Page 40 of The Perfect Heart

“Halle, did I say something wrong?”

Another heartbeat and Halle shook her head like she was shaking something off. “Sorry. I’m really sorry. Jack used to take us to places where we got ‘special treatment.’ It usually meant I wasn’t going to have a good time.”

This was the first time she had said a single word about her, well, not her ex, and I couldn’t bring myself to think the word husband. Jack.

“You didn’t have a good time?”

I didn’t know anything about the life she had lived with Jack, aside from the fact that it had been lavish if the reports of their wedding that had trickled back to me had been any kind of preview. I couldn’t imagine what could be terrible about the type of service given to people who were that kind of wealthy.

“Usually, it meant I spent the time feeling uncomfortable as Jack demanded attention from the waitstaff and owner in the rudest ways possible, flaunting his money and power and ignoring me most of the night. It was so embarrassing.” Halle’s lowered gaze was on her hands, clenched tightly in her lap, one thumb rubbing the other until the skin was red.

“Shit.” I brushed my hair with my hand. “That sucks.”

“Yeah.”

“Well.” I sucked in a breath, flipping through responses. “I mean, the guy’s my friend. He’s great, and I think I treat the serving staff well. But we can go somewhere else if it will make you uncomfortable.”

Halle took a deep breath, and I saw her raising her head out of the corner of my eye, though she kept her gaze forward. “No, you’re right. This is completely different. And you’re not Jack.”

Damn right, I’m not, I thought, feeling unreasonably angry just from that small story. But I didn’t say it out loud.

“I’m sure it will be fine.” Halle turned a smile on me, and I reached across and gave her hands, still clutched in her lap, a squeeze I hoped was comforting.

“It will be. I’ll tell them to cancel the fireworks and tantrum hour.”

This time, when I winked, Halle laughed, and it was one of the best sounds I’d heard in a long time.

When we got to the restaurant, the owner came over almost as soon as the hostess had seated us, all smiles and welcoming handshakes. He promised to bring us the best dishes of the night, all while charming Halle with jokes at my expense. By the time he left the table, Halle looked much more at ease, her smile bright and quick to show.

We settled into the space, all exposed wood, metal, and tall windows complete with strings of bulb lights to complete the look. The high-ceilinged restaurant was loud, especially with the kitchen open to the guests, but my buddy, the owner, had placed us in a small pocket near a window in a corner that muted the din.

“Okay, so, has this been uncomfortable at all?” I asked.

“No. It’s been great,” Halle replied, her gaze still taking in the room before returning to me as she smiled shyly. “This is great, Nash. Thank you.”

The words relieved me—I had desperately wanted tonight to go well.

“I know Wenatchee isn’t exactly LA, but—” I started, the other thing I had been worried about. Halle had gotten used to the best in one of the biggest cities in the country. I’d had no idea what she would think of the night out I’d had planned.

“No, really, Nash, this is great.” Halle reached across the table and laid her hand over mine, her gaze seeing my eyes. “Really. Please don’t worry. It’s perfect.”

Something about her touch, soft and warm, and the way her gaze caught on mine set electric sparks buzzing through my arm, straight to the center of my chest. When she took her hand away again, I had to take a long drink of the beer my friend had brought to get rid of the desert-like feeling in my throat so I could talk again.

And we did talk. I had been worried that Halle and I might feel awkward as we explored this new dynamic between us. But soon enough, we were talking and laughing like the best friends we had been.

Halle asked me what I wanted for the future now that I had realized my dream—the bar—and I asked Halle if she saw herself returning to school. Discussing our hopes and dreams again was good, though Halle’s were far more stunted than mine. And I understood. She was still trying to find herself and figure out what she wanted and who she was after leaving her old life behind.

“So Emily lent you that dress? I knew she was back in town, but I don’t see her much.” I took another bite of the incredible fish the kitchen had sent our way—yet another dish in the pile we had been sent to taste.

“I think she hangs out more often at that other bar across town. The one where all the cool kids hang out.” Halle gestured with her fork as though it were right down the street.

“Well, that sounds like Emily. It definitely has that moody vibe.”

Halle laughed, nearly choking on her next bite, and took a drink of the house beer my buddy had selected for us. “That’s really true. Most of her closet is still black.”

“Grown-up goth,” I quipped, and Halle laughed again.

Her eyes still glittered with amusement. “Exactly.”