted happily until a waitress made her way over to let them know their table was ready.
Entering the dining area, they were led to a small alcove that housed one private table that looked out on to the rest of the room. It was surrounded by colourful stained-glass windows and the lights were dim to set the mood, setting off the rich mahogany of the tables and the colourful high backed banquette seating. It was a cosy space, and Cara knew from past experience that the amazing food served to enrich a diner’s experience even more.
Shane stood behind Cara and pulled out her chair, allowing her to take a seat. She thanked him as he pushed the chair in and she moved the white cloth napkin from the tabletop on to her lap. He sat across from her and smiled.
He set his hands on the table but then back in his lap, before finally returning them to the table, as if he was unsure what to do with them. Cara noted the behaviour, and wondered what was wrong. He had seemed fine at the bar moments ago, and she didn’t know what to make of the sudden fidgeting.
Oh shit . . .
‘Everything all right?’ she inquired nervously, still glancing at his hands. His fingers were now tapping the wood of the table, as if he was looking for a piano but would instead make do with pounding out a rhythm with whatever surface was provided.
‘What?’ he replied, bringing his attention back to Cara. He looked briefly at his fingers as if he had previously been unaware of what they had been doing. ‘Oh sorry, I just need to order another drink.’ He picked up his empty glass and his hand shook and rattled the leftover ice.
Cara was now seriously worried. First off, Shane was never jittery. Second, he was never impatient. And third, he wasn’t a big drinker and certainly not some kind of addict who started to shake while he waited for his next fix.
‘Shane, are you all right?’ she asked, her internal radar screaming at her that something was up. Oh God, she
knew
she should never have mentioned that whole marriage thing this morning. Now he was spooked.
‘Yes, why do you ask?’ he said, offering up a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
‘You’re just acting sort of weird all of a sudden.’ Cara glanced around at her fellow diners, looking for
She strode across the hardwood floor, and the crowd almost seemed to part for her as she closed the distance between them. He held out a hand as she neared and she placed her palm in his.
‘Hello gorgeous.’ He smiled.
‘I’m sorry I’m late, rush-hour traffic really can be a terror.’
‘Don’t worry about it, and I’m used to waiting for you. What are you having?’ Shane got up from the barstool that he had been sitting on and offered it to her. The place really was packed.
She took a seat and considered the extensive wine list on the countertop. Normally, she was a red wine lover, but tonight was different.
‘A Grey Goose dirty martini, extra dirty,’ she said to the barman. Shane’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. ‘Extra dirty? What’s gotten into you?’
‘Just looking to mix it up a little, you know yourself.’
From the look on Shane’s face, clearly he didn’t. He smiled nervously and placed a protective hand on the back of Cara’s stool.
The barman duly delivered her drink and she turned to Shane. ‘To fun,’ she said, clinking the edge of his gin and tonic.
‘To the future,’ he said, meeting her gaze. His look was surprisingly intense and Cara felt her heart give a deep thump in her chest. She took a sip of her drink and reminded herself once more:
sophisticated and sexy . . . no marriage talk
.
‘So how was your day then?’ she said, starting the conversation.
‘The usual cut and thrust of the Irish accountancy world . . .’
‘Right – how fascinating.’ Cara feigned a yawn and Shane elbowed her.
They chatted happily until a waitress made her way over to let them know their table was ready.
Entering the dining area, they were led to a small alcove that housed one private table that looked out on to the rest of the room. It was surrounded by colourful stained-glass windows and the lights were dim to set the mood, setting off the rich mahogany of the tables and the colourful high backed banquette seating. It was a cosy space, and Cara knew from past experience that the amazing food served to enrich a diner’s experience even more.
Shane stood behind Cara and pulled out her chair, allowing her to take a seat. She thanked him as he pushed the chair in and she moved the white cloth napkin from the tabletop on to her lap. He sat across from her and smiled.
He set his hands on the table but then back in his lap, before finally returning them to the table, as if he was unsure what to do with them. Cara noted the behaviour, and wondered what was wrong. He had seemed fine at the bar moments ago, and she didn’t know what to make of the sudden fidgeting.
Oh shit . . .
‘Everything all right?’ she inquired nervously, still glancing at his hands. His fingers were now tapping the wood of the table, as if he was looking for a piano but would instead make do with pounding out a rhythm with whatever surface was provided.
‘What?’ he replied, bringing his attention back to Cara. He looked briefly at his fingers as if he had previously been unaware of what they had been doing. ‘Oh sorry, I just need to order another drink.’ He picked up his empty glass and his hand shook and rattled the leftover ice.
Cara was now seriously worried. First off, Shane was never jittery. Second, he was never impatient. And third, he wasn’t a big drinker and certainly not some kind of addict who started to shake while he waited for his next fix.
‘Shane, are you all right?’ she asked, her internal radar screaming at her that something was up. Oh God, she
knew
she should never have mentioned that whole marriage thing this morning. Now he was spooked.
‘Yes, why do you ask?’ he said, offering up a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
‘You’re just acting sort of weird all of a sudden.’ Cara glanced around at her fellow diners, looking for
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