“We should wait for Luke and Leila to arrive first. They invited us, so we should give them control.”
Sabine rolled her eyes. “This is why I don’t date psychiatrists. Everything is so much more complicated than it needs to be.”
Her complaining made Eli laugh, and not just because her S’s sounded like Z’s and the long I sounds were drawn out made her too adorable to take seriously. No, he laughed because he had heard the same argument from her for years. It was a miracle she agreed to be his date for the night.
“Thank you, Sabine, for coming with me. I really do appreciate it,” Eli said.
The smile she gave him was sincere. “Of course, Eli. I’m happy to help.”
A few minutes later, Eli spotted Luke and Leila walking up the street. When they were almost to the door he got out of his car. On his way around, Luke spotted him and gave a casual nod of acknowledgement. Leila saw him as well, but oddly, her eyes narrowed upon seeing him. Not sure what to make of Leila’s reaction, Eli continued around the car and opened Sabine’s door. She took his hand and stood gracefully.
He and Sabine had been friends for years, and she meant wholeheartedly that she would never date a psychiatrist, but even still, Eli could admit that she was a beautiful woman. Her black pencil skirt and chiffon blouse accentuated her tall, slender build. Sabine knew she looked good, and took Eli’s arm with a natural sense of confidence. The perfection of her stride betrayed her for the fashion model she was to anyone who watched her for more than a few seconds.
As they approached Luke and Leila, a hint of satisfaction hit him as Luke’s eyes widened in surprise. When he fairly ogled Sabine, however, Eli’s shoulders stiffened. Sabine could handle the attention, he was quite sure, and if it proved unwanted … she knew how to handle that as well. He hardly had to take care of her. Knowing that, Eli changed his focus. His eyes landed on Leila, curious to see her response to Sabine.
Usually, he had no trouble reading Leila’s expressions. That was not the case in that moment. The way her lips were pressed together suggested anger or irritation, but that contradicted the widened surprise in her eyes. Her arms were folded across her chest, clearly a hostile stance. What Eli couldn’t figure out was whether she was upset about Sabine, or him. She wouldn’t look at Eli.
Feeling the need to explain his guest and allay any misgivings Leila may have had, Eli said, “Sabine, this is my good friend Leila Sparro and her boyfriend Luke Deveron.” Sabine smiled winningly at her introduction.
“Luke, Leila, this is Sabine,” he continued. “Sabine is my friend, Guy’s, sister. She’s in town for work and I offered to show her around the city tonight.”
“You’re Guy’s sister?” Leila asked, finally breaking her silence.
Sabine laughed. “Yes. Guy is my brother, though I try not to let too many people know that. He has a bit of a reputation, does he not?”
“I imagine he does,” Leila said. Eli was pleased when some of the tension in Leila’s shoulders diminished, but concern lodged itself in his chest at what remained, and the fact that Leila still refused to meet his gaze.
“What business are you in?” Luke asked Sabine as they walked into the restaurant.
“I am a fashion model in Europe,” she answered, which attracted both Luke’s and Leila’s interest, though for different reasons.
Still not meeting his eyes, Leila frowned in his general direction. Luke’s eyes lit up. The rest of the way to the table, Sabine and Luke rambled on about photography, fashion, and travel. Leila feigned interest. Eli didn’t even attempt to hide his fixation on Leila. He wanted to know what was bothering her. Surely it couldn’t be Sabine. She had looked angry before Sabine even stepped out of the car. Whatever it was, he had the feeling it wasn’t going to be resolved easily. And that scared him.
“Mr. Walsh, it’s so nice to see you again,” Megan said. She was Conrad’s best waitress, and ever since the incident with Tony, she was the only one who served Eli when he came to Dolcini. She turned to Leila. “Ms. Sparro, it’s nice to have you back as well.”
Leila smiled lightly at the warm welcome. Luke looked irritated.
“Welcome to Dolcini, everyone. My name is Megan and I will be your server tonight. If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to ask.” Megan recited the house specials for the night, then took their drink orders and excused herself.
As soon as she was out of earshot Luke said, “So, Eli, I take it you come here often?”
“Yes,” Eli responded, enjoying Luke’s annoyed expression just a little. “I conduct many of my business meetings here. The owner, Conrad, is a very good friend of mine.”
Luke seemed skeptical. “Business meetings? I thought you were a psychiatrist. How many business meetings can you possibly have?”
“The business meetings I was referring to aren’t for my psychiatry practice,” Eli began. He hesitated when Leila suddenly looked at him. After ignoring him all night, the intensity of her stare startled him. There was panic in her eyes. Eli realized then that Leila hadn’t told Luke how they met.
Eli smoothed his expression, saying, “I also do some freelance consulting on the side. My schedule is usually quite full with patients, so I conduct my other meetings at lunch or dinner.”
“What kind of consulting?” Luke asked.
“Psychological assessments,” Eli said, which was only partly untrue. “Companies often want opinions of how some aspect of their business will be perceived by consumers. Things like logos, mergers, slogans, that sort of thing.”
“Interesting,” Luke said, sitting back in his chair appeased.
The conversation turned back to the European fashion market. Eli listened politely, but glanced casually in Leila's direction a few minutes later. The anger she was harboring was still hidden behind her brown eyes, but for the moment, relief and thanks overpowered it. He nodded to acknowledge her gratitude, but anything else that might have passed between them was interrupted by Megan returning with their drinks.
“So, Sabine,” Luke began after taking a drink, “how long have you known Eli?”
Sabine glanced at Eli, her head tilted in thought. “We met, what was it, your second year in medical school?”
“Yes, I believe so.”
“So that would make it about five years, I suppose,” Sabine said.
Luke’s eyes zeroed in on Eli, though he spoke to Sabine. “How long have the two of you been together, then?”
Not caring how Luke interpreted his attention, Eli broke away from Luke’s gaze and watched Leila. She was back to not looking at him, but Eli knew how Sabine would answer and wanted to see Leila’s reaction.
“Oh, Eli and I aren’t dating. We went out a few times after we first met, but that was it.”
Leila’s held breath released slowly at her answer. Eli was sure he saw the corner of her mouth turn up. It was the reaction he had been hoping for, even if not as enthusiastic as he had hoped. Originally, Eli hadn’t been convinced Guy’s plan to take his supermodel sister to dinner would be wise. He feared it would only exacerbate Leila’s insecurities. Guy had explained that Sabine was the perfect choice. She would be a distraction to Luke, which could help Eli gauge how distractible Luke was when it came to other women. She would also be the right person to prove to Leila that Eli wasn’t looking for the perfect woman to fill out his high society dance card. And to the casual observer, Sabine was perfect. She was beautiful, poised, and confident. Sabine would be at ease anywhere there was fine china and crystal.
Sabine just showed Leila that Eli wasn’t interested in her. He didn’t want a woman like Sabine, because even though she was the picture of bourgeois etiquette, Eli knew Sabine better than most. She was very self-centered, and had been long before her modeling career exploded. She had a few close friends she was willing to make small sacrifices for, like she was for Eli, but most others in her life were there to serve a purpose. She saw little benefit to marriage and family
. Her interests were limited to keeping her tan perfect and line free and getting the best invitations to parties.
Eli knew she wasn’t as shallow as she pretended to be. Sabine had a very complex personality. She loved to read the classics, had a small menagerie of rescued animals, and gave generously to charities. She was a good person at heart, but she didn’t want the general public to see her that way. She enjoyed having a private life and a public persona. That was not how Eli preferred to live, and Sabine’s beauty and poise held no temptation for him.
“Really?” Luke asked, interrupting Eli’s thoughts. “You two are both attractive, single people. Why didn’t it work out?”
Even Leila looked annoyed at the impertinent question. Sabine, had the good grace to field the question. “I decided fairly early on that I had no interest in dating a shrink,” she said with a smile. “All they want to talk about is their problems, or other people’s problems. I found that rather depressing after a while.”
Eli was thanking her silently, until she spoke again.
“But,” she said, looking at Leila, “if I were to ever reconsider, Eli would be the only one I’d ever consider breaking my rule for.”
The smile that followed her statement was a clear challenge to Leila. If you don’t step up and snag Eli, somebody else will. She meant it to be helpful—a push in the right direction for Leila—but inwardly Eli groaned. This night was a flat out disaster.
“This is a delightful restaurant, Eli,” Sabine said by way of changing the subject. Her comment forced Eli back to the conversation. “How did you come across it? Did you know the owner before he opened it?”
“Yes, but only by a few years. Conrad was head chef at another restaurant in town where a friend of mine, Edgar,” he added for Leila’s benefit, “liked to eat. Edgar was my mentor in college and we would occasionally meet for lunch to discuss my various projects and college requirements. I guess that’s where I got the habit of having business meetings over meals.”
Luke interjected then. “And Leila knows this restaurant because …”
The slightly acidic tone of Luke’s voice annoyed Eli. He wanted to tell him that Leila knew about Dolcini because he had taken her there on a date, and that they had come back on several occasions. He wanted to tell Luke that this whole night was juvenile and ridiculous, that he should either sweep Leila off her feet and make her fall so desperately in love with him that she forgot about Eli, or get out of the way and let him have her to himself.
Eli wanted to say a great many things to Luke, but all he said was, “Business meeting. Ana wanted my opinion on a logo for her new line, so Leila and I met to discuss it.”
“Why didn’t Ana come herself?” Luke asked snidely.
Eli’s temper was quickly growing short. “Why would she?” he said, coming very close to snapping. “Leila is her marketing director. I’m sure it made a lot more sense to send the one who actually designed the logo than for her to come.”
Luke sat back in his chair looking smug. “Of course,” he said. “I thought this was something like the tea house.”
Not entirely sure how to interpret Luke’s expression or word choice, Eli crossed his arms over his chest. It was going to be a very long night. The chime of a cell phone interrupted the uncomfortable silence. Eli’s eyes shot immediately to Luke. The ring tone was unfamiliar to him, so it couldn’t have been Leila’s, and Sabine was too well mannered to have left her phone at full volume during a private dinner. Sure enough, Luke pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced at the image of the caller displayed there.
“Excuse me, I need to take this,” he said before stepping away and answering the call.
Everyone seemed to take a breath as he walked away. One glance from Eli, and Sabine said, “I need to visit the powder room. Please excuse me.”
Eli and Leila were left alone at the table, and it took a conscious effort not to grab her and pull her into his arms. Leila seemed not to be having the same problem. She was staring at her fork when she said, “Thank you … for lying, I mean.”
“No problem, but why didn’t you tell him the truth about how we met? He’s obviously having some jealousy issues. Telling him you hired me as a date shark could really only help your situation,” Eli said. He didn’t like saying that, but it was true.
“I don’t know,” Leila said, shaking her head. “No offense, but it’s kind of embarrassing to admit I hired you to give me dating advice.”
“It would have been better than telling him I’m your best friend, because it’s obvious he isn’t buying that.”
Toying with the remainder of her calamari, Leila kept her eyes lowered. “If I told him you were some kind of dating coach, it would have been weird that we hang out so much. I don’t want to have to defend myself every time I need to see you.”
Eli smiled at her reasoning. “But I get the impression you have to do that anyway. That’s why we’re here tonight, isn’t it? To prove that there’s nothing going on between us?”
Meeting Eli’s eyes, Leila stared at him drenched in uncertainty. A huge part of Eli hoped that her uncertainty was about whether or not there was something more than friendship between them. That was part of it, he was sure, but tonight there was much more weighing on her than whether or not she wanted to move forward with Eli. It was a risk, especially given where they were, but Eli reached across the table and took her hand in his.
“Leila, is everything okay? You seem upset, and I don’t think it has to do with how tonight is going. Are you alright?”
“Are you?” she asked, her voice suddenly icy.
Stunned, Eli couldn’t stop her from pulling away from him. She averted her eyes and didn’t look at him for the rest of the night. He wasn’t the only one who noticed, either. When Sabine came back from the lady’s room she cast a worried glance at Eli. He could only shrug. He had no idea what was happening with Leila. Luke seemed pleased with the change of events.
By the end of dinner, Eli was dying for answers. He had seen Leila only a few hours earlier, and she had been smiling and eating peanut butter and bananas. What had happened between now and then? His mind drifted back to earlier that day, to Leila stopping by and him getting interrupted by the call from Mount Rose. He had rushed off soon after, but he doubted that was why she was mad at him. Leila had understood his need to hurry. In fact she had even offered to drop off the paperwork for him so he could get to his appointment on time.
Eli froze.
The paperwork. Mount Rose.
An icy ball of fear formed in the pit of his stomach and slowly began to spread to every part of him. What had Leila discovered at Mount Rose?
Chapter 23
Numb and Electrified
Call me. Please.
I need to talk to you.
Call me as soon as you get home.
Where are you? Call me, please.
The text messages started as soon as Leila walked out of Luke’s house. She wasn’t sure if it was sweet or weird that he knew exactly how long it would take her to drive to Luke’s house and say goodbye to him. Maybe she would have been able to figure it out if she weren’t so angry at him. And not to mention, her anger was totally being confused by her relief that Eli hadn’t brought a real date with him to dinner. The whole night … no pretty much the whole day, had turned into a frustrating mess.
Her phone chirped again. At the next red light she hit, Leila checked the newest text message from Eli. Leila. Call. Me.
Leila knew good and well that if Eli could time his first text so well, he knew she couldn’t have possibly made it back to her apartment by then. Then again, Leila wasn’t going back to her apartment.
What really made Leila the maddest was that Eli had acted like everything was completely fine as they ate, only to start sending her texts like a madman after dinner. If he could pretend so well all through dinner, how was she supposed to trust he was being honest at other times? She promised herself
she would give Eli a chance to explain himself. It would be difficult to sit and listen to him attempt to give a rational reason for abandoning his mother when she didn’t know if she could trust him. A million accusations and angry words were clambering around in her head.
Another text from Eli. She didn’t bother checking it this time. There was no point because she was already there. Leila threw her car into park and stomped up to the double doors of the apartment complex, the source of the text messages. She yanked one of the doors open, ready to march right through the lobby to the elevator. A familiar voice stopped her.
“Ms. Sparro,” Howard, the doorman, said sounding rather concerned, “is everything alright?”
She faltered in her righteous anger. “It’s fine.”
“It doesn’t look like everything is fine,” he said. He came around the concierge desk and walked right up to her. “You look ready to tear someone’s head off.”
She was, but she didn’t say that. “I’m sorry, Howard. I’m just having a rough night.”
Howard smiled and patted her shoulder. “Whatever it is, I’m sure Mr. Walsh will be able to help. He always seems to cheer you up.”
“Not this time,” Leila grumbled. “He’s kind of the source of my bad mood.”
The surprise on Howard’s face seemed genuine. “You and Mr. Walsh had a fight? But you always get along so well. I have always thought you two were such a perfect couple.”
“Well he …” Leila stopped talking. It was her turn to be surprised. Couple? This whole time Howard thought she was Eli’s girlfriend? A strange desire to giggle tickled the inside of Leila’s ribs.
Howard saved her from being foolish by saying, “Whatever Mr. Walsh has done, try not to be too hard on him. It’s obvious he adores you. I’m sure he didn’t mean to make you so upset.”
“Uh, I’ll try,” Leila said, not even sure what she meant by that. She disentangled herself from Howard and walked sedately to the elevator as her head spun.
Date Shark Page 23
