Page 19 of Unveiled

Adalyn stood with her hand on the handle of the huge front door, halting in place and drawing in a deep breath. She really did not want to do this. She had never been good at dating, and especially after her debacles with Shawn and then Jaxon, she had no real desire to deal with men ever again.

She glanced through the glass at all the people seated inside. Who was he? She literally knew nothing about this guy. Was he divorced, or had he been single his entire adult life? Was he as uncomfortable with this arrangement as she was? Would he be offended if she canceled and told him she wasn’t feeling well?

Immediately, guilt assailed her. It wasn’t this guy’s fault that her previous relationships had all crashed and burned. She at least needed to give him a chance. Determined to try to be more positive, she pulled open the door and stepped inside. Tamping down her unease, she smiled shakily at the hostess. “Hello. I’m here to meet with Harvey Levenstein.”

The hostess returned her smile. “Right this way, miss.”

Adalyn followed her to the back of the restaurant, weaving between tables full of people. Groups of men who she assumed were holding business dinners were interspersed between couples seated intimately in a dimly lit dining room.

The restaurant itself was beautiful. It was upscale without being overdone, the lighting soft and flattering. Large frosted chandeliers in a circular shape approximately five feet wide hung from the ceiling over various parts of the room. They cast their soft glow over the patrons, lending to the ambience.

The hostess halted beside a chair and shot Adalyn another smile. “Anything else, miss?”

“No, thank you,” Adalyn replied.

Across the table, Harvey didn’t bother to stand. In fact, he barely looked away from his phone. Adalyn settled into her seat as the hostess made her way back to the front of the restaurant. Finally, as if just noticing her presence, he lifted his head and smiled at her. A mixture of surprise and pleasure lit his eyes. “Wow, you’re a lot prettier than Dad let on.”

“Um… thanks?” Adalyn wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or not.

The waitress came by, and Harvey dove right in, ordering a bottle of red wine. Adalyn barely held back a grimace. She hated red wine, even the sweet stuff. She didn’t drink very often, but when she did, it was usually a white dessert wine that tasted more like Kool-Aid than rotten grapes. Without giving her a chance to look at the menu, he went ahead and placed their orders. The waitress gave a perfunctory nod and strode back toward the kitchen.

Adalyn didn’t recognize the name of whatever he’d ordered, and she barely managed to tamp down her irritation as she turned her gaze back to Harvey. “I don’t think I’ve had that before.”

She wasn’t terribly picky, but it was the principle of the thing. She hated that he felt like he had the right to order for her.

“Oh, don’t worry,” he assured her, “you’ll love it.”

Adalyn sat back in her seat, not entirely convinced, but unwilling to fight over it. Her phone buzzed as a call came through, the vibration pulsing through her purse where it hung over the back of her chair. She leaned over and peeked inside just in time to see the salon’s number flash across the screen. She briefly debated answering then decided against it. Amy was probably calling to make sure everything was going okay, and she was determined to make it through this date if it killed her.

Silence fell between them for a moment before Harvey spoke up again. “So, you run a bridal shop?”

“Actually, it’s my shop. I own it,” Adalyn clarified.

“Ah, I see,” he said as he winked at her. “You’re one of those women.”

Adalyn bristled at the statement, but she tried her best to keep her face expressionless. “What kind of woman would that be?”

“Oh, you know.” He waved a hand in the air. “The kind of woman who wants a fairy-tale wedding. Prince Charming on a dashing horse and everything that goes along with it.”

Adalyn tried not to be insulted by the statement. “Actually, no,” she responded. “I don’t think marriage is in the cards for me just yet.”

“Oh, come on,” he scoffed, giving her a knowing look. “Every woman wants that. Actually, I think it’s great,” he commented. “I can make that happen if that’s what you want.”

Who did this guy think he was? Adalyn opened her mouth to shoot him down, but he continued, barreling right over her.

“Not that I’m proposing,” he said, lifting his hands. “Not yet.”

Was this guy for real? Adalyn’s stomach roiled as he shot her another wink, and she forced herself to take a drink of water to keep the contents of her stomach from ending up all over the table. The waitress arrived by the table and uncorked their wine, then poured a bit into Harvey’s glass.

Adalyn watched as Harvey swirled the deep red liquid around the glass, then inhaled deeply. He took a tiny sip and seemed to chew on it for a good ten seconds before finally swallowing. Pressing his fingers to the base of the glass, he slid it toward the waitress. “That’ll do.”

Oh, God. Figured the man would be a wine connoisseur. Adalyn barely managed to hold back her eye roll. She knew this date hadn’t been a good idea. Still, it was the first time she’d been out in months, and she was determined to enjoy it despite the poor company. Harvey prattled on, making small talk, and she made noises at the appropriate times to acknowledge his statements.

She allowed her mind to wander, thinking about next season’s fashions and the samples that she wanted to order. The new Marchesa was to die for, and she couldn’t wait to get it in her shop. She needed to make sure she ordered some new shoes too, since the style had changed from spring and they were moving now into summer and fall wear. She also needed a couple new headpieces⁠—

She jumped in her seat, ripped away from her thoughts as Harvey let out a cringeworthy guffaw. Her shoulders shot up to her ears, and she fought the urge to look around the room to see if everyone’s eyes were on them.

God, the man had the worst laugh ever.