“Forgive me.” He was such an ass.
She waved her hand in the air. “It’s nice to be out tonight. In this place. I’ve never been here before.” Essence looked left and right. “I feel as though I’m having dinner in a work of art. Do you come here often?”
How could she ask him that, knowing what she knew? “Ah, no. Never before. I don’t usually have a need for it.”
“Why did you pick it for tonight? And why tonight at all? I mean, do you take all the girls who fall down your stairs out to eat? Thank you for the flowers. They were lovely. I like that book very much. How did you know?” She sighed loudly. “I’m nervous. I don’t usually talk this much, except inside my own head.”
Anxiety wafted off her. As a predator, he’d been reborn to know his prey. She didn’t have real fear of him. She’d also chosen to see him and hadn’t, seemingly, called the authorities or told anyone about him.
He cleared his throat. “What do you remember about what happened?”
Alec didn’t answer questions when he didn’t care to. He kept waiting for her to complain, but she hadn’t yet. Was she just that…easygoing?
“You were signing your papers then I woke up in hospital.”
She couldn’t have stunned him more if she’d sprouted wings and took off into the heavens. “You don’t know anything about what happened in between?”
Like, how I’m a vampire.
Essence shook her head. “Did I miss something important? I mean, other than my graceless fall?”
He rubbed his chin. “Nothing. No.”
Lying to her was a very bad start. But, it seemed the universe had given him a break. If she didn’t know, did he have to tell her? Couldn’t he earn her trust? Show her how he could be? Then tell her? What was the right thing to do?
The monster moved inside of him, and he pushed it away. He had no time for the beast tonight.
“Did you bring me here because you want me to sign something saying I won’t sue you? I won’t…sue you, I mean. I’ll sign whatever, if you want, to prove it. You don’t even have to buy me this ridiculously expensive dinner.”
He blinked. Sue? That was right. They lived—or she did—in a particularly litigious time. Yes, she might think he’d worry about that. Her eyes were so clear when she regarded him, so alive, so filled with promise.
“I asked you here because I wanted to see you…for a date. I wanted to take you out.”
She raised her eyebrows, which must have pulled on the bandage because she winced slightly. “Really? I must be a lot more interesting than I remember being.”
He laughed, which shocked him. He hadn’t done that in…one hundred years. He gripped at his chest. The sensation of laughter, he’d forgotten how it felt. Like a million sunshiny days.
“I’d like to get to know you better.”
Wishful thinking made him say the word ‘date.’ but everything he thought and said since had been truth. He did want to know her—this woman who shared his beloved’s soul, who made him laugh, who had yet to say a thing that reminded him of Constantia. His love had never stumbled, never faltered. Every word she’d said was purposeful.
Essence seemed to stumble through her sentences and fell down stairs when she should’ve been running for her life. For some strange reason, he found her delightful. He hadn’t expected to. So little was of interest in the long dark night of his existence.
“I’m really not interesting.”
The waiter came then to tell them of the specials which brought about the routine of ordering food. He had no idea what he would want to eat, were he to actually consume food. As it was, since she didn’t know he wasn’t human anymore, he would have to chew and swallow. Later, he’d suffer for doing so, but it would be worth it.
He quickly perused the menu. As a young man, he’d liked it whenever they could have fresh meat. Humanity—at least in first world countries—didn’t bother worrying about that much now as far as he could tell. He’d order that.
Essence told the waiter she’d like an iced tea and when he suggested she could have some wine, she declined, stating it wasn’t a good idea with the medicine they’d given her for pain. He cursed himself, once again, for being a fool. He needed to keep this evening brief for her comfort. She should be resting. Why was she out of bed at all?
She ordered a salmon dish, and he told the waiter he’d have the steak.
Alec motioned toward her. “Tell me about you.”
She sighed. “I’m afraid I’m really not more interesting than I seem, like I said. I was born in Texas, a small town right in the center. Not close enough to Austin or San Antonio to be exciting. My father is a local politician. He’s also a lawyer, but he doesn’t do much practicing. Mom stayed home and raised the five of us.”
Dad was a person in the public. Not ideal, but he could work with that.
“How often do you get to see them?”