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I shift his arm away, my eyes fixed on the glimmering glass doors. “Let’s just go.”
We stride to the entrance. At the door, we’re greeted by one of the employees who offers us a polite smile.
“Good evening, gentlemen. Do you have a reservation?”
I exchange a look with Spencer, a silent conversation.
“No, we don’t. But my brother can sort that out,” I say, my tone clipped.
Spencer steps forward smoothly, his voice warm yet commanding.
“Spencer Harrington, nice to meet you. And that’s Sterling Harrington. If you’d be willing to make one exception for us, we’d just like to see something in the restaurant quickly.”
The employee frowns. “We can’t do that, sir. Company policy. You need a reservation to walk in.”
Spencer flashes him a charming smile. “Let me talk to your manager. I’m pretty sure our grandfather’s friends with the owner of this place. He’ll help smooth things over.”
The Harrington name always opens doors. And while I’d usually dislike doing something like this, the situation is urgent and there’s no time for false modesty. One call later and we’re being led inside. The inner door opens to reveal the lavish interior of the restaurant.
The ambience is hushed and refined with the low murmur of conversation and the gentle clink of glasses. The tables are adorned with delicate silverware and pristine linens. I scan them, my eyes flicking from one table to another, looking for her.
Finally I spot her at one of the tables in the far back. Emilia is radiant under the soft glow of the muted lights. Her blonde hair cascades in gentle waves around her shoulders, and her blue eyes are wide and luminous. One look at her takes my breath away. If there was ever any doubt that this woman is the one for me, it all disappears at the sight of her. She’s still as beautiful as ever.
The man she’s currently talking with has his back turned to me. She’s laughing softly at whatever it is he says and the sight makes my blood boil.
Suddenly, like she can feel my eyes on her, Emilia looks up. And I watch as she turns pale in a matter of seconds. Her eyes grow wide, surprise and something else I can’t quite decipher filling them. I watch as she says something to the man in front of her before she slowly rises from her seat, walking over to where we’re standing.
“That’s her, right?” Spencer murmurs from beside me.
I ignore him, too fixated on the woman that fills every inch of my vision. The dress she’s wearing brings out the color of her eyes. She looks incredible and every speck of longing that I’d been pushing down rises to the surface as she moves even closer.
She stops in front of me and I notice she’s recovered from her shock.
“What are you doing here, Sterling Harrington?”
Fuck, I missed her voice. I missed everything about her, actually.
Since I’m too busy staring at her and committing every inch of her to memory once again, my idiot brother decides to step up. He moves forward, stretching his hand toward her.
“Hey, I’m Spencer Harrington,” he states. “And I have heard so much about you, you have no idea.”
Emilia blinks but accepts the handshake all the same. “Nice to meet you,” she says softly.
“Spencer, you can leave now,” I speak up, looking at my brother.
He makes a face. “So it’s use me and dump me now? You got your girl so you don’t need me anymore?”
I roll my eyes. “Spencer, go. Thanks for all the help, but I can handle things from here. I’ll see you later.”
He arches a dark eyebrow before shrugging, placing his hands into his pockets.
“Bye, Emilia. Good luck,” he says, offering her a short wave before leaving.
Once he’s gone, I turn my attention back to the blonde woman that just might drive me crazy.
“Hey angel,” I say, my voice controlled, a subtle undercurrent of irritation and relief interwoven into each syllable.
CHAPTER 23