Like a Boss - Annabelle Costa Page 0,39
is narrow and Luke propels himself forward by grabbing onto barstools. The front is all booths, so we have to go to the back before we get to an appropriate seat. After Tina leads us to our table, I give Luke a quizzical look, “How do you know the waitress so well?”
Luke shrugs. “Well, we went on a couple of dates a while back.”
“Seriously?” I look back at Tina again. She’s attractive, but not at all the sort of woman I would imagine him with. She’s a little too working class.
He slips his entire hand between the pages of the menu to open it up. “I was eating here a lot because I was doing some work in the area at the time. We had two uneventful dates.” He leans forward and lowers his voice, “We didn’t even kiss.”
“Oh,” I say. Why do I feel relieved to hear that?
“Anyway,” he says, “we agreed it wasn’t a match and that was it. She’s married now, but doesn’t wear her ring because she gets better tips this way. But she was having some legal issues about a year ago and I helped her out.”
“Well, aren’t you the altruist?” I laugh.
“What?” he says. “You think I’m a terrible, coldhearted businessman?”
I play with a napkin in front of me. “Well, you know what they’re saying about you online.”
“And you believe everything you read?”
“If enough people say it…”
Our eyes meet across the table. The truth is, I’m not sure what to believe anymore. A lot of people online say that Luke is heartless—all he cares about is the bottom line. But there are just as many people who say he’s a genius who saved his family’s company.
“You don’t get rich by being nice,” I finally say.
“You don’t think I’m nice?” he asks in a hurt voice.
“You’re sort of nice,” I say grudgingly, and Luke seems pleased.
We both order double lobster rolls. I’m shocked when a hot dog bun arrives stuffed with juicy lobster. I’m blown away. I take a bite and it’s incredible. I stare up at Luke in amazement. “How come I never knew about this place in college?” I ask.
“If we had gone out,” Luke says, “I would have taken you here. Your whole college experience would have been different.”
I snort. “Come on, you were never really going to date me.”
“Well, I wanted to.”
“Luke Thayer was going to date Rosanna Rosannadanna? I don’t think so.” I shake my head. “You were just hitting on me that night because you were drunk and hoping to get lucky.”
“I wasn’t that drunk,” he protests. “I mean, yes, I was hoping to get lucky. But really, I just wanted to take you to dinner.”
“Oh, and what would your rich friends have said?”
“I don’t give a shit what they would have said.” There’s a surprising amount of conviction in his voice. “They could’ve all gone to hell, for all I cared. It was none of their business anyway.”
I snort again. “Yeah, right. I’m sorry, but I don’t believe it.”
“So is that why you said no?” He looks at me quietly. “I liked you a lot, Ellie. A lot. I don’t think you realize how much. And after that night, I was sure you didn’t feel the same way.”
The look in his eyes is making my heart speed up in my chest. I don’t know how to answer his question. If I tell him the truth, what good will it do? College was a long time ago. You can’t change the past.
“Look,” I say, “I’m not going to lie. I did… think about you that way. I mean, that kiss…”
“That was an incredible kiss,” he murmurs.
“It was my first kiss,” I blurt out before I can stop myself.
His brown eyes widen. “You said it wasn’t.”
He remembers. Maybe he really wasn’t that drunk. “Well, it was. And it was… really nice. I… I’m glad that was my first kiss.”
Luke shakes his head. “I wish you had realized how I felt about you. It’s my fault for being such an arrogant asshole.”
Luke is looking at me now and his dark eyes seem very intense. What if I had given him a chance? What would eighteen-year-old Luke Thayer have been like as a boyfriend? Would he have doted on me? Would we have had thrilling debates within the confines of his tiny dorm room bed? Would we have shared lobster rolls in this very restaurant together and held hands as he walked me back to the yard?
When I look at him, I