“It's beautiful from up here,” she says. “I've only ever seen it from the ground.”
I want to tell her, “It’s not as beautiful as you,” but know how terribly cheesy and cliché that would be. I also don't know how she'd react to me saying something like that. To be honest, I'm a little surprised that I'd have the urge to say it, to begin with. Aside from the whole not wanting to send the wrong message thing, I'm usually a little more original than that.
So, instead, I just say, “It really is.”
We sit in a comfortable silence, staring out at the beauty just beyond the window. I have Daniel fly around the mountains, getting us as close as he can so we can take in the view. Eventually, the sun starts to dip toward the horizon, setting the sky aflame in shades of orange and red – which sets off a riot of color on the mountain peaks. It truly is stunning.
Paige seems to have finally relaxed and now seems to be enjoying herself. As Daniel pilots us away from the mountains, I see the Strait of Juan de Fuca stretching out before us – the body of water that separates Washington from British Columbia. And as we fly out over the water, we start to see the lights of Victoria twinkling in the distance.
As we cross over the Strait, the city below us is sprawling and beautiful. The glass all around makes it sparkle with the vibrant colors of the setting sun.
Daniel flies us to a small, private airport and settles the helicopter to the tarmac with the softest of bumps. We barely feel it and I look over at Paige, smiling wide.
“Told you he is the best,” I say.
“That was amazing,” she says, a note of awe in her voice.
I have a car waiting for us on the tarmac and I help Paige down from the helicopter, catching her in my arms as she stumbles. She's as light as a feather and looks at me with wide, grateful eyes for having caught her. I stare back at her and feel a surge of something that I can't define tear through me. Acting on impulse, I lean forward and kiss her. Her soft lips feel so warm against mine, especially in contrast to the downright cold temperature around us.
It's a quick, chaste kiss, as it's freezing, and we have a car waiting. I take her hand and we walk toward the black SUV. The driver nods at me as he opens the door for us.
Whether I intended it to be or not, the entire experience is taking a very romantic, almost serious, turn. There is part of me that fears Paige might be overwhelmed and afraid of it all. Not that I'd blame her since deep down, it's kind of scaring the shit out of me too. But, she stares out the window with wide eyes that sparkle as we drive, taking in every detail of the city around us. I have a feeling she's trying to guess where we're headed. She takes a few stabs at it but gets it wrong every time.
We pull up to the restaurant – The Aurora – and Paige just stares in disbelief for a long moment.
“You can't be serious, Liam?” she says, her voice thick with amazement. “This place is always booked solid. It's the most exclusive of the exclusive. And I read somewhere that for Valentine's Day, it requires reservations months in advance.”
“A year, at least,” I say.
Her mouth falls open and her eyes grow even wider. “A year?”
I nod. “Usually,” I say. “But, you don't get to be where I am without knowing how to pull a few strings here and there.”
I don't want to tell her that originally, the reservations had been made for Valentine's Day with Brittany. That would cheapen the experience and probably ruin it for her. But, the fact of the matter is, had it not been for Paige, I would have missed out on all of this. And let's face it, Brittany wouldn't have cared for the experience of it all nearly as much as Paige does. Her eyes are wide and she's smiling at everything. And honestly, it helps me appreciate everything even more.
Sitting with Paige, I realize that everything just seems lighter. A little freer. And it's more enjoyable than it would have ever been with Brittany. And for that, I'm grateful. With Brittany, I felt like I had to continually up the ante just to keep her happy. But, with Paige, it honestly seems like she would have been happy with dinner at a place like Olive Garden.
She's more down-to-earth than Brittany ever was and doesn't need all of the trappings of wealth to be happy. For her, I'm learning that it's about the experience, not the money. And so far, she's enjoying the hell out of the experience.
Daniel holds the door as we get out of the car and I take her hand, planting a soft kiss on the back of it. Ready or not, it kind of seems that we are heading into relationship territory. The very idea of dating someone, so soon after my divorce, causes my heart to race. Or maybe it's just the look on Paige's face that has set it speeding – it's clear that she is very happy to be here with me.
It's not about the helicopter or the high-end restaurant – she's just happy to share the experience with me.
And if I'm being honest with myself, I'm incredibly happy to be with her too.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Paige
Our seats in the restaurant overlook the water from the second floor, giving us a nice view of the rocky shoreline below through large floor-to-ceiling windows. The place is very dimly lit. It's darker than I'm used to, but my eyes quickly adjust. The dimness of the lighting, the candles upon the table, the soft murmur of conversations, and of course, the violinist wandering around the place, playing a sweet melody – it all feels very intimate. Profoundly romantic.
I don't know that Liam knew what to expect when he brought me here. I know he talked about not being ready to move forward, but not wanting to close the door entirely. It's a sentiment that I agree with. But here, in a place like this, enjoying the evening he planned – to me, it almost seems like he's not just leaving the door open between us, it feels like he kicked it in.
That probably wasn't his intent, however. I honestly believe he just wanted to plan a nice night out for the two of us. We do enjoy each other's company – there's no doubt about it. Which is one reason I'm okay with things between us remaining in limbo for now. We both have our own sets of baggage to deal with, but we can't totally ignore this…thing that exists between us.
I know I'm overthinking this whole situation. But, the helicopter ride through the gorgeous mountains, and now coming to a place like The Aurora – a place I've only read about – it sends a very strong message. At least, in my mind.
I need to dial it back a few notches though. It's difficult, but I need to stop overthinking and just enjoy a nice – very nice – night out with someone that I like a great deal. Somebody I enjoy. I need to just take it for what it is and stop trying to read between the lines.
Liam pulls out my chair, and I flash him a smile as I take a seat. He's the perfect gentleman. One lone, red rose sits at my place on the table, so I lift it to my nose and inhale the aroma. I give Liam a sideways glance, wondering what I did to deserve all the effort he'd obviously put into planning this evening.
He sits across from me, and in the flickering of the candlelight, his rugged face is even more handsome. His strong chin and jaw are softened a bit, and the fire brings out the color of his eyes. It makes them sparkle like chips of ice – like the snow-capped peaks of the Olympic Mountains we just saw.
He takes a drink of water and then catches me staring, a crooked smile spreading across his face.
“What?” he asks as he sets his glass down. “Do I have something on my face?”
“No, you're fine,” I say and laugh. “I'm just trying to figure out what I did to deserve a night like this. At a place like this.”