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“For Albert. We’ll work up to having him join us for dessert.”
“Right.” I should have remembered that Alexa was different. Not a single one of my previous dates had ever suggested sharing with my driver. Nor had I thought of it.
“What should I expect when we leave?” Alexa asked after I called Albert to tell him to drive up in the front.
I finished signing the check. “They’ll most likely yell questions and want your name. Don’t answer. Trust me, you don’t want them to know yet.”
“No name. Anything else?”
“No matter what they say or ask, don’t respond.”
“The last time that guy grabbed me.”
I understood cameras and shouting were the norm, but touching or grabbing was out of bounds, and they knew that. “If it happens again, you scream my name, and I flatten the guy. Problem solved.”
“Hitting is never a good idea.”
“A gentleman protects his lady. No ifs, ands, or buts. Some people need a more forceful approach than others to learn a lesson.” I sealed this sentiment with a brief kiss on her knuckles that she didn’t pull away from. “You’re an amazing woman, Alexa, and I’d never let anything happen to you.”
I’d picked her because she was the opposite of the women I normally pursued. And after only two meals with her, I had to wonder why I’d ever gone after the others. Alexa was so much more real than any of them. She had a passion that extended beyond clothes, events, or the bank accounts of the men she dated.
* * *
Alexa
This time,when we exited the restaurant I was prepared.
Evan’s prediction about the paparazzi was right. They were aggressive with their questioning and cameras in our faces. Only one was respectful enough to take the pictures from a safe distance. Calling them a pack of hyenas wasn’t far off, but at least the greasy-haired blond wasn’t among them. We hurried to the car. I kept my mouth zipped and Evan’s arm shielded my face from at least some of them. This time I paid attention to my feet and didn’t trip, thank God.
Albert opened the back door of the car and provided a buffer from the crowd as we got in. I slid in first, and Evan followed. It wasn’t until the door closed, shutting out the yelling of the crowd, that I realized how rapidly my heart was beating.
Evan took my hand in his. “Deep breath in, deep breath out,” he said. He added his other hand on top of mine.
I was comforted by his composure and willed myself to take the breaths he requested. Slowly, my anxiety diminished.
Albert climbed into the driver’s seat. “Where to?”
“Brooklyn,” Evan said.
As Albert pulled away from the curb, I spoke, “Albert stop on the next block, if you find a spot.”
Evan shot me a questioning glance. “I’m sure we can find a more secluded place to make out.”
I slapped his shoulder. “Control yourself. We’re giving Albert his dessert.”
“No need, ma’am,” Albert said.
I pulled my hand loose from Evan’s grasp and handed the bag with the dessert over the seat.
Albert didn’t reach for it.
I shook the bag. “I insist.”
“Go ahead, Albert,” Evan said. “What the lady wants, she gets. We’ll wait until you’re done.”
“Thank you, Miss Alexa.” Albert took it and inhaled the custard so fast I was afraid he might choke.
Itwasdelicious, but I realized he was most likely trying to appease me without getting in trouble with Evan for delaying us too much. “And one more thing,” I added, pulling a box of crayons from my purse. “For Jessica. I liked coloring when I was her age.”
