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“But…” He waved his hands, probably trying to get me to forget how cute he was, and sat up straighter again. “But the restaurant part? Everyone is going to have questions.”
Who was he telling?
Did he have some kind of online blog?
“That didn’t start out as my fault. Amadeus’s father was a man-whore who slept with anyone and everything. He did shocking things in nearly every restaurant in town, so to save the family from mortification, they picked a restaurant that would be just for the family. Nocasualdates, if you get my meaning, and no drama.”
Milo rolled his eyes. “Your cousin ruined that one.”
Trying not to laugh, I nodded. “Yes. That’s not my fault, though. I didn’t bring anyone casual to dinner here.”
Milo couldn’t seem to decide if he wanted to blush or giggle and finally did both. “Don’t forget. I’m expensive.”
He was never going to let either of us forget that.
“But worth it.” Adorable. “I wasn’t planning on telling you about the significance of the restaurant at this point, though. It was…it was more of a quiet thing for me. I knew you’d figure it out eventually but I didn’t want you to feel pressured tonight.”
Licking his lips, Milo reached for his water to give himself a moment to get his thoughts together. When he set the glass back down, he seemed like it had helped. “Pressured for something to happen tonight or pressured because you’re assuming a future?”
“Both.” That had him blinking like his brain had gone blank, but I shrugged. “I’ve always gone after what I wanted.”
Should I apologize for that?
“Okay, well, thank you for bringing me someplace special for our date.” Looking around the room while he gathered his thoughts again, Milo looked steadier as his gaze came back to me. “It wasn’t what I was expecting but I like that.”
It had a casual elevated southern vibe that was very deliberately cultivated. It didn’t look too fancy but it was owned by one of the best chefs in the country and he’d designed the menu off his favorite foods from when he was growing up.
“I wanted someplace relaxing but with interesting options for you. I thought little Milo would like the chicken if he came to hang out instead of grown-up Milo.” The menu changedfrequently, but I’d made sure there was something for both of them to pick from.
Milo’s smile peeked out as he glanced down at his water again. “Thank you for thinking of that…and for being understanding about it.”
“It’s no problem. I had fun with you last night and I knew no matter which side of you I got to hang out with tonight, we’d have a fun time.” Reaching across the table again, I squeezed his hand. “But back to making sure you have all the details…the owner has several different restaurants in the city but they’re all considered off-limits to flings or casual situations. This was just the one I thought you’d enjoy best.”
And that wouldn’t make me look like I was trying too hard to impress him.
Barely holding back another giggle, Milo nodded graciously. “Thank you for helping me with the details. They make a story and I promised a good distraction.”
Now he had me very curious.
“What did Dally do?” My question was close enough to the truth to have Milo laughing.
“Well, it’s his dad, really.” When Milo could stop snickering, he took a deep breath and went into storytelling mode, sitting straighter again and looking like he was a librarian or a kindergarten teacher. “He’s done something ridiculous and needs a distraction at the next family dinner. He gave Dally money to pay for my cab ride if I’d talk about my date and would be the distraction this time.”
I had entirely too many questions and just ended up nodding.
“He does this every couple of years and it was my turn.” Milo shrugged like he knew it wasn’t normal but what could he do. “He paid Dally to come out one year when we were teenagers because he’d bought a timeshare and Dally’s mother was going to kill him.”
Dally’s family was somehow more interesting than my own.
It was impressive, actually.
“That makes sense.” Unfortunately. “I’m glad to have been useful.”
Pressing his lips together, Milo managed not to laugh out loud. “I appreciate it. Most of my dates have ended so badly, I think he was expecting something ridiculous. I like that I’m not doing anything stupid in this story.”
We were going to come back to the cab fare part of the story later, but for now I gave him a teasing grin. “The night is still young. You might end up doing something interesting.”
Groaning, he shook his head and did his best to look sweet and innocent. “Oh no. I’m not going to be the problem tonight.”
