Page 87 of Stand: Part One

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Taking Jaden’s hand in mine, I led her into the restaurant, silently noting how unusually unsteady she was as she walked. Maybe the heels were too soon?

When we stepped up to the hostess, her eyes widened for a split second before she regained her composure.

“Mr. and Mrs. Davis, wonderful to see you. Your table is ready as requested. Please follow me.”

Jaden arched a brow as she walked beside me. It was a quiet little place on the water, with a back patio leading out to the beach. We were seated in the corner of the patio in a much more private setting, while a single menu was placed on the table. Clive and Owen were already stationed throughout the restaurant, along with six other bodyguards.

“Your server will be with you shortly. Enjoy your evening, oh, and of course, happy anniversary,” the hostess said, quickly turning away to disappear back inside.

“This is really nice,” Jaden commented as she looked around, eyeing the clear glass panels bordering the patio, the sharp, clean decadence befitting a seaside five-star restaurant.

“I should hope so. It’s mine.”

Her eyes slid back to catch my gaze, her head shaking with a short laugh as she relaxed in her chair.

“Of course, it is,” she noted.

A minute later, a server appeared at our table, a nervous smile on her face.

“Good evening,” she chimed. “My name’s Amanda, and I’ll be taking care of you tonight. Can I start you off with anything to drink?”

My eyes slid over to Jaden, raising a brow in her direction. “What would you like, Mrs. Davis?”

Her eyes narrowed to irritated little slits as she leveled me with a glare, but then quickly regained her composure when she realized I was actually allowing her to choose for once. Not one to squander an opportunity, she turned back to Amanda.

“Captain and Coke with extra lime, please,” she said, but her tone made it sound like a question, like she was subtly asking for my approval.

“And for you, sir?”

“Who’s bartending tonight?” I asked.

“Jimmy is, sir.”

I nodded. “He’ll know what to make.”

“Of course. I’ll be right back with those.”

When she left, Jaden side-eyed me. “Jimmy will know, huh? You come here that often?”

I shrugged. “Not nearly as often as you’d think. But as I said, I own it, so I make sure my expectations are known.”

“Sure,” she acknowledged with a nod and then glanced down at the menu in front of her. “Oh, there’s a fried perch dinner on here.”

I leaned back in my seat, noticing the slight curl of her lips at the discovery. I wasn’t much for fried foods, but I could spoil her for our anniversary tonight.

“Get whatever you want,” I said, pulling out my phone to silence Daniel’s third incoming call.

When the server returned with our drinks, she took our orders and promptly hurried away. Jaden then took the three limes rimming her glass and squeezed all three of them into her drink, the fresh smell of lime juice bursting into the air.

I cocked an amused brow. “Got enough limes, or do you need ten more?”

She shrugged a shoulder, unperturbed by my comment. “I like it the way I like it,” she stated bluntly, then nodded at my drink. “What’s that?”

I grabbed my glass tumbler and swirled the liquid around. “Sort of a personalized Old-Fashioned,” I answered before taking a satisfying sip. “Do you want to try it?”