Page 39 of The Restoration Program

She crawled closer to bury herself against his neck. As he hugged her back, she was left marveling at how she possibly could be so very cursed and soluckyall at once.

The French-fusion restaurant had been specifically recommended by the Fairbourne Facility. It had not yet catered to NüPrints, but the owners were friends with some of the Restoration Program board members and were willing to accommodate the newest,uniquemembers of society.

Something like that.

That information was of little comfort to Nicole as Ryan approached the hostess and leaned in to note his name on the list. Nicole peered around like a hawk, snapping her head towards every movement.

She doubted she would be able to keep any food down with the way her stomach was knotting.

Although she could barely catch a peek of the dining area, her heart dropped at the sight of how many people there were. Just when she thought no one had spotted her yet, one of the servers stopped one of his coworkers and murmured something, nodding in her and Ryan’s direction. She clenched her jaw and looked away.

The hostess was staring right at her, averting her gaze the moment she was caught. She didn’t look particularly shocked. Just… uneasy.

Before Nicole made sense of that, Ryan whisked her off into the dining area. She didn’t have time to brace herself, feeling like she was on display seated in Ryan’s hand. All at once, several pairs of eyes zeroed in on her. Blatant gasps and murmurs came from every direction. Her heart beat wildly. She wanted to duck her head in embarrassment, but it was as though a survival instinct kicked in. She held her breath and kept looking around with wide eyes, denied the luxury of choosing fight or flight.

Ryan’s steps slowed, and he brought her higher to look at her, exposing her even more. “Nicki?” he whispered. “You’re shaking.”

“I… I don’t know about this, Ry.” She shuddered and looked at him pleadingly. “I don’t know.”

He ducked suddenly and kissed her cheek right in front of everyone. The affection lingered past a couple of parties that stared unabashedly. “It’ll be alright,” he told her softly. “I’m with you. We’re safe.”

“Here we are,” the hostess said, coming to a stop at a booth in the back and laying down a single menu. There was a sugar packet container overturned on the table. It took Nicole a moment to realize that was meant to be her seat. The hostess’ gaze flickered uncertainly between Ryan and Nicole, unsure who to address. “We haven’t gotten any accommodations yet, but we’re expecting them soon. Our manager usually handles this stuff.”

“It’s all good. I brought utensils for her,” Ryan said cheerfully, lowering Nicole to the table.

The hostess looked a fraction relieved. “Your server will be right with you.” She fled like she couldn’t get away fast enough.

“I’m surprised we made it this far,” Nicole said, gesturing at the booth. “It’s like they were ready for us.”

“I called ahead to explain a few things.” Ryan smirked gently. “What, did you think they were gonna kick you out?”

“Kinda.”

Although they shared a chuckle, Nicole hugged herself and stared out past the booth. Her mind still worked a mile a minute to map her surroundings. More stares. Someone even waved at her tentatively. She tore her gaze away.

“I feel like I’m in a zoo exhibit,” she said tersely.

Ryan surveyed the room, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “They just don’t understand,” he murmured. There it was again—that new sadness in his voice that she hadn’t heard before the accident. It lingered despite her Restoration and seemed to hit him in waves, but when he looked down at her, his face warmed. “Don’t we deserve to be here as much as anyone?”

Nicole took a deep breath and let it out noisily, nodding. “You’re right, you’re right. If we don’t get into the practice of normal things like this, it…”It’ll never feel normal,she finished silently. Ryan didn’t press her.

He lowered his chin onto his arm, his gaze leveling with hers. “You look amazing in that top, by the way, if I haven’t told you already.”

“Thank you.” She fingered the black silk hem. “And here I thought you preferred me out of it.”

Ryan blinked, and she grinned tentatively across at him. It had been hard to feel sexy as of late, or talk about it, but slipping back into a sultry game suddenly felt like putting a favorite sweater back on.

“Oh, I do,” Ryan replied, letting his voice drop. “But I don’t want to share you with everyone else here.”

She giggled. “We’d give everyone arealreason to stare.”

His hand rested nearby. She leaned down and guided a few fingers onto her lap. His thumb, resting on her calves, pressed upwards with pleasant pressure.

“Careful,” he purred. “Or I won’t be able to help myself.”

Their waiter approached, and Ryan reluctantly straightened back in his seat to place their order.

Nicole attempted to politely look up at the waiter, but she quickly found that she couldn’t bear the awkward glances he sent her way. She lowered her gaze meekly. Despite her better judgment, she looked around instead.