Perfectly Shattered (6 page)

Bradan shook his head. “No, I live in Belltown too, so I recognized this street name. I’m actually not far away.”

It was chilly out, but not raining. Even the drizzle from earlier had stopped.

He took her arm in a gentlemanly fashion. “Okay if we walk? It’s only a few blocks.”

“Sure, I walk everywhere.”

The place was on the waterfront, and their table was by the window with a view of the bay. On the opposite shore the forest looked dark, and the mountains beyond were black mounds barely visible under a pale moon. Bradan had chosen French cuisine, but the restaurant was casual, without the usual white linen. It was noisy and brimming with diners.

Cami unfolded her napkin. “You’ve been here before?”

“Just once. I thought you’d like it because it’s French.”

“That’s considerate. You mean because of my name.”

“That and the fact that you do catering. I figured you’d be into gourmet food.”

“More than you think.”

The server appeared and took their drink orders: water with lemon for Cami and the same for Bradan. He left a basket with a sliced baguette on their table and headed for the kitchen.

“No whiskey?”

“Not tonight. I’m having dinner with a friend.”

Cami raised a brow.

“I don’t
have
to drink.”

She smiled. “You don’t?”

“No, I don’t.” Bradan smiled. “So, you like food, huh?”

The waters arrived and Cami took a sip. “I cook a lot. I guess you could say I’m a foodie.”

“Interesting. What do you cook?”

“Oh, all kinds of things. French sometimes, also American, Italian. A bit of everything.” He seemed interested, so she added, “Maybe I can make something for you…sometime.”

Bradan smiled. “Deal.” Then he frowned at the menu. “What do you suggest? Too much of this is in French.”

“Lots of good choices. Let’s see…” Cami could feel his eyes on her as she studied the menu. “It’s kind of a waste to start with salad when there are so many choices. Confit de canard caught my eye. That’s crispy duck, and in a place like this it’s likely to be good.”

“I’ve never had duck.”

“It’s excellent if done right.”

The waiter arrived and they ordered the onion soup to start, with the duck for a main course.

Cami smoothed her napkin and reached for a slice of the cheese that was served with the bread. “I think you’ll like it.”

“So, what brought you to Seattle?”

“Like I said, I’m a foodie. And what better place than here?”

Bradan leaned back with one leg sticking out from under the table. “What makes you say that?”

“The regional cuisine made from local produce, all the fresh seafood, and there are lots of small restaurants. I like that it’s not all huge brands, but more personal with so much diversity. And great wines.”

Since he seemed curious, Cami went on. “There are so many influences, from Asia, Latin America, France, Italy, and more. That’s what attracts me. I can learn so much. There are so many talented chefs, which is why I signed up for that food tour.”

He shifted in his seat. “The tour…sorry about that.”

“It’s forgotten.” Cami slathered some butter on her baguette. “Are you still with the woman of the day?” As soon as she said it, inside she cringed. It was snippy, and she hadn’t intended to show inner feelings.

“And who is that?”

Cami made a funny face. “Forgotten again?”

“Oh, Tanya.” He leaned up on the table. “I think she’s mad at me.”

“I probably shouldn’t ask.”

“Probably not.”

They were silent for a couple of minutes, munching on bread and sipping water.

Breaking the ice, Bradan said, “Water with lemon, I’ll have to remember that. Potent stuff.”

Laughing, Cami swatted his forearm. “What a tease. So, how did you end up here? Are you from Seattle?”

“From Boston. I went to a community college here. Got my two-year degree early, earned extra credits over the summer.”

“What field?”

“Computers, mostly web programming.”

“So you work for that company, the one that had that party?”

Bradan’s eyes gleamed. “The glazed scallops party? Yep, I work for Cube X.”

“Can’t you forget about me dumping food on you? I thought we were even.”

“We are.”

“Did your parents pay for college? I only took one year. Ran out of money.” Cami bit into the crusty bread.

Bradan shook his head. “I worked my way through. My brother, Sean, is in social media, has some contacts. He connected me up with Mitchell Kinlan, my boss. I got hired part time while I was in school. Full time now.”

“Nice. I’m not sure if I’ll go back to school. I did one year at a culinary institute back home. My dream would be to attend a Le Cordon Bleu college, but I don’t see that happening. It’s just too much money.”

The meals were served and the duck smelled like a blend of garlic, pepper, and the cooking wine it had been soaked in. Cami suspected they knew the technique, and was pleased to see the skin was thin and crispy. “I can tell this is good before even sampling it. I pick up a light peanut-oil aroma. Nice.”

“Looks good. I’m hungry.” Bradan began cutting into his.

The duck, roasted potatoes, and julienne vegetables lived up to her expectations. Savoring each bite, Cami kept looking over to see if Bradan was enjoying his. He certainly seemed to be, and ate every morsel. Between mouthfuls they chatted about the city, about music, and other neutral topics.

As the food disappeared from the plates, Cami wished the dinner wouldn’t end. She liked talking with him and getting to know him. It was so different from her other encounters. Not drinking, he seemed like a different person, even nice.

That was stretching it. At least not annoying.

When Bradan suggested they go someplace for coffee and dessert, she was relieved. It would extend their time together, something she shouldn’t want as much as she did. He took her to a café called Small Bites. It was a corner building with windows facing both streets, and it was fairly large inside.

“I like their Baileys Irish Cream cheesecake.”

“Because you are Irish?”

“Even if I wasn’t.”

His smile made her happy, just pleased to be having a good time with him, and relieved that they could be together under better circumstances. They split the cheesecake and ordered espressos, staying to talk for nearly two more hours. Cami felt like she could have talked with him all night, which surprised her.

“So you grew up in Washington?” Bradan took a sip of his hot drink.

Cami nodded. “But not here. In the wine country. Walla Walla is at the very south end of the state. It’s beautiful. Very quiet. Much more of a small town.”

“Your parents are still there?”

“My mom is. My dad passed away a year ago.” Mentioning it, Cami felt an ache inside. “I miss him.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yes, I am too. He was a good dad, and we were very close. Sometimes I still cannot believe he’s gone, and I think if I go home that he will just be there.”

Bradan looked at her with concern.

“But he won’t. He died of cancer. It was unexpected. My dad was always healthy, good diet, ran for exercise. The cancer got to his lungs. It was sudden.” Tears formed in her eyes, and Cami looked down.

Bradan thankfully changed the subject. “My parents are in Boston. My dad teaches the third grade. You’d like my mom. Everyone likes her.”

Cami didn’t have the feeling she’d ever meet her, but it was good to know Bradan had loving parents. The conversation turned toward their life’s passions, goals, even music. It turned out Bradan was at Cube X for the experience but hoped to have his own company someday. He seemed honestly excited for her when she told him about the cooking contest.

“It’s about making gourmet simple, which is my talent. There’s a limit of twelve ingredients per dish.”

“Did you cook back home?”

“Yes, all the time. In fact, my family owned a small vineyard, and provided wine for my aunt’s café. I used to create menus and cook some of the gourmet items. I got lots of experience that way.”

“Does your mother still have the vineyard?”

“No, we had to sell when Dad died. Couldn’t afford to keep it going. And he was the winemaker. It wouldn’t have been the same.” Cami studied her empty espresso cup.

“I keep making you sad.”

“No, it’s not you. It’s just, well…it’s only been a year.”

“Yeah.” Bradan was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to my parents, either one of them.”

Cami smiled at him, willing her mind away from the pain in her heart. “I had a good time tonight with you.”

“Me too. Maybe since you are new in Seattle I can show around.”

Grinning more than she should have, Cami said, “Maybe.”

Chapter 7

The friendly dinner with Cami had been nothing more. When it could have been
much
more. In her soft, casual clothes, the woman exuded sensuality. Bradan couldn’t figure it out. She wasn’t his type. Of all the women he’d been with, none were petite, not that he could recall.

He’d never gravitated that way. Some guys were breast men, some leg men, and so on. Bradan was all of the above. Liking everything about a woman, he couldn’t single out one feature that drew him more than another. So he went for them all.

He’d taken a variety of women to bed. Whether they were blond, brunette, or redhead didn’t matter. But as a rule, they had ample cleavage and legs that enticed him to follow their length up to the sweet spot between them.

But no, he’d never dated a small-boned French woman. There was something about Cami that lured him in, but he didn’t have the words to describe it. She was pretty in an attractive combination of innocent and seductive. Her skin was pale and absolutely flawless, the canvas for her lovely green eyes and sexy mouth.

Cami’s lower lip was plump, though her lips were thinner, more linear. And that made them insanely desirable. When he looked at her, it seemed her lips were slightly parted, just waiting to be kissed. And when she smiled, it was a fragile, endearing smile.

It was too much. Bradan couldn’t handle the effect she had on him. Throughout the evening they’d talked about everything. He’d never felt more comfortable with any woman. But he certainly didn’t feel like she was his kid sister or anything. The whole time they talked, he only felt more pulled into her sweet beauty, and into a remote darkness he found there.

When they’d talked about her father, Cami’s sadness had been clear. But there was something more than that. Something he’d read in her eyes. But he didn’t know what it was and didn’t want to ask. Unsure and not used to feeling close to a woman, Bradan had held back.

Even when he’d taken her home, he’d resisted. It just wasn’t like him at all. Standing at her door, both had been silent. He had looked into the depths of her eyes, not certain of what he saw there. He read it as a mixture of desire and gloom, but he was sure that he’d made too much out of it.

If only he could have given in to his urge to wrap his arms around her and to feel her close. In any other circumstance, he would have. After talking about their feelings, their goals, their passions, Bradan didn’t feel like just doing the fuck-and-run. He couldn’t.

In fact, he couldn’t even kiss her. If he had, if he’d let his lips touch hers, there was no way he could have left. What strength he had he used to say good night and get the hell out of there. So instead he ran his fingertips along her jaw, then turned and jogged back to the street, calling behind, “I’ll call you.”

But did he mean it? Wasn’t that something every guy said at the end of a date? And that wasn’t even a date. It was a dinner, just to be friends. That was what he had said, anyway. But he knew it had been a lie. He wanted much more from Cami, and that rattled him.

Life had been good. He had as many women as he wanted, and the freedom he wanted. He didn’t need heartache. If he never got close, there was no chance of that. So far, it had worked. Getting to know Cami was treacherous water he was unaccustomed to navigating.

He’d have to back off. That was the only solution. And a hard workout would be a good start. Ian would meet him at the gym. They’d been spotting for each other on the heavier stuff. Bradan saw him saunter into the weight room, biceps bulging under the white shirt. He was an ideal workout partner, used to heavy lifting and fit, so able to take the pace.

For an hour, they lifted, sweating and grunting. Bradan went harder than his norm. He wanted to burn off pent-up energy. Visions of Cami nagged at him. But the more intense the lifting, the greater the pain, the more remote were thoughts of anything else. He’d be sore the next morning. But he didn’t mind. He welcomed it.

Heading to the showers, Ian said, “Let’s grab coffee on the way in. The stuff they have in the break room is for shit.”

“Agreed.”

Physically tired but invigorated from the workout, and fueled by strong coffee with an egg burrito, Bradan strode to the entrance of the building. He opened the door for his buddy, and Ian nodded as he stepped past him.

“Hey, a bunch of us are going out for drinks after work. You wanna come with us?”

“Sure.” Bradan could use a drink. Even after dropping Cami off the night before, he’d gone to bed cold sober. That didn’t happen often.

The elevators opened to the office lobby. The ceiling and walls were blond wood, and the reception desk was wood, painted pale gray. It was the startup company’s idea of trendy décor. The central work area was a mass of desks without cubicle partitions, so nothing blocked the view out the windows.

Bradan was glad of that, because he didn’t think he could take being cooped up in a cage of walls. At least the view of Seattle gave him a sense of space, and though it didn’t add to his creative process, it didn’t stifle it either. Coordination was a big part of the projects he was assigned to. The lack of private offices or dividers made it easy to talk back and forth.

Bradan worked harder than most. Moving up the pay scale at the company wasn’t his plan. The idea was to gain experience, make some connections, and obtain funding for a startup of his own. Knowing that tech companies were springing up all over the city, faster than they were elsewhere in the market, he knew that he wasn’t alone in wanting to tap into the business community of Seattle.