Page 26 of Just The Way You Aren’t (Last Billionaire Standing #1)
WILLOW
W hen we pull up in front of the swanky new restaurant where no one can get a reservation for months, my eyes go as wide as saucers. “Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack,” Damien replies. He gives me a smile full of confidence and a little bit of contrition. “I’ve got to make up for my faux pas earlier. This seemed like just the place to do it.”
I look down at my plain blouse and flowy, yet ethically-sourced, flower-embroidered green skirt. “Damien, they’re never going to let me in.”
“Of course, they will. You’re with me.” He reaches back in his seat and gets his jacket.
I fidget awkwardly with a flower on my skirt. “I’m dressed for senior bingo night, not the trendiest spot in the city. People will stare.”
He inclines his head. “Since when have you cared about that?”
“I generally don’t, but this place is a bit out of my element. I hate to ask, because I know you wanted to get me a nice meal and all, but can’t we go out for malts and burgers instead?” I say hopefully.
“Is that really what you want?”
I nod emphatically.
Damien looks at me for a long time, then shrugs. “All right, then. Burgers it is. You’ll have to direct me. I’m not sure I’d know a good place from a bad one.”
I smile and impulsively lean over and kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you. I know just the place.”
We pull away from a bewildered valet and head toward my neighborhood. Billy’s Burgers is bustling as usual when we get there. We have to park a block-and-a-half away. As we park, Damien eyes a gang of young men lounging near an alleyway.
“Am I going to have tires when we come back?” he mumbles almost to himself.
“It’ll be fine,” I assure him. When we get out of the car, one of the guys walks up to me and Damien tenses. “José!” I say cheerfully, giving him a complicated fist bump combination he showed me once. “How’s it going?”
“It’s going great, Miss Harper,” he replies, eyeing Damien up and down.
“This is Damien. We’re going to dinner at Billy’s,” I explain. “Damien, this is my friend José Fernandez. His grandmother has been a Silver Hearts client for several years now.”
Damien gives José a nod. “Good to meet you.” He extends his hand, and I can practically feel his relief when Jose gives him a normal handshake.
“How do you know Miss Harper?” José asks dubiously, continuing his scrutiny of Damien. It’s not like I pal around with billionaires on a regular basis, and there’s no hiding the fact that he is more than simply well-off .
“Damien’s been helping out at Silver Hearts,” I interject. “In fact, we just came from bingo night.”
José purses his mouth and nods sagely. “Oh, yeah? That’s cool. Good on you, dude.”
“Thanks,” Damien says, giving me a sidelong glance and a slight smile.
We both startle a bit as José suddenly whistles to the rest of his posse. “Oy! This is a friend of Miss Harper’s. Let’s make sure nothing happens to his ride.”
“They’re going to protect my car?” Damien whispers to me.
I shrug. “The neighborhood can be a little sketchy sometimes, especially at night. But these are good guys.” I don’t add that if Damien wasn’t my friend, the Mercedes may have ended up at a chop shop. He doesn’t need to know that.
“All right.” Damien nods to José. “Much appreciated.”
“De nada,” José replies.
Damien’s hand brushes mine and instead of pulling it back, he takes my hand in his as we walk into Billy’s. The place is crowded and there is no available indoor or outdoor seating that I can see. I’m disappointed, hoping Damien isn’t going to hate it here.
“Damn,” he says. “Quite a hopping place.”
“For good reason. Wait till you taste the burgers.”
Billy sees me and comes out from behind the counter. “Willow!” he booms, coming to grab me in a big bear hug. “It’s so good to see you!” He holds me at arm’s length and eyes me critically. “Where’ve you been lately? You haven’t been back on one of those vegan diets again, have you?”
I laugh. “No, just busy. It’s good to see you too.”
He looks around the room and spots a booth where a couple is finished eating but just sitting and chatting. “Max, Grace, go home! I’ve got new customers to feed!”
The young couple look up, see Damien and me, and quickly scramble to their feet.
“Don’t worry,” I whisper to Damien, grinning now. “You’re with me. They won’t turn us away.”
Billy herds us over to the table and sits us down. He plucks a menu out of a rack on the table that also holds ketchup and mustard and hands it to Damien. “Most people don’t need these, but I figure, since you’re new, you might.”
“Thank you,” Damien replies. He glances at me. “I suppose you already know what you want.”
“Cheesy Louisey, fries, Coke, and a banana-chocolate malt,” Billy rattles off for me without missing a beat.
Damien smiles slightly. “Actually, I’ll have the same.” He puts the menu back in the rack.
“Good choice.” Billy wanders back to the counter and yells our order back into the kitchen.
“I don’t suppose they write things down here?” Damien asks, bewildered.
I laugh. “Why would they? Most people who come here are regulars. They start making their orders the second they walk in the door.”
“Convenient,” he concedes. He smiles at me, and it is wide, genuine, and relaxed. “Thank you for letting me tag along with you today.” He reaches across the table and takes my hand again. “It really meant a lot to me.”
I squeeze his fingers. “You did more than tag along. You really helped.”
“I’m glad.” There’s something in his eyes that thrills and scares me at the same time .
“We did have a lot of fun, too,” I admit, adding more wattage to my smile to cover my nervousness. “I thought Mr. Fitzgerald was going to try to marry you off to his daughter.”
He laughs. “Which one?”
“Good point.” I pretend to give it serious consideration.
Billy puts our malts and Cokes in front of us. “Burgers and fries should be up soon,” he says. “Good to see you with someone, Willow. I was starting to worry about you. I’d have hooked you up with my son, but he’s an idiot.”
“I heard that!” Max shouts from the kitchen where he’s frying up our Cheesy Louiseys as we speak.
“He’s also seventeen, Billy,” I chastise him. “What would people say if I showed up at his prom?”
“They’d say he’s a lucky sonofabitch, that’s what they’d say,” Billy grunts. He looks at Damien. “You treat her right, you hear?”
It must be the five-thousandth time Damien’s heard that today, and I blush on his behalf, but he doesn’t miss a beat. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it.” Billy saunters back the way he came.
“I’m sorry about all the pressure from everybody,” I say as soon as he’s gone. “I know you’re not… I mean, I’m not sure…”
“Let’s not call it anything yet, how about that?” Damien suggests.
“I’m good with that.” I let out a breath, feeling like a teenager on a first date.
“And I like how everyone looks out for you,” he says. “It makes me less worried about your safety. Especially in this neighborhood.”
I shrug. “These are all good people. ”
“I’m still going to worry.” He pushes his napkin-packed silverware away as Billy returns with two wax-paper-lined baskets. It smells amazing, and I watch Damien’s eyes go wide as he inhales the greasy, grilled goodness in front of us. “Wow, this looks incredible.”
“Better than any of that so-called gourmet crap,” Billy says with a wink at me as he hovers at our table.
Damien grunts in acknowledgment. Then he picks up his burger and starts to bite right into the Cheesy Louisey. Billy and I both cry out to stop him. “Wait!”
“That cheese is still molten,” Billy warns. “You’re gonna want to cut that burger in half.”
“Ah. Thanks.” Damien takes a leaf out of my book and cuts the burger right down the middle, letting the steaming melted cheese cool a bit.
“You’d think he never had a Cheesy Louisey before,” Billy snorts.
Damien chuckles. “Well, the two of you saved me, so that’s good.” He looks at Billy, who is watching him expectantly. “Um, can I help you with something?”
“Nah. I just want to see you take your first bite. It’ll change your life.”
Truth be told, I want to see the same thing. We both watch him.
“I feel like I’m in a fishbowl,” Damien grumbles, before he blows on his burger and takes a bite. His eyes close. “Wow. Oh my god.”
Billy grins. “What’d I tell ya? Life-changing, am I right?”
“I’m a true believer now,” Damien says, dabbing his chin with a napkin. “And you weren’t kidding when you called it a Cheesy Louisey.”
Billy continues to stand by us, beaming .
“Um… a little privacy, Billy?” Damien finally asks. “This booth is a bit crowded with three.”
“Right. Of course.” Billy grins widely. “It’s just so nice to see Willow with somebody who appreciates a good burger. You’re good people.” He pats Damien on the shoulder and leaves.
“Do you really like it?” I ask.
“I can tell you it’s better than whatever they were going to serve us at Anton’s,” he replies. He takes another bite and wipes his chin again. “Not sure this shirt is going to survive the experience, though.”
“It’s not meant to.” I bite into my own burger. The combination of jalapeno cheddar and savory seasoned burger is heavenly. "So, the fundraiser's Thursday," I say, stealing one of his fries. "I still can't believe we're doing this at The Plaza."
"You sound nervous," he observes, dabbing his chin with a napkin.
"A little. I keep thinking about all the people who'll be there - potential donors, board members, Mrs. Hollingsworth.
.." I trail off, biting my lip. The truth is, I'm worried about looking good enough to stand beside him, but I can't exactly say that.
"I'm mostly worried about what to wear, if I'm being honest. I want to look professional. "
"You always look great," he says simply. "But if you're looking for something specific, there's a boutique near my office called Bella's. They carry formal wear, and I've heard their sales staff is really good at helping people find the right dress."