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I glance up at him, surprised by the subtle protectiveness in his tone.
Evelyn makes a humming sound. “Good.”
She turns back toward the kitchen, and Ellis steps aside as Cole leads me toward the door.
But the moment we step outside, I exhale sharply.
Cole glances down at me. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I mutter. “It’s just… weird.”
He studies me for a moment before sighing. “They just need time to adjust.”
I know that. But it doesn’t make it any less awkward.
At least Robbie is at a friend’s house tonight, so we avoided that awkwardness.
Cole squeezes my waist. “It’ll be fine.”
I nod, trying to push the thoughts away as we reach the car.
Cole opens the door for me, and as I slide in, I feel some of the tension ease.
It’s just dinner.
Just one night.
I can do this.
***
The restaurant is beautiful. Elegant. The kind of place where the chandeliers are massive, the wait staff moves withsmooth efficiency, and the menu doesn’t list prices because if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.
It’s also exactly the kind of place that makes me feel completely out of my element.
I take a slow breath, smoothing my napkin over my lap as I glance around. Everything is soft lighting and polished silverware, the murmur of conversation blending with the gentle sound of classical music from the corner of the room where a violinist plays. The atmosphere is refined, exclusive.
And people are watching us.
Or, more accurately, watching Cole and the woman he’s on a date with.
I should’ve expected this. Of course, people would notice when Cole Wagner walks into a place like this with a date.
He’s someone in this city—someone important, someone well-known. And now, apparently, I’m someone worth staring at too.
Wait until they figure out I’m the nanny.
I pick up my water glass and take a sip, trying to ignore the way whispers follow us even from across the room. I tell myself I’m being paranoid.
But I know I’m not.
Cole, on the other hand, seems entirely unaffected.
He looks completely at ease, sitting across from me, his suit crisp, his green eyes sharp as he studies the menu.
His fingers drum idly against the table as he glances over the options, like he doesn’t have a single concern in the world.
I wish I could say the same.