Fool for Love (Believe #2) (45 page)

“Now, when do we leave to go to
Mama Rosa’s
?”

He blinks a couple of times while I grin and take great pleasure in his confusion.

“Don’t you have a shift at
The Vault
tonight?”

“Yes,” I nod. “But we have plenty of time.”

He raises his arm to glance at his watch.

“It’s only 3pm. Will you be ready in an hour?”

I nod enthusiastically.

“Absolutely. I’ll just go take a shower.”

With that, I walk away, but stop to look back at him when he calls my name.

“You’re unlike any woman I’ve ever met,” he says. His eyes are the softest I’ve ever seen, and my stomach flutters with pleasure. I wet my lips and try to seem unaffected.

“Good. Predictability is boring.”

Then I turn away and head to the bathroom. My heart is light, and there’s a spring in my step; despite the unwanted visit, I’m excited to finally get to see Garrett in his element.

At the place that gives him joy and peace from his past.

An hour later, we’re in the cab and on our way. I’ve put on my most comfortable black jeans, a red, sleeveless top, and black pumps. I chose to go with a pair of simple diamond studded earrings and a couple of different rings, but nothing over the top.

I’m not out to impress Garrett, but I want to look my best when we go inside together.

I relax in my seat and grab his hand when I notice that he’s, once more, scratching at his now beard-less chin.

“Stop. Don’t fret,” I tell him softly.

He gives me a crooked smile that doesn’t exactly reach his eyes.

“Can I ask you a question?” It might not be the best way to distract him from his thoughts, but now that he’s started to open up to me, I want to soak up every little thing there is to find out about him.

“You’re probably going to ask anyway, even if my answer is no.” His smile grows wider, and I wink at him.

“Yeah, you could be right.”

He turns more towards me and lifts the hand not joined with mine, indicating for me to continue.

“Don’t you have a car anymore?”

He lets out a long breath and shakes his head slowly.

“No, I don’t. I haven’t driven a car since that night. I…” He hesitates and looks out the window above my shoulder. “It’s not like I really need one when I live in this city; there’s always a cab if I need to go somewhere that’s farther than a reasonable walking distance.”

“Hmm…I get that.”

And it’s true, I do. I don’t want to push him on the subject anymore, so I sit back and relax for the rest of the drive. When the cab stops, I feel like I'm buzzing with excitement from finally seeing Garrett’s pride and joy. I jump out to take in the entrance of
Mama Rosa’s
. The brown doors and marquee hanging down with the name gives it an understated, but homey impression; the red and white curtains in the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the street look very Italian.

Garrett comes up beside me and takes my hand. I look to find him staring intently at the marquee, and it makes me wonder what’s on his mind.

“Well, here she is,” he murmurs as he turns to give me a soft smile. “Shall we?”

I nod and smile at him. Hand in hand, we walk to the doors. Garrett holds it for me and I lose the touch of his skin as I walk inside, scanning the room before me. To my left, there’s a bar; it’s dark brown, and plenty of wine bottles on shelves are placed behind it next to glasses in practically all shapes and forms.

The rest of the square room is filled up with tables and chairs; and while it looks very clean and nice, the brown colour is again the main feature. The table cloths are covered in white linen, though, breaking up the darkness of the room, but it still seems a bit old-fashioned. Then I notice all the picture frames on the beige-coloured walls, and I smile, hoping that I’ll get the chance to examine them closer.

“What do you think?” Garrett asks from behind me. I put my hands in my pockets and slowly turn around to face him. I can’t read the shuttered expression on his face, but go with honesty like I always do.

“I like it…but it’s very dark.”

I smile apologetically at him, and he nods.

“Yeah, it is. I’ve been thinking about doing some renovations since I got home, but it’s not easy for me.” His eyes flit to the pictures. “There’s so much history here. So many memories.”

I nod in understanding as I take in the furniture again.

“But everyone needs to change sometimes – follow the trends in the market so we’re not forgotten.”

“I hope I haven’t offended you?” I ask him softly.

His raised eyes meet mine, and he shakes his head.

“Not at all. It’s good to get the opinion of someone who’s never been here before.”

“You wouldn’t have to change the floor plan as such, Garrett. You can do a lot with a coat of paint, for instance, maybe get some more modern tables and chairs.” I look to the ceiling and ponder the chandeliers hanging there. “But I wouldn’t change the lighting, actually; it’s soft, not too bright. Nobody wants to go out to dinner and get blinded. Ugh. I hate that.”

Trying to lighten the sombreness that’s fallen, I pretend to shudder and grimace.

“At school, we were once asked to make some mock-up designs on our computers; we were sent a photo of a room and our assignment was to come up with a new design by changing the colours and the furniture,” I babble. “It was in my first year, and very easy. I think the teacher just wanted us to get accustomed to the the idea of thinking outside the box. To learn how to see the possibilities everywhere.”

He turns fully to face me. “I can’t believe I’ve never asked you before – what did you do in Denmark before coming to NYC?”

“Oh, I…” I didn’t think he’d ask me this, but it makes sense. We’re lovers. It’s only natural that he’d like to know.

I fidget a bit on the spot.

“I studied interior design, actually.”

“Really?”

I shrug. “Yeah. At one point I’d like to set up my own business, but it’s a tough field. There are so many great designers out there.”

“Hmm. Interesting.”

He takes a step towards me and wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me flush against his chest.

“You’re full of surprises, Suzy-Q.”

I beam at him.

“Only good ones, I hope?”

He nods, smiling down at me, and I get lost in his warm eyes.

“Absolutely. Now, kiss me, and then I’ll show you the kitchen. Most of my staff should already be here, prepping food and yelling profanities at each other.”

I laugh and give him a quick kiss.

“There. Are you going to cook for me?” I ask him as he backs away from me and takes my hand.

He smirks at me.

“Of course.”

“Good.”

He leads me to the end of the bar where we turn right and stop in front of a big, wooden door that has a sign on it that says,
‘STAFF ONLY’
. I can hear some shouting and laughter coming from the other side, and I take a deep breath when Garrett opens it and pulls me inside.

I freeze, and one thought alone enters my mind.

Utter mayhem.

T
HE SOUND THAT HITS
me is not deafening, but it’s definitely loud, and there are people everywhere, manning different stations.

“Garrett!” a man’s voice booms.

We both look to the far end of the kitchen to find a man waving us over. As we walk towards him, I notice that he’s standing with his back to a huge stove with at least six hotplates, and he’s rolling some sort of pastry. He’s short, tanned, and has a moustache. His hair is black and thinning at the top.

“What is it, Aaron?” Garrett asks as we reach him.

“The supplier was late again,” he booms again. I jump.

Garrett huffs beside me.

“I’ll take care of it,” he mutters.

“Good!” Aaron booms again.

I’m beginning to think that it’s the only tone of voice he’s able to use.

He glances at me, his hands still in the dough.

“Who’s that with you?” he asks Garrett, giving me a suspicious look. It’s kind of funny.

“Aaron, this is Suzy Christensen, a…friend.”

I narrow my eyes at Garrett when he uses such a simple word to describe what we are to each other.

“Must be a pretty close friend since you’re holding hands.”

Aaron’s eyes flicker down to our joined hands, but I only strengthen my hold. Then he turns to look Garrett dead in the eye.

“Where’s your beard?” he asks him.

Garrett grits his teeth and doesn’t answer.

Aaron tilts his head to the side and crosses his arms.

“Huh…Interesting.”

“Why?” Garrett grumbles.

“There’s only one thing that will have a man change the way he looks – don’t matter if it’s the hair, or the clothes, or, in this case, the beard.”

He looks towards me again and I grin at him. His frown disappears from his face, and his eyes lose the suspicion from before.

“What?” Garrett asks him.

Aaron gives him a chin lift. “A woman.”

Without giving Garrett the chance to answer back, he offers me the same chin lift.

“Nice to meet you, Suzy. I’m Aaron, king of pizzas and pastries.”

I giggle.

“Hi, Aaron.”

He nods once and then turns away, clearly dismissing us.