Page 71 of Flirting with Trouble

We’re embraced by the savory aroma of French cuisine, stirring memories of visiting Olivier at the Bistro. Soft lighting and faint classical music give the cozy romantic bistro an elegant yet relaxed aura. Simple wooden tables are adorned with dainty glass vases and fresh flowers. On the walls, rustic shelves display an array of wine bottles, antique picture frames, and trinkets.

Victory puts her hand on my stomach, gazing up at me with hopeful eyes as she whispers, “What do you think?”

I think I just fell a little harder for you. “It’s almost as perfect as you are.”

Every dish is sensational, from the silky foie terrine and Sainte-Maure goat cheese feuilleté, to the duck magret and tarte tatin. But as we share our meals, our hushed voices mingling with the din of the other diners, I’m utterly lost in the radiant beauty before me. How has she kept her loving heart tied down for so many years? I hope she knows how much this means to me.

When we leave the restaurant, she is just as excited as she was when we arrived. “So? Was it as good as Olivier’s?”

“I feel a little guilty saying this, but it was just as good as his. And le tarte tatin?” I shake my head, still in awe of how delicious it was. “It threw me right back to my childhood.”

“That makes me so happy.” She goes up on her toes and kisses me.

I wrap her in my arms, keeping her close. “You’re amazing. You can’t imagine how much it means to me. Thank you for a perfect evening.”

“It’s not over yet. I just need one second to check on our car.” She steps out of my arms and pulls out her phone. “It should be here any minute.”

“When did you order a car?”

“When I used the ladies’ room.” She tucks her phone into her purse. “Someone has to take us to your next surprise.”

“There’s more? What are you up to, Braden?”

“You’re going to have to wait and see.”

Her knee bounces anxiously on the drive to wherever she’s taking me. When we arrive, I smell salty sea air as I climb out of the car before I turn around and see the water. “Where are we?”

“There’s Seth.”

“Seth?” I follow her gaze to Seth, talking on the phone across the parking lot. He spots us and heads in our direction. “Want to clue me in on what we’re doing here, sweet thing?”

“In a minute,” she says as Seth approaches, pocketing his phone.

“Hi,” Seth says. “What’s going on?”

“You don’t know, either?” Wells asks.

He shakes his head. “No idea. Vic sent me a treasure map that led here.”

“You got a treasure map?” I turn my best forlorn expression on Victory. “Why didn’t I get a treasure map?”

Seth laughs.

“Because you got a guided tour,” she says.

“What’s going on, Vic?” Seth asks. “Why are we here?”

Her eyes dance with mischief. “Early Christmas present. Follow me.”

She walks purposefully toward the water. Seth and I exchange confused glances as we follow her down to a dock with an old, weathered building. It has several massive metal garage-style doors along each side and a few broken windows.

She turns around before we reach the entrance to the building, and she’s absolutely glowing. “Wells, when we stayed in that hotel in Baltimore, you said you’d love to find a place like it for the restaurant. And, Seth, the other day when we had lunch, I mentioned that idea, and you said you thought it would be ideal, but you’d never find one.”

As we walk along the side of the building, she says, “This is an old shipping warehouse. I’m not an architect, and I know nothing about restaurant design, but imagine if you take out those metal garage doors and put in the kind of accordion glass walls that Flynn has in his house.” She turns to me. “They fold open like an accordion, so you’d have natural light in the winter and open-air seating that extends outdoors in warmer months.”

“I have those in my house on the oceanside,” I say.

“Then you know how great they are. There’s enough space for a band, and you might even be able to offer rooftop seating with amazing sunset views. Wells, you have dockside service for boats on the island. I don’t know if you’ll be allowed to do that here, but maybe? I know it doesn’t look like much now, but I drew up some ideas.” She reaches into her purse and hands us each copies of drawings.