Another little flutter in my stomach happened as he got in to the car. Oh my gosh, he was gorgeous. I could not take my eyes off of him, and every move he made drew me more to him. Just the act of sliding on his sunglasses made me tingle. This was quite possibly the best first date I had ever had, and I was only two minutes in.
“Terrapin sounds okay?” he asked as he smoothly shifted into gear and drove toward Atlantic Avenue. “I didn’t think to ask if you had any preferences, but we can always change it if you want.”
“I generally just go to the restaurants I can walk to on the boardwalk, but I’m not that picky. I’m sure what you picked is fine,” I replied, trying to find a way to ask all of the questions I wanted to without looking like I was too interested. Again, I reminded myself to stay guarded, as he could be from the other side of the world for all I knew. Or have a girlfriend back home. Or decide that I was not worthy of him. My insecurities began to kick in.
“Great. It should take less than ten minutes to get to, so sit back and relax,” he said, turning up the music just enough so that with that and the wind, there was not enough space for small talk yet. Genius. Maybe we wouldn’t run out of things to talk about at dinner. What had LJ and I talked about when we went out to our cheesy dives? His business, mostly. I doubted that Caden knew anything about owning a tiny convenience store and spending time at cheap burger joints and dollar taco bars.
I sat back and closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of the wind mixed with the warmth of the sun. The music he had picked was my favorite: acoustic covers. I smiled and let myself relax. Opening my eyes after a couple of minutes, I saw Caden smiling as he glanced over at me. What was this feeling? I wore a perma-grin on like a fool. I honestly couldn’t stop smiling if I tried. From heartbroken to happy within a matter of hours, was that even possible? Hold back, I reminded myself again. This was just a fun night being of being courted, nothing more.
We arrived at the restaurant, parking in the last parallel parking spot out front.
“Don’t move,” he gently commanded. He pushed the button to put up the top, opened his door, and was quickly at mine, opening it all the way and standing in front of me with his hand extended. “Shall we?”
We stepped out of the car, and Caden shut the door behind us. At that moment, the door to Terrapin then opened, as if they had been expecting us. Caden put his hand on the small of my back, once again exciting the butterflies in my stomach, and led me toward the entrance.
“Good evening. Do you have a reservation?” asked the host as he led us to the reservation desk.
“Yes, for two under ‘Zahn’,” Caden answered. Well, one mystery solved.
“Oh, I see,” said the host with a smile.
“Ms. Lauren,” Caden said, “if you will follow me right this way.” Crooking his elbow, I allowed him to lead me to the far corner of the restaurant.
It was quieter here, and there was a candle and a bottle of champagne on the table. A quick glance around allowed me to assess that no other table had this service. I looked at Caden, and his smile beamed back at me. I giggled again as the host pulled out my chair for me to sit. I felt so silly. Smiling, giggling, full of wonder like a teenager again.
After Caden was seated, I had to ask, “How did you know my last name?”
The response I could have guessed, had I not been so in awe over the flowers, the table, and the man himself. “You know we come here a lot for meetings. I just asked the concierge if there was any way they could look up the name of my date for tonight. I guess they figured I came there enough to not be shady, and you happened to somehow be the only Cara staying at the hotel alone. I took a chance. I wasn’t sure if it would seem creepy or sweet, but I was hoping you would think it was sweet.”
My only response was to blush. I had no idea what to think, nor what to say to this man who had completely changed my entire world, at least for the night. Luckily, the waitress came to fill our water glasses and tell us about the specials. She smiled at Caden, and talked as if he were the only one at the table. A wave of jealousy came over me, as I felt even more insignificant. She was younger than me, probably mid-twenties, with perfect long blond hair and a tight black dress. I subconsciously touched my hair, as I remembered that I still had it up and wind-blown. As she finished the list of specials and asked if we wanted to start with a bottle of wine, Caden looked over at me.
“Whatever this amazing lady beside me wants is what we will have,” he said, looking at me as if he hadn’t noticed the waitress’s attention on him. More jumping butterflies. How long could this last?
“Um, a Sauvignon Blanc, please. Whatever you suggest,” I felt my voice shake a little.
“I will bring the Santa Maria from Chile. Is that okay?” she asked of Caden, obviously displeased that Caden deferred to me.
“Of course. Tonight is all about Ms. Lauren.” He ignored her gaze and continued to hold my eyes.
I could almost imagine the waitress rolling her eyes as she turned on her heel to get us our wine.
Caden finally broke eye contact with me and turned to the menu. “I’ve heard the ahi tuna here tastes really fresh. Is there an appetizer you'd like, or is that okay to start?”
“Surprise me. I don't think I've ever had a man order for me,” I teased, mostly trying to hide the nervousness I felt every time I tried to talk.
“Okay, but you have to eat whatever I order,” he teased back.
I just smiled, still afraid to speak and let him see my trepidation. He was like no one I had ever dated before. Definitely a social step above my last boyfriend, and his manners left me wondering what I had been missing out on all this time.
As the waitress, Grace, her name tag read, came back to the table, she presented the wine to Caden.
“The fair lady will do the tasting,” Caden indicated, winking in my direction. Great. My thoughts went from not doing the tasting correctly, to spilling the wine on my dress, but I just nodded. Grace filled the wine glass bottom, and held it out for me to take. I vaguely remembered from a wine tasting that you should hold cold wines by the stem so your hand doesn't warm them, so I did my best to gracefully hold the glass the right way, slightly twirling the wine to release the flavor. Taking a small sip, tasting the citrus notes, I smiled and nodded my approval. She filled both of our glasses, and Caden ordered ahi tuna.
“So, now, Cara, where shall we begin?” he playfully tapped his fingers on the table.
“How about a toast?” I managed to choke out. “To my knight in shining armor. May he always find me and save me from the sloths that fill the bars at the beach.”
Not bad, I thought. He even gave a little chuckle.
“To us few good guys, and the ladies who allow them to grace their presence,” he cheered me, as we lightly clinked our glasses together. So far so good—no glass breakage, no spilling.
“Do you live around here?” he asked.
“About two hours away, in Richmond. How about you?” I answered, with an odd hope he was going to say the same.
“I live that way also. In Bon Air.” It was the answer I had hoped for, but it was almost too perfect.
“What brought you, here, my fair Cara?” he intoned with an Old English accent.
“I was just looking for a knight to arrive. How lucky am I that you were here? Right in our very own Virginia Beach,” I said with a laugh. I took a large gulp of wine, as his eyes watched for my real answer.
“Actually, I came here to clear my mind. I had a break up, if you could call it that, and I thought the waves would be the perfect solution to wash it away,” I admitted, quietly.
“Who in the world would let you break up with him? He must be a fool. Lucky for me, though, it allowed me to run into you.” He shook his head at the thought of someone “letting me leave.”
“Truth is, he left me. He never said why, just packed up and left.” I looked down at my place setting. Wasn't Rule Number One of a first date to not talk about past relationships? I had alr
eady messed up and we hadn’t even gotten to our first course.
In an effort to cover up my faux paus, I added, “Enough about my life. What about you? Other than work, what do you do back in Bon Air?”
As he opened his mouth to answer, my phone buzzed in my purse. I ignored it, not wanting to be rude, but the quiet thought that it may be LJ sprang into my head. What was I doing here? I had to at least know if it was him.
“...and when I do have spare time, I like to just hang out. Watch bad television, go to the local brewery, or walk around outside aimlessly,” he was in the middle of answering me, but my thoughts had tuned out the beginning of his answer. I wanted to scream at myself, “God, Cara, get your head back in the game.”
“I love how many breweries have popped up in Richmond! Which is your favorite? I’m a fan of Center of the Universe, even though it’s a little far north.” I picked a subject that I was interested in to try to force my mind away from my phone.
“Awwww, yes, the Pocahoptus is a favorite of mine for sure. Are you an IPA fan, or a stout kind of girl?” he asked.
“IPA for sure, though I do like the darker beers when it gets cold in the winter.”
The waitress came back with the tuna, and asked if we were ready to order our main course. I excused myself while letting Caden order for us. Walking to the bathroom, still excited about my date, but now with a curiosity that would hold me until I knew. Once in the bathroom, I looked at my phone. It was an unknown number. Before I clicked it off, a voicemail popped up. The timer said the voicemail length was one minute. I hit the button for playback, and brought the phone to my ear. Just silence, with some static in the background. I listened for the whole minute, as no audible voice could be heard. Then, I held down the button to turn my phone all the way off.
“Screw you, LJ,” I said to the mirror, “you're not going to ruin this for me. You left me.” I pulled my hair out of the bun and walked back out to the gorgeous man who was waiting for my return.
Chapter 6
Caden
I couldn’t help but hope the alcohol would eventually calm my nerves. Cara asked great questions and was easily able to carry the conversation, but I couldn’t help but feel she wasn’t completely with me. It seemed her deep brown eyes had glazed over partially through the last part of our conversation and I immediately became self-conscious.
Was I too boring?
Not her type?
Looking around the restaurant, I noticed the other couples engaged in their dinner conversations, a few holding hands across the table. Couples of all ages surrounded me and I couldn’t help but feel I was out of my prime and definitely out of my element.
Maybe I was too old or she’d been spending the first part of the evening comparing me to the guy who dumped her. What an idiot he was.
As I scanned the crowd and listened to the quiet laughing and casual conversation, I wondered if I had a chance at that again. Could this be the first date of many, or was it a typical first and last date?
Cara turned the corner and made her way back to the table. The moment my eyes caught hers, everything went silent in my head. I heard my heart pounding in my ears and felt the smile stretch across my face. She definitely had my attention, if only I had hers.
“Sorry I took so long,” she said as I jumped up and helped her with her chair. “Thank you.” Her long brown hair gently brushed across my face as she flipped it over her shoulder and took her seat. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of her hair. I couldn’t determine the exact scent but it sent a wave of excitement through my body.
I moved back to my chair, her scent still filling my nose as I smiled. “I decided on the swordfish for you. I hope that was okay.”
I watched for her reaction as she smirked back. “How did you know that’s my favorite?”
“Lucky guess. I also ordered steak and a vegetarian entree, just in case.” I chuckled. “I wanted to make sure you had options.”
“So thoughtful and unnecessary. I’m not very picky.” She reached across the table and patted the top of my hand, almost like she was consoling a little kid. But the effect it had on me was overwhelming.
Her touch sent a shiver through my body and I quickly caught her hand before she pulled it away. “Is everything all right?” I asked.
Cara furrowed her brows and her voice increased an octave as she replied. “It’s perfect. Why do you ask?”
“You just seemed distracted during our conversation earlier. I hope I didn’t say anything wrong.”
Cara took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and exhaled. She opened them and then smiled at me. “I am… I mean I was distracted. I’m fine now. Seriously. I came here to get away from everything and now that I’m here with you, my night couldn’t be going any better. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
The wave of anxiety subsided, but I knew I wasn’t getting the full truth from her. I had a hunch I knew her distraction.
“My ex decided to break up with me in the middle of the hotel lobby where we’re staying,” I blurted. “I guess it wasn’t really a break-up. It was an ultimatum—marry her or else. I chose the else, in front of about forty people checking in for the weekend.”
Cara’s mouth fell open and she quickly covered it with her perfect hand. I instinctively looked at her left finger, searching for a ring that wasn’t there.
“She didn’t, you didn’t…I feel so bad for you…or do I?” Her voice raised up at the end of her question. “Do you have an issue with commitments?”
“Commitments? No. Crazy? Yes. I guess I was lucky it happened in the lobby of the hotel and not someplace else, because she definitely loved drama.” I reached across the table and took Cara’s hand again, this time looking softly and deeply into her eyes. “It’s just dinner tonight. If I don’t screw up and do something stupid, maybe I have a chance at a second date. But for now, let’s just enjoy dinner. Deal? Let’s leave those people that weren’t invited to our dinner out.”
Cara gave me a sweet smile and then squeezed my hand in return. “Deal,” she said.
We picked through the Ahi tuna appetizer and easily drained our initial glasses of wine. With talk of our exes behind us, the night seemed to go much more smoothly for us both
I had been over Allyson for a long time. She was one person I’d quickly let go of the moment she left my world. Thankfully, she was gone for good, moved to the other side of the country. Now the only person that I could think about was the gorgeous woman sitting directly across from me.
Dinner was served and it seemed to be more like a buffet than individual entrees as my overzealousness had gotten the best of me when ordering. We joked as we both shared a little from all three plates and talked about our time living in Richmond, growing up, and our jobs.
“So, what is it you do, exactly?” she asked as she took another bite of her swordfish. I smiled as she took in the bite and playfully rolled her eyes to show how amazing her meal tasted.
“Basically, I handle the marketing and strategy for MaidenTech, but honestly, I pretty much do everything without the fancy title.” I could feel the tension building in my chest as I started to discuss work. It had been a point of contention over the last year.
“Don’t forget that you get to work with that...what did you call him? A tool?” She giggled.
“Yes. Tool.” I laughed back.
“How long have you had to work with him?”
“Since the company started five years ago, but I’ve known him forever.”
“So, you’re friends? I see.” Cara let out an exhale in disgust.
“I wouldn’t call us friends—I didn’t actually pick him as my friend.”
“He just picked you and you went along with it? You know, you can learn a lot about people from the company they keep.” Immediately Cara began to shut down, almost ending the conversation.
“He’s my brother. He’s an arrogant ass and we don’t get along. I work with him, not for him. He chooses to s
pend a ton of money on worthless things, pick up women, not work hard, party, and everything else a twenty-something thinks they should do when have money at their disposal.” I clenched my jaw tightly and debated whether I wanted to continue. “He’s the CEO of the company because it was his idea to create the phone app that we sell, the one that made the company so much money. But I’m the one who holds it together. Unfortunately, my love for my brother clouded my judgement, and now I’m paying for it.”
Cara leaned forward in her seat as her eyes grew bigger. “That ass is your brother?” She asked.
“Stepbrother actually. Although I've known him since he was barely two. He was always spoiled by my stepmother and pretty much always an ass.”
Cara snorted out a laugh. “I'm sorry. That's really not funny.” She composed herself and then looked into my eyes as she reached for my hand, gently squeezing it. “So why are you paying for it now?”
“It's our company, his idea. I gave in and allowed him to take a majority position of the company. Now after offers have come in to buy it, he's become arrogant and greedy. He sees dollar signs and is making decisions that I don't agree with. This is my future, and he's gambling with it.” I could feel the tension building in my chest and my face begin to redden.
I watched as Cara stared at me, calmly taking in the conversation. Then she smiled. “I don't think you give yourself enough credit. He needs you. You said it yourself, you run the company. You know the business and you built it up.” She grabbed her glass of wine, took a small sip and continued. “Whatever it is he's doing, I'm sure he would be nothing without you.”
Graham had always whined his way into getting what he wanted. Once he learned how to use that to his advantage, he’d become a master at manipulating situations and people. He played on people’s weaknesses, told them what they wanted or needed to hear, and then used them for his own gain.
I’d allowed him to do that to me. He needed this company and business to prove that he was more than some spoiled brat. He wanted to show everyone he could make something of himself and I didn't want to see him fail, so I helped. Probably too much, but I also helped myself. I managed to save money, build important business relationships, fix those he had damaged, and pick up the pieces when he decided to take unnecessary risks without talking to me first. More than half of my time was spent as his babysitter.
Torn_An Alpha Billionaire Romance Page 3
