“What reason would that be?”
Gwen shrugged, eying him. “I haven’t figured that out yet, although I’m thinking it has to do with your parents and their expectations of you and how you are following your own compass—or whatever you said in the car.”
Seth gave her a half smile. “I’m glad you’re so interested in psychoanalyzing me.” He leaned a little closer, because, in truth, he liked being near her. “So, what if I was oblivious to whatever fantasy Valentina has built up in her mind? How does that prove that I live in a different world?”
“You have this innate confidence that everything will work out,” Gwen said. “Like you can charm everyone and anyone, do what you want, and things will fall into place.”
Seth brushed back a bit of her hair that had fallen across her cheek.
“See? Just like that.”
Seth’s hand froze. “See what?”
Gwen captured his hand and moved it away. “You say you like me, and the next thing I know, we’re on a date, even though you’re the last person I want to go out with.”
Her hand was still on his, so Seth tried to figure out how her actions belied her words.
“Yet, you agreed to come today.”
“I did.” Gwen moved her hand and sighed. “I swore I would stay away from guys like you, yet here I am.”
Seth had been around Gwen enough over the months to know that she wasn’t directing her comments to him, even though it might sound like it. “What happened? Was it a boyfriend?”
She gave him a sharp look. “Not a specific boy, no, but just the general lifestyle.”
Seth could respect that, but it seemed that she needed to talk to someone about it. “Does Alicia know?”
Gwen shook her head, and for a moment Seth thought she might open up to him. But just then Valentina arrived with two pizza pies filled with cheese, sausage, and veggies. She set down two forks, knives, and napkins.
“Enjoy, love,” Valentina said, her focus solely on Seth.
When she left, Seth noticed that his napkin had a heart and phone number written on it. “So, I think you’re right. I was completely oblivious,” he told Gwen.
“Um-hm.” She picked up the knife and fork. “I’ve never eaten pizza with a knife and fork.”
He waited and watched as she took her first bite. As she chewed, her eyes fluttered closed.
Seth smiled. “Good?”
Her eyes opened. “Amazing.”
Their gazes held for a moment. Then she cut her next bite, and Seth dug into his own pizza pie.
For the most part, Valentina left them alone. In fact, she didn’t even refill their glasses. At one point, Seth could hear her talking on the phone in the kitchen—in Italian—and by the sound of it she wasn’t too happy.
He felt a little bad that he might be the cause of that unhappiness, but how was he supposed to react when she went all crazy that he’d brought a date to lunch? Speaking of his current date, Gwen continued to successfully dodge any questions about anything more personal than her favorite color.
She had been alternating between warmth and still holding her cards close. She had no problem speaking her opinion, but she always veered the conversation from getting too personal. It left Seth frustrated. But he knew he had to be patient. He’d been paying attention to Gwen for a long time, and it seemed that she was just barely starting to notice him. Securing this lunch date felt like a victory.
He’d take the baby steps.
When they finished eating, Seth called a goodbye to Valentina and left a generous tip on the table. She could make of it what she wanted to, but this was likely the last time he’d eat here.
Once they were back in the car, Gwen leaned against the seat and smiled over at him. “Thanks for lunch. It was amazing, despite the livid owner.”
“Sorry about her,” he said. “If I would have known, we could have gone out for Chinese. Maybe next time?”
“Let’s just focus on today,” she said. But her tone was soft. And her body relaxed.
Seth took that as a good sign.
To hug or not to hug, was running through Gwen’s mind as Seth walked her to her apartment door. She’d had a great time with Seth, and he was once again proving different than she’d expected. Although she didn’t quite believe he’d been so clueless about Valentina, she decided not to get caught up on that point. Besides, if Gwen told herself it wasn’t such a terrible thing to be friends with Seth, she could relax more around him. They were going to be around each other a lot, just by nature of their jobs, even though the dynamic between them had shifted.
She wasn’t about to go on another date with him, though, because she could see herself letting her guard down inch by inch. And that would only lead to complication and disaster. They’d reached the end of the date—her front door—and before she unlocked it, she turned to face Seth. “Thanks, again. That pizza was divine.”
Seth smiled. He’d put his hands in his pockets, which Gwen took as a very good sign. That took the good-bye hug off the table.
“I’m glad you liked it,” Seth answered. “I’ve been thinking of adding a pizza pie offering to the restaurant menu.”
This surprised Gwen, but it shouldn’t have. “I don’t have any objection to that.”
His smile broadened. “Good. I’ll talk to Pierre about it.”
“Okay, well,” she took her keys out of her purse, “see you in a few hours.”
“Sure thing.” He took a step back, his eyes on her.
Gwen felt an invisible pull toward him, but she forced herself to stay rooted to the ground while she unlocked her door. He waited until she’d opened it; then he walked toward the parking lot. Gwen closed the door and leaned against it, trying to steady her breath. She’d almost hugged him. She’d wanted to hug him.
What was wrong with her? She pulled out her cell phone and called Alicia.
When Alicia answered, Gwen said, “Emergency.”
“Seth?”
“How did you know?”
Alicia laughed. “Um . . . you texted early this morning, remember?”
“Barely.” Gwen crossed to her couch and plopped down on it. Maybe if she talked through it all with Alicia, she’d be able to start thinking straight—though Seth had just left, she sort of wished he’d stayed.
“Did you kiss him again?”
“No!” Gwen scoffed. “Besides, he’s the one who kissed me. This date was completely platonic. Well, mostly.”
Alicia laughed. “Sounds intriguing. Tell me more.”
So Gwen did. She told her friend about how she’d been sound asleep when Seth arrived and how he’d waited while she’d showered. Then she told Alicia about the pizza joint and the possessive Valentina. Alicia found that quite funny, and now that Gwen thought about it, it was funny.
“So, nothing at the doorstep?” Alicia prompted. “No kiss or hug?”
“Nothing.” Gwen fell silent.
“Uh-oh.” Alicia’s voice was filled was amusement. “Sounds like you’re disappointed.”
“No, it’s not that,” Gwen said quickly. “I mean, I hope it’s not that.” She ignored Alicia’s laugh. “We did have a fun time, and I wasn’t expecting that. I was looking for a personality quirk to annoy me—besides being my boss and one of those social-elite snobs—and I found nothing.”
“I’m sure you’ll find something,” Alicia said, laughter in her tone.
“Are you on the schedule tonight?” Gwen asked.
“Yep, always on Fridays.”
“I’ll see you there.”
“Can’t wait,” Alicia said. “Actually, I can’t wait to see how Seth acts around you.”
“Ha. Ha.” Gwen said goodbye to her friend, then hung up. She sat on the couch for a while, thinking through the events of the date with Seth. She’d been surprised that he knew so much about her, and it made her wonder if she was the oblivious one. What had prompted Seth to ask her out, and how long had he wanted to do so?
She
felt flattered on one hand, but the truth was that the thought of becoming involved with Seth was overwhelming. It might be too easy to fall for him. And if he truly did like her, as he’d claimed, how would their relationship work with her eschewing all things pretentious?
Gwen changed into her standard work clothes, then put on her sunshine jewelry set. She redid her nails to a white base and small sunshines on each nail. Once they were dry, she headed outside.
Marge was in a good mood and started right up, and Gwen took that as a decent sign of things to come. She just hoped the interactions with Seth at the restaurant wouldn’t be too awkward. They could be friends and get along, and Gwen could stop giving him a hard time, maybe.
Once she reached the parking lot, she pulled into her usual space beneath a group of pine trees so that Marge would benefit from the evening shade as much as possible. Gwen checked her appearance in the visor mirror, trying not to analyze why it was important to do so when she hadn’t on other work days. She climbed out of the car and walked through the parking lot, noticing Seth’s car wasn’t there yet.
Gwen continued into the restaurant to see that Alicia had already arrived. They chatted for a couple of minutes; then Gwen busied herself getting the tables ready and organizing the menus.
Even though she couldn’t see the front entrance of the restaurant from where she stood, she knew the moment Seth came into the restaurant. It was like something in the air changed. Gwen stayed focused on the table she was setting and told herself she wouldn’t turn around. It ended up that she didn’t have to, because Seth joined her at the table.
“Hey.”
She glanced up. “Hey, back.” He looked great, as usual, but because she’d spent so much time with him that week, she noticed some smaller things. Like how the edge of his chin had a small cut where he must have nicked himself while shaving. And how his eyes were more green than brown when he wore his gray button-down shirt. And how his eyelashes were blond at the tips.
“Everything going okay?” Seth asked.
“Yep.”
He looked like he wanted to ask something else, but instead he said, “I’ve got some extra accounting to do, since I didn’t close up last night. But if you need help with the tables, just let me know.”
“I’m on top of it.”
He flashed a smile. “Of course you are.”
He strode away, passing through the main restaurant, then stopped to talk to Alicia.
Gwen looked away. She didn’t want to be caught staring after him. She sort of felt let down, although she couldn’t pinpoint why exactly. Had she expected him to flirt with her? To ask her out again? To show some sort of preference for her? Apparently, he was going to treat everything like they’d never gone out, like they’d never kissed. Apparently . . . things were going back to normal. Just what Gwen had hoped, right?
The evening sped by, and for that Gwen was grateful. She didn’t have time to keep track of Seth and what he may or may not be doing, or who he may or may not be talking to. The restaurant was fully reserved, so Gwen helped the bus boys to get tables cleared quickly and ready for the next group. Through it all, she kept her standard smile and cheerfulness; but inside she felt melancholy. Ridiculous, she told herself more than once.
She’d been the one to tell Seth she’d only go on one date with him. And that’s what she got. So why did she feel like going home early and pulling out her emergency stash of red velvet ice cream from the freezer? Maybe she’d ask Alicia if she wanted to hang out, but before Gwen could act on it, she talked herself out of it. Alicia lived at her mom’s, and although she hadn’t said much, Gwen knew Alicia’s mom waited for her to bring home food each night.
By 10:15 p.m., the restaurant had all but cleared out. Only one couple remained, and Gwen was about to go over and see if they’d changed their minds about getting dessert when Seth came out of the kitchen carrying one of the restaurant’s to-go containers.
Gwen watched him head over to the couple’s table. She paused to listen.
“How did you enjoy your meal tonight?” Seth asked.
“It was really good,” the man said, although the woman looked annoyed that they’d been interrupted. “It’s my girlfriend’s birthday.”
“Perfect.” Seth grinned. “I’ve brought you a complimentary dessert to go, and all I ask is that you report back whether you liked it.”
The woman perked up. “What is it?”
“I haven’t named it yet, but if you like chocolate, you’ll love it,” Seth said with confidence.
The woman laughed. “Are you kidding? I love chocolate.”
“Just fill out the comment form on our website and tell me what you think.” Seth put the container on the table, then strode away.
The couple finally stood from the table, taking the container with them.
Gwen was curious about the dessert and admired the woman’s resolve to not peek inside the container.
With the couple gone, Alicia closed the hostess stand. “Good night, Gwen,” she said with a wave.
Sometimes they walked out to their cars together, but Alicia seemed to be in a bit of a hurry, and Gwen liked to make a sweep of the restaurant to make sure there were no menus under tables or other dropped belongings. Everything was all clear, and she walked across the restaurant to get her purse and keys from the employee cupboard in the kitchen when Pierre walked out of the kitchen.
He was a stocky, dark-haired man with whom Gwen had had little interaction, even though she was a waitress. Pierre nodded at her but said nothing. Gwen wasn’t surprised. He didn’t speak much to those he considered underlings.
Gwen pushed through the kitchen doors to see Seth at one of the counters, mixing something in a bowl. He didn’t look up, and Gwen decided it would be better if she slipped away unnoticed. She opened the cupboard and picked up her purse. She turned to leave the kitchen, when Seth said, “Try this.”
She turned to see him holding up a fork with what looked like chocolate cake.
“What is it?”
Seth just smiled.
“Your secret dessert you’re handing out to customers?”
“I can’t decide if I should infuse raspberry or coconut into the chocolate sponge,” he continued. “So far, the coconut holds up better.”
Well, if it was chocolate, raspberry, or coconut, Gwen was not opposed to staying a few extra minutes to try it. She crossed to the counter and took the fork. “Which one is this?”
“See if you can guess.”
Gwen took a bite of the chocolate spongey confection. It was warm and literally melted in her mouth. She closed her eyes and let the taste spread through her senses. Raspberry. Definitely raspberry. She was pretty sure this beat out the crème brûlée from the other night. When she opened her eyes, Seth was watching her, a satisfied smile on his face.
“Here.” He handed her a glass of cold water, then held up a new fork with another bite of the dessert on it. “This one’s the coconut.”
She took the water and drank some, then set the glass on the counter and took the second fork. “New fork?”
“I don’t want to mix even a crumb of the different flavors,” he said.
She took a bite, and her eyes slid shut again. Maybe Gwen should have consented to more than one date with Seth. One in which he made her dessert.
“What do you think?” he asked. “Do you like the coconut better?”
Gwen opened her eyes. “I love them both. And I think you should serve them both, side by side. A slice of each.”
His brows lifted. “That’s a good idea.”
“I should probably try them both again just to be sure.” Gwen moved to his side of the counter. He didn’t budge, so she had to practically reach around him to get another bite. The raspberry again. “Yep. You need to serve them together. They complement each other.”
“Hmm.” He was so close to her that she could smell his scent of spice and pine.
He wasn’t wearing a chef’s apron, s
o there were small specks of chocolate on his gray shirt. One spot of chocolate had made it to his jawline.
“Is this a recipe from Paris?” she asked to distract herself, because this heavenly dessert and being alone with Seth was making her question her resolve to not date him.
“No,” Seth said in a low voice. “I came up with it last night after the fireworks.”
And after he had kissed her.
“What does Pierre think?” Gwen asked. She’d had four bites now and should really stop.
“He knows who’s boss.”
Gwen laughed. “Oh, really? That’s how it is?”
Seth’s smile was crooked. “With Pierre. You’re a different story.”
The breath left her, and she had to look anywhere but at him. But he seemed to fill the whole room, her every sense. “Well, if I have a vote, I vote yes.”
Seth nodded. “That’s good news, because I’m naming the dessert after you.”
“What?” Gwen stared at him. “Like Gwen’s Brownie or something?”
“I was thinking more like She-Devil.”
Gwen gasped, then smacked his arm. “That’s mean.”
He caught her hand before she could pull away. “It’s mysterious and sexy.”
Gwen was literally speechless. And she couldn’t move, either, because Seth had threaded their fingers together, and she felt every beat of her pulse reverberate through her body.
Maybe it was the dessert, or maybe it was the way he smelled, or maybe it was how his thumb was lightly stroking her hand, or maybe it was because he was so infuriatingly patient, waiting for her to make the first move . . . that she finally cracked.
“You have chocolate on your face,” she said.
“I do?” It was a question, but there was no surprise in his voice.
She placed her free hand on his solid chest and rose up on her toes. He didn’t move an inch as she pressed her mouth against the edge of his jaw. She drew back slightly.
“Is it gone?” he whispered.
“Not exactly,” she said as she rubbed a finger over the mark. “Now it is.”
His other hand moved to her waist, his gaze holding hers. “Thanks.”
Waiting for You_Pine Valley Page 10