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The waitress drops off our appetizers and tells us she’ll come back for our order in a bit.
“The Velvet Lotus is one of the hottest sushi spots in all of LA,” she says. “How did you manage to get a reservation?”
“My sparkling personality.”
“Yeah, that must be it,” she says with a laugh. “Try again.”
“My agent was able to throw his weight around a little and got us the reservation.”
“Oh, so I guess fame does have some perks after all, huh?”
“A few. Now and then,” I say with a grin.
As we chat and munch on our appetizer, I watch Bailey closely. She seems a little more subdued than normal and not her usual bright, bubbly self.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Huh? Yeah. Of course.”
“You seem off.”
She frowns and looks down at the table. It’s a brief pause, but it’s enough to tell me that she’s dealing with something. But then she raises her gaze and offers me a smile.
“I’m fine. Really.”
“Okay,” I reply, totally unconvinced. “But if you ever do want to talk, I’ve been told I’m a pretty good listener.”
“Yeah? And who told you that?”
“It was in a fortune cookie.”
She laughs. “Great. Thanks.”
“I mean it. I’m always here to listen.”
“I appreciate that.”
She seems to perk up a bit as the evening goes on. I can tell something is bothering her, but she doesn’t seem to want to put a damper on the evening, so she keeps it to herself. After I pay the bill, I step around and pull the chair back.
“You’re such a gentleman,” she says.
“You seem surprised.”
“Most guys these days aren’t as thoughtful.”
I shrug. “I’m old school, I guess.”
“That’s not a bad thing.”
As we step out of the restaurant, a booming crash of thunder sounds overhead. Bailey nearly jumps out of her skin, and I can’t stop the laughter that bursts from my mouth. She slaps my arm playfully but joins my laughter.
“Ass,” she says.
“Sorry.”
Before I can say anything else, the skies open up and a deluge of rain comes pouring down. She squeals and I quickly pull my coat off and throw it over her head.
“Come on,” I say.
