Page 67 of Shattered

Axel took me to dinner at one of the restaurant branches I’d been wanting to try for months. The kind of place that had a waitlist measured in seasons and a dress code I had to Google.

I’d bought a new dress. Nothing crazy. But nice enough that Axel had stopped mid-sentence when I’d walked out of his bedroom wearing it.

“You look—” He’d stopped. Started again. “We’re skipping dinner.”

“We’re not skipping dinner. I’ve been wanting to try this place forever.”

“We can order takeout.”

“Axel.”

“Fine. But we’re leaving early.”

We didn’t leave early. The food was incredible. The wine was perfect. The conversation flowed easy and natural like we’d been doing this for years instead of weeks.

“How did you even get a reservation?” I asked. “Don’t people wait months for this?”

“I know people.”

“You invested in their expansion, didn’t you?”

“That’s not why we got the reservation.”

“Axel.”

“What? They had a solid business plan. Good food. Strong management. It made sense to invest.”

“You invested in a restaurant so I could eat here?” I couldn’t believe what I was even hearing.

“I invested in a restaurant because it was a good opportunity. You being able to eat here is just a convenient side effect.”

I kicked him under the table. He smiled and caught my foot. Then, he kept it trapped against his ankle for the rest of dinner.

The waiter brought the check. Axel signed without looking.

“You didn’t even look at the total,” I said.

“Does it matter?”

“Most people look at the bill.”

“I’m not most people.” He stood and offered me his hand. “And I don’t care what it costs if you enjoyed it.”

On the drive back to his place, he held my hand over the center console and I thought about how this was my life now. I didn’t think living could get any better.

The next week, I showed up at his office unannounced.

Mark greeted me with a smile “He’s in a meeting, but I’ll inform him you are here,”

He started to leave and then paused. He turned at me again.

“You know you’re terrible for his productivity, right?” He gave me a look that was equal parts amused and long-suffering.

“I’m excellent for his productivity.”

“That’s not what the quarterly reports say.”

Axel appeared in the doorway to his office. “Delia. What are you doing here?”