Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 81113 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81113 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“You’re here on a random Wednesday, one of our slow days, without calling ahead,” I pointed out.
Virginia gave me a look that she used to give me a lot—it was her oh no, you’ve caught me, aren’t I naughty look. Once, that look had made me want to throw her onto the nearest horizontal surface and fuck her stupid.
Now, I felt nothing.
“All right,” Virginia said with a sigh. “If you’re going to be so difficult about it… I was hoping that we could talk. Privately?”
I nodded and let one of the actual hostesses take over the host stand, leading Virginia over to one of our quiet booths. I had nothing else to do at the moment, since it was slow, so I sat down with her and got her a menu.
Virginia’s eyebrows rose as she looked at the menu. It was the new one, with all of Stevie’s recipes on it, and a new design. “What happened to Theo’s menu?”
I could tell that she wasn’t pleased. I also couldn’t help smiling as I looked at her, thinking of Stevie and her talent and determination. “We have a new chef who’s turning out to be very popular.”
Virginia put the menu down, eyebrows still raised, and didn’t ask to order anything. When a server approached the table, she shooed him away. I nodded at him to let him know that it was all right.
Virginia reached across the table, taking my hand. “Do you remember when we first opened this place?”
I pulled my hand away. “I remember.”
It had been the best night of my life, other than the night that Brooke was born. All of that hard work, all the risk, the planning and worry - and the opening night had been a success.
I’d never felt so accomplished, so on top of my game, so successful.
“Do you remember what happened that night?” Virginia asked, her voice dropping down a little, soft and breathy.
I knew exactly what she was doing. Because I remembered that night, and what happened too. Once the restaurant had closed and we’d locked the doors, we’d made love on one of the tables, passionate and wild, high on the excitement.
That memory used to be one that I’d turn to fondly, and of course I didn’t look back and think that it was bad now. It was good, I was happy at the time. But I no longer looked back at it and get hard, I no longer look back at it and get turned on. It was just another memory, like when I was in high school with my girlfriend from then. Sure, at the time I had feelings and it meant something, but now… now it didn’t.
In fact… if I did want to think of a memory that got me going, that got me hard, it was the scorching night with Stevie in my office.
God that had been so hot. I kept telling myself that it was a mistake, that it was wrong, but that didn’t stop me from thinking about it, from craving her.
Virginia I simply… didn’t. She didn’t mean anything to me anymore.
Virginia kept talking, smiling in that teasing way of hers, trying to reach out and touch me on the back of the hand or the arm, asking me about how I was doing, and eventually trying to bring up Theo’s show.
That last part made me angry. I couldn’t deny that. But in a way I was glad that she had come here.
I was glad because it showed me that I didn’t actually have any feelings for her anymore. It showed me that I didn’t need her, that I didn’t want her in my life.
It was a huge relief. A weight off my shoulders that I hadn’t even realized that I was carrying. In fact, it wasn’t just that I wasn’t interested in Virginia. It was also that every time I thought about her, instead my mind replaced it with an image of Stevie. It was Stevie that I wanted, Stevie that I was drawn to.
Actually, it used to be my fantasy that Virginia would come back. I stared at her as she kept talking, using her hands to gesture. I wasn’t really listening to what she was saying. I knew that I was going to stand firm on this and not change my mind, so what was the point. But it gave me a chance to study her.
Once, I would have done anything for her to be here. Not like this, exactly. Not pitching Theo’s stupid show idea. But crawling back to me, begging me to take her back, saying how I was the best thing that had ever happened to her and she was sorry, she’d been crazy to hurt me, she’d made a mistake.
I had never quite decided, in those fantasies, which way I would go. Sometimes I would rant at her for a moment and then take her back, and we’d make passionate love, and all would be well in the world. Sometimes I’d just tell her coldly to get out, and that I didn’t need her anymore and that it was too late.