“That’s the best part of my job, getting to know the people in the office. I get to hear about their vacation plans when they ask for days off, console them when there’s a death, and talk about their families. I’ve found several little friends for Jeffery that way. When we hire someone with children Jeffery’s age I always make a point of telling them about him and trying to set up a play date.”
“Does Jeffery have a lot of friends?” Eli asked.
Selene’s smile fought against a frown. “Not really. He’s so quiet and shy that it’s hard for him to make friends. He’s such a homebody. All he ever wants to do is play games with me or go to the movies together.” Selene shrugged, her smile finally winning the fight. “But that’s okay. A boy’s best friend is his mother, after all.”
Selene continued on, but Eli’s blood had turned to ice. He sat frozen in his chair, sick, livid. He knew that quote. Selene probably hadn’t even noticed she was tossing out another one, but those words drilled into Eli’s heart. It was from Psycho. Norman Bates said it, referring to his own disturbed mother, whom he had murdered and kept hidden in his house. Eli hated that movie, not for its violence, but because it reminded him of his own mother. Eli put his fork down. His appetite had vanished.
Chapter 8
A Challenge
Leila sat huddled in her car, cell phone pressed to her ear. “No, I don’t see him yet. Should I wait, or should I go in?”
Eli didn’t answer right away. “Wait,” he said. “You may seem too eager. Letting Luke arrive first will let him feel like he’s leading the date.”
“Leading?”
“Like when two people dance. The man likes to lead, be in control, in charge.”
Not very keen on that idea, Leila said, “Why would I want to make Luke think he is in charge of me?”
“Not in charge of you,” Eli said, “in charge of the situation. It makes most guys uncomfortable to feel commandeered by a woman. Give him this one to help him feel more at ease.”
Leila supposed that made sense. She doubted Luke would need to be put at ease, though. When he met with her and Ana earlier in the week he had shown the same confidence and brashness she had seen the night they met. Leila didn’t think anything could unbalance Luke. Still, she thought Eli’s advice was sound.
“Okay, I’ll wait.” For a moment there was quiet over the line. It was all Leila had meant to ask Eli when she first dialed. She had called him several times during the week, questions about how she should deal with Luke, but like her reason for calling that night, most her insignificant questions were only the catalyst to get her to call. The more she heard his voice, the more she seemed to find reasons to call him, to want to hear him. He never complained, but Leila wondered.
“You must be sick of me calling you. I’m sorry, Eli, I’m just nervous about going out with Luke. I don’t mean to pester you,” she said, testing.
“I don’t mind, Leila. Call as often as you want.”
Leila smiled at his response. It sounded sincere. “Thanks, Eli.”
“Did you check the menu this time?” Eli asked.
“Yes, of course.”
“Purse?”
Leila laughed. “I brought a clutch instead of my regular purse. It’s small enough to set on the table, almost too small. I felt a little like Mary Poppins trying to find a place for my lip gloss, but it all worked out.”
“Now I’m interested in seeing this purse,” Eli said with a chuckle. “I might have to get you a black felt hat with daisies in the brim to complete the look. Do you have an umbrella too?”
Leila couldn’t stop giggling to give him the sassy retort she had on the tip of her tongue.
“What about a black fitted pea coat? I’m sure Ana could track one down if you don’t. I’m positive she has some turn of the century ladies boots, if not.”
“Stop it,” Leila begged. “I’m burning this purse as soon as I get home!”
“No, you can’t!”
“I’m not letting you dress me up like Mary Poppins! Consider the purse dead.”
“I’ll interrupt your date if I have to. I’m vowing right now to save that purse purely to forever save the mental image of you trying to shove a floor lamp in your purse,” Eli said. Despite his laughter, Leila totally believed him.
“Don’t you dare! And I never said I tried to put a lamp in my purse!”
“I’m pretty sure Mary Poppins did.”
Leila buried her phone against her chest and laughed. The now infamous purse lay on her lap. Its pale blue sequin matched the detailing in her silk blouse. She had no intention of ever donning old-style nanny garb, but another idea inched into her mind.
“Tell you what,” she said after putting her phone back to her ear, “you promise to stay away from me and never bring up Mary Poppins again, and I’ll give you the purse. You can check for lamps, turtles, lip gloss, or whatever else you think I put in there all you want.”
“You’ll give me the purse?” Eli asked, amused.
“If you’re really that interested.”
“Oh, I am.”
“Then we have a deal?”
Eli laughed. “To be sure.”
Eli sounded like he was about to say something else when Leila spotted Luke walking up to the restaurant. “Oh, there he is! Eli, I better go. Luke just walked up. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
“Go have fun, Leila.”
Shoving her phone back in the purse, Leila hurried out of her car and across the street. Luke spotted her before she made it halfway and started toward her. His grin and casually confident strut was almost enough to pitch Eli right out of her mind. The rustle of her sequin clutch as she ran kept him from getting too far away.
As soon as Luke reached her he planted a peck on her cheek, took her hand, and almost dragged her back to the restaurant. Leila’s carefully thought out plan for just how much to touch Luke upon meeting him flew right out of her mind. Apparently, Luke had his own ideas about physical contact.
“Have you been here before?” he asked.
“No, but it sounded like fun.”
“Oh, it’s a blast. You’ll love it.”
There was a brief pause in Luke’s hustle when they stopped at the hostess podium. Their reservation was confirmed and Leila soon found herself being ushered to a table where four other people were already seated. The chef stood opposite the other diners, chopping, searing, and flipping bits of meat and vegetables with his knives. Leila felt like she had just been dropped into some kind of food carnival, but she loved it. It took her a moment to notice Luke had pulled out her chair and was waiting for her to sit down.
She sat down with a quick thank you to Luke, who eagerly took his seat next to her. Once they were both seated, the chef turned to them. His knives were thankfully tucked away for the moment. “Welcome to Kanpai. Have you dined with us before?”
“I have,” Luke said, “but Leila hasn’t. She’s new to teppanyaki.”
Luke was right, but thanks to Eli’s advice, Leila at least knew what teppanyaki was. She had looked it up after seeing the word in the menu online. It was a Japanese style of cooking that used a large iron griddle to cook on. When she first saw Japanese, she was a little leery after her miso sauce blunder, but after reading the menu and not finding a single miso covered anything to be found, she relaxed.
Even after her research, Leila was glad when the chef took the time to explain the process of choosing their entrees. Kobe beef was no great mystery, but a few of the meats and vegetables offered were ones Leila had never tried before. Instead of risking ending up with something as distasteful as miso she asked Luke which he preferred. He had good taste for the most part. Leila wasn’t much of a seafood lover, but she had tried the scallops on Luke’s recommendation. Her opinion of seafood hadn’t changed.
“What was this one again?” Leila asked, holding up a bit of beef.
“Chateaubriand.”
�
�It’s delicious! I think I could eat this every night. The mushrooms with it are so good. I don’t think I’ve ever had whatever kind of mushrooms these are.” Leila took another bite, all smiles.
Leaning close, Luke slipped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “You’ve never been to a teppanyaki restaurant. You’ve never had shiitake mushrooms. You came out to dinner with me in a pencil skirt and silk blouse …”
“What’s wrong with my clothes?” Leila asked, a little surprised he knew what a pencil skirt was.
“Nothing. I think you look great, but next time …”
“Next time?”
He grinned. “Next time, I think you might want to wear something a little more casual. I’m not much for sitting around discussing stocks or weather trends.”
“What about the cost of healthcare?” Leila teased.
“Certainly not. I don’t believe in getting sick.” Luke leaned back, but only slightly. “Back to what I was saying, there are too many things you have never tried, Leila. You need to get out more. With me particularly.”
“With you?”
“I’m the perfect choice.”
Leila laughed before she could think better of it. A flash of worry that she had just offended him made her choke back her laughter until she realized Luke was still grinning at her. “I’m sorry,” Leila said through lingering giggles. Luke waved her off.
“I can understand your doubt, but this date isn’t over yet. I’ll convince you yet.”
“What exactly are you going to convince me of, that you’re the perfect guy?”
Luke waggled a finger at her. “That’s not what I said. Perfection doesn’t interest me. Too boring. What I said was that I was the perfect choice to introduce you to all the aspects of life you’ve been missing.”
“And why would you be the perfect person to do that?” Leila asked.
“How many countries have you been to?”
It seemed like a random question, but Leila answered anyway. “Two. I went to Canada once with a girlfriend in college.”
“Nine,” Luke countered. “Where did you spend Christmas last year?”
“Back home with my dad and brother in Michigan. You?”
“Skiing in Vail with my sister and her family. Best vacation?”
“Florida Keys.”
“South Africa on a wildlife shoot,” Luke said. “Hobbies?”
“Does work count?”
“No. Mine are swimming and scuba diving, rock climbing, basketball, working on my motorcycle and riding when it’s actually running, and a few other things. Strangest place you’ve ever woken up?”
Leila hesitated, debated lying, and settled for the truth sans background story. “The hospital.”
“Hmm,” Luke said, “I’d like to hear what led to that sometime.”
“What about you?”
“Center field of a baseball stadium.”
“I bet there’s a story behind that one,” Leila said.
Luke grinned. His arm slid from around her shoulder, but his hand managed to end up slipped around hers. “Oh, there’s always a story, Leila.”
“Okay, I’ve got one. Craziest thing you’ve ever done.”
The smile that broke out on Luke’s face instantly worried her. “Climbing to the top of the water tower in my hometown when I was fifteen with no rope or equipment. My mom almost had a heart attack and the sheriff arrested me. He made me clean trash off the side of the road for a whole summer. How about you?”
Leila shook her head. “I’m beginning to think that would be agreeing to go on a date with you.”
Laughing, Luke said, “You have no idea.”
“Not exactly what I was hoping to hear.”
“Crazy can be good. Believe me, I’ll change your mind soon enough.”
“We’ll see about that,” Leila said, though she was secretly hoping he would do his best. Her life could use a little crazy. The good kind, not the yelling at the print shop kind. She had enough of that on a daily basis.
As they had been asking and answering questions, they had somehow managed to finish their meal. Leila was surprised when Luke stood and held out his hand for hers. It seemed a little forward, but she was feeling adventurous so she took it. He pulled her away from the table and against his side like he was Fred Astaire, ready to leap into an impromptu dance number. Leila couldn’t help smiling at his antics. She hadn’t once worried about what she said or did. He was so easy to be around.
“Did you enjoy dinner?” Luke asked.
“Yes, it was wonderful. Miso-free, that’s my kind of Japanese cuisine.”
Luke eyed her with a confused expression. “Miso free?”
“Never mind,” Leila said quickly, not wanting to bring Eli up, or try to explain how she knew him.
“No, no, no,” Luke said, pulling her to a stop in the middle of the dining room. “Explain.”
She tried to pull away, but he wasn’t having it. “Fine,” she said. “I went on a date with this guy, at a nice restaurant, and I had no idea what anything was on the menu. I ended up ordering pretty much at random and found myself starring at a seafood entrée with miso sauce. It was horrible. I was so embarrassed because my date knew I hated it.”
Luke stared at her wide-eyed, clearly mocking. “You don’t like miso? How can you say that standing in a Japanese restaurant? It’s practically sacrilegious!”
“Um, sorry?”
Leila’s honest apology cracked Luke up. He laughed as he finally resumed leading her out of the restaurant, all the while giving her a detailed explanation of the merits of miso. It was all in vain. Leila was never going to let the horrible sauce come within ten feet of her mouth. When they reached Luke’s car, he admitted defeat and promised to never try to offer miso to her. Satisfied, Leila began her reluctant goodbye. Luke’s response surprised her.
“You didn’t think you were getting rid of me that easily, did you?”
“I wasn’t trying to get rid of you,” Leila insisted, “just say goodbye … until next time.”
The mention of next time lit Luke’s face. “Oh, there’ll definitely be a next time, but this time isn’t over yet. It’s only ten o’clock. If we hurry we can still make the late show.”
“The late show of what?”
“Have you ever been to the Indie Lux Theater?” Luke asked. Leila shook her head. “Somehow I knew you hadn’t. Come on, let’s go.”
Luke opened the passenger’s door for her. It was sweet that he bothered to open her door, but Leila said, “My car’s across the street.”
“I know, but it’ll be safer if we leave it here.”
“Safer?” Leila hated how squeaky her voice suddenly sounded.
“The theater is over by the university, which isn’t the best neighborhood in the city.”
“It’s not?” Leila had never been to the University of Chicago, but the pictures she had seen of it were beautiful.
Luke stared at her incredulously. “How long have you lived here?”
“Three years.”
“And you’ve never been in that part of town?”
She shook her head. “I’ve never had any reason to. I live and work near Holstein Park. I don’t know very many people here yet, either.”
“Well, the university is the best part of that neighborhood. The rest can be a little scary, especially at night.”
“So why do you want to go there?” Leila asked.
“Because this theater has the best independent movies in the city. They’re showing this one called Grey Room Wishes that I’ve heard is amazing.”
Luke truly looked excited. It was almost as powerful of an expression as the puppy dog one he had thrown at her the night they met. Even still, when Luke asked her if she wanted to call it a night instead of seeing the movie she couldn’t tell him no. She was more than a little worried about venturing into a bad neighborhood with someone she hardly knew, but Luke’s eag
erness and confidence gave her courage.
When they reached the theater, she relaxed a little more. The entrance was well lit and there weren’t any creepy looking vagrants or drug dealers like she had feared. It turned out Leila had more to fear inside the theater in the form of a disturbing yet riveting tale of a woman driven mad after falling asleep at the wheel and killing her daughter when she crashed. Leila was appalled by the woman’s raving and self-mutilation. It was frightening to watch her decent into madness, but Leila couldn’t pull her eyes away from the screen, either.
Two hours later when they were sitting in a cozy diner eating ice cream, Luke asked her what she thought of the film. “Well, it was definitely one I won’t forget anytime soon.”
“Does that mean you liked it, or not?”
Eli’s voice sounded in her head. Be honest. Leila tried to shush him, but he got louder the harder she tried. Finally, she gave in and told Luke the truth. “It was an amazing portrait of a woman’s suffering. I thought the director and actress did a great job … but it’s not really the kind of movie I like to watch. If I’m going to see a movie or play, I’d rather see something that makes me feel good or laugh. There are enough reminders of how crappy life can be just walking down the street. I’d rather not get more of that for entertainment.”
Leila held her breath. What if Luke didn’t appreciate her honesty? What her lack of interest in his preferred movie genre was a deal breaker? Leila really liked Luke. She knew Eli’s advice was good, but if it drove Luke away she was going to let him have it. When her lungs felt like they were about to burst, Luke finally responded.
“I can understand that.” He nodded, no hint of irritation in his expression at all. “What kind of movies do you like? For future reference.”
Breathing out slow, Leila smiled. “You’re going to laugh.”
Date Shark Page 7
