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“Ready,” she says, looking at me with a perplexed frown, probably wondering why I’m ogling her.
Clearing my throat, I say, “Let’s go.”
19
Weak
Jane
“Wait. This is a truffle restaurant?” I ask, putting my menu down to peer at Colton. We’re seated at a round table in a secluded corner of the room.
“Yes, it is,” he confirms without meeting my gaze. Then, he peers over his menu. “Thought you might like it. My way of compensating for being a jerk these past few days.”
“Oh, so I wasn’t imagining things, then?” I ask, an eyebrow raised.
He shakes his head. “There was a lot going on at work, and well, I’m sorry. Anyway, this is how I choose to apologize to my future wife,” he says with a wink.
My heart melts inside my chest, then promptly freezes over. Stop swooning! There is nothing to swoon about. I quickly remind myself that this is a professional agreement. “Thank you,” I say, careful to use my professional tone.
I focus my attention back on the menu, and naturally, I want to try everything. I eventually settle on the cep mushroom velouté with truffle espuma as an appetizer, then the truffle and parmesan risotto as a main. Colton chooses the black truffle omelet and the Wagyu beef with truffle mashed potatoes.
When our orders are taken, it’s like the shield protecting me from Colton has vanished along with the menus. Now, I can’t hide from his perfect chiseled jaw or the depth of his gray eyes as they bore into me. This can’t be happening. I don’t want this. I want freedom.
Colton, for his part, seems perfectly content to stare at me without talking, and I have to say something before I combust on my chair. “So, do you come here often?”
“It’s my first time, actually,” he says before taking a sip of his wine. “I didn’t even know this kind of restaurant existed.”
“Tell me about it. This place is my ultimate dream. If I were rich, they’d see me every week,” I joke. “Actually, I’ll have to ask if they have a branch in New York.”
His body tenses, and for a moment, I think I’m going to be served Cold Colton again. But then he chuckles and says, “Truffles are going to ruin you.”
“But at least I’ll be happy,” I say, raising my glass before taking a sip.
“By the way, did you get your passport? Max mentioned it was coming today.” As he asks, he takes his blazer off, and I really wish he hadn’t. His white shirt hugs his muscular chest perfectly. Now, I can’t look away.
“Uh, yes,” I stammer, struggling to focus on his eyes. “It did. I’m all set for my first trip overseas.”
“Good. We’ll—”
Applause fills the room, and I turn around. A man is getting up from his knee, sharing a passionate kiss with a girl whose long black hair is tied back. Their faces are radiant, and I can see the sparkle in their eyes from all the way across the restaurant.
I clap along and turn back to Colton. I expect him to be smiling and applauding like everyone else, but he’s on his phone.
I can’t help but chuckle. “You really don’t like any of this, do you?”
He raises his head and stows his phone. “What do you mean?”
“Weddings and all that.”
He shrugs. “I’m a man. It’s not the same for us.”
“Um, hello? Of course it is. Just look at them,” I say, craning my neck to the newly engaged couple. A waiter just brought them a cake with a single candle. “He’s the one who proposed, wasn’t he?”
Colton’s impassive expression remains. “Well, then it’s just not the same for me. I’m not wired like that. I like being alone, and I don’t want anyone to take care of, or to take care of me.” His tone is back to its usual icy chill. “Why don’t you want all of that?” he asks, waving at the couple as his tone becomes more curious. “You said you didn’t want to date, but like every other woman here tonight, you were swooning when the guy proposed.”
I guess I should have seen that question coming. “I like romance, and I’m happy for the two of them, but I don’t want that for me. I have other goals, other plans apart from just being someone else’s wife.” I say it like it’s a disgusting word I wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. “The money I’ll make these next two years will help me make my dreams come true.”
“Our engagement party is going to be a blast,” he jokes, and I can’t hold back a chuckle.
