Didn't Expect You (Against All Odds #2) - Claudia Burgoa Page 0,62
state.”
I want to tell her that you get used to it. When Ford realized that he couldn’t live in New York, he moved to Miami first. A year later he jumped to Chicago. Then there was London for a year…or was it first to London and then Chicago? I can remember every place he lived because we own a house there, but not the length or the order. The only thing I clearly remember is that we had to learn to live apart.
She’s going through too many changes, and it’s not the time to tell her that maybe she should try living somewhere else. My place might be the wrong choice. What am I supposed to do with her?
I rub my temples as the images of her on top, under, or beside me while I’m making love to her appear in my head. What the fuck is wrong with me? This is what happens when I don’t sleep enough. We need to leave the house before I do or say something stupid.
“Do you feel like going out to dinner?” I ask.
“Where would you be taking me?”
“I can get us a reservation almost everywhere,” I assure her. “We’ve yet to celebrate the little blueberry, or should we call her Helios?”
“Stop calling my baby weird names.”
“Sorry. Your parents started it.”
“I accept your dinner invitation. Let’s just hope my stomach behaves while we’re out.”
Twenty-Five
Nyx
Eating out at a fancy restaurant is overrated. I talk myself into believing that the hype of going to a five-star restaurant is so last century.
Really. There’s nothing better than dining on the veranda with a view of Lake Washington, enjoying Nate’s company, and devouring the most delicious French onion soup I’ve ever tried in my life—that he prepared—and realizing that it will take me months to find a new normal.
Until I can get this nausea under control, I think eating out is off the menu. Earlier, when we entered one of the finest steakhouses in Seattle, I got nauseous. I’m not sure if it was the scent of the food, the place, or the people wearing all kinds of perfume.
Who would’ve guessed that my life would shift so much in such a short time? Just a couple of weeks ago, I was worried about drowning and feeling lonely. Tonight…well, here I am, having dinner with a guy I swore would be a distant memory, and in a different state where I’m planning on staying for at least a couple of more weeks—when I can start searching for a new house.
Do I miss my family?
Mom’s making sure that I don’t miss her at all. She keeps texting me and calling me. I love her dearly, but she’s hovering more than usual.
“I have to ask,” I say.
“Not really, but hit me with your next question,” he responds. “They’re highly entertaining at times. I like inquisitive women.”
I narrow my gaze, trying to understand his statement, but I choose to disregard it and ask, “How often do you throw a romantic candlelight dinner for your dates?”
He rolls his eyes and almost laughs. “Never. You and Ford are the only guests I’ve ever had in this house. What makes you think I’ve done this before?”
“It’s perfect,” I explain. “The twinkle lights webbed over the roof, the view, the meal…even the company.”
His gaze moves around between the lake, the setting, and then me before saying, “This is the first time I have had such lovely company. The lights were here when I bought this house. Well, I had them replaced with new ones, but the setting was already a part of the place.”
He skips the food, but we’ve already discussed that he’s a great cook, so I have to ask, “How long have you lived here?”
“Four, almost five years,” he answers.
I’m tempted to ask him more, like what made him move to the suburbs instead of buying a place in the city. “Why…” I trail my gaze toward the city lights.
“We used to own a place downtown,” he answers. “Ford wasn’t visiting often because it was too close to the offices. I decided to move to a quieter neighborhood that would contrast my life in New York.”
“Which one do you like best?”
“I like living in Manhattan, with moderation,” he answers. “It’s one of the few cities where you can get food delivered at any time of the day—or night. It has everything. It’s diverse, and you can get lost too. From all the world cities, I think that’s my favorite.”