Love In Slow Motion (Love Beyond Measure #2) - E.M. Lindsey Page 0,41
owner puppy eyes. “You can help me pick out an outfit though.”
“Well, I think you know how to dress to impress a lawyer,” she said, and he laughed again.
“Fair enough. Want to help me anyway?”
He heard the grin on her voice when she stood a second time. “I would love to.”
Fredric affected a calm air, pretending like his hand wasn’t so slick with sweat that he was close to losing his grip on Bastian’s harness as he approached the restaurant. He let his guide take him through the front doors, and then he heard the sound of the owner cooing as she must have spotted her new favorite customer.
“Are you here for take-out?” she asked, her Greek accent making her words curve like a poem.
“Actually, I was hoping you had a rooftop spot open? I’m meeting someone.”
“Yes, of course.” She turned and said something to who Fredric assumed was the hostess, and in a flurry of movement, he was escorted to the stairs and led up. The wind was a little heavier and more biting up there, but he felt occasional wafts of warm air, and he realized they had heaters spread around the tables. “Here, right by the railing. You can hear the birds, hear the waves. Will your guest be here soon?”
“I hope so,” Fredric said, and he breathed out on the edge of nerves because there was every chance Hudson was going to sit, contemplate Fredric’s situation, and then just not bother to show.
And a small piece of him wanted that to happen, because leaning on what he knew—what was familiar—was far easier than this.
He felt Bas lie down against his legs, and the weight and warmth of him was comforting as his hands brushed over the table. Two napkins folded in a square, silverware, empty glasses. Salt and pepper to the left and what he assumed were sugar packets. Nothing strange or unusual, no candles, which made sense with the breeze.
He reached down and tugged at the hem of his sweater, something very soft and light grey—Agatha had explained. She said the color complemented his complexion and made him look more modern than his fussy blazers and button-ups. The jeans were new, so a little stiff, and he wondered if he was pulling the look off.
He fought the urge to reach up and touch his hair, and instead, fiddled with his phone until he heard a familiar voice thanking the hostess. Fredric’s breath caught in his throat, and then before he could rise, he heard the sound of Hudson sitting.
“You know, I’ve driven by this place about a hundred times, and I never thought to step in.”
Fredric’s brows lifted. “Really? It’s so quaint.”
“It is. I guess I’m kind of a snob. I almost never take a second look at those hole-in-the-wall stops, which is stupid because I’ve had some amazing food in places like this.”
Fredric blinked in surprise. “Oh. Is it?”
“I…” Hudson swore under his breath. “I didn’t even think.”
“It’s fine,” Fredric said, mostly because he didn’t want the man to keep tripping and falling over another blind faux pas. They weren’t going to get anywhere if the man kept trying to shape himself to Fredric’s experience. “It doesn’t bother me, you know. I was sighted once.”
“Can I,” Hudson asked, and Fredric let him fumble through the question he knew was coming. “It…what happened? If you don’t mind my asking?”
Part of him did, because he was tired of telling the story.
“It was a stroke,” he finally said. “I was young, it was totally unexpected. It was on both sides of my brain, which is why I’m totally blind—the doctors said it happens, but it’s rare. It affected my balance and my left side too, but I don’t notice that much anymore.” He knew his voice sounded sharp, but he had no way to walk it back. Biting the inside of his cheek, he wished desperately that he had a drink to keep his hands occupied. “Do you see a server anywhere? I was hoping to order us a bottle of wine.”
“Oh,” Hudson said, and there was a note in his voice that made Fredric pause. “Oh um. Yes, but I… Of course.”
“Is there something wrong?”
Hudson cleared his throat. “I’m seven years sober. God, I’m sorry. I almost always mention it before dates, but I think when you told me you were blind, it threw me off.”
Fredric let out a puff of air. “Jesus, we’re getting off to a great start here.”