“Why not?” he asks.
“Ummmm,” I mutter, trying to think of an excuse.
“It’s just dinner, Giselle,” Tane says softly, looking down.
Oh hell.
“Okay, dinner sounds good,” I reply, mustering a smile. I never want to see him upset. Surely there’s a middle ground?
“What time are you finished?” he asks, shifting his feet.
I glance at the clock on the wall. “In about thirty minutes. Do you want to sit here and wait?”
“Yeah,” he replies, scanning the library. “I’ll read something.”
I grin. “Okay.”
He loves reading, maybe even more than I do. He goes and browses the shelves while I finish up with my work.
“You can head home. I’ll close up,” Kate, my co-worker, says.
My gaze darts to Tane who is reading DJing for Dummies. I laugh when he flashes me a cheeky look.
I smile widely as I reply, “That would be great, thanks Kate.”
I walk over to Tane and tilt my head to the side. “I’m pretty sure you already know that.”
He laughs, a smooth sound, and closes the book. “I was curious about what it said. Plus, you’re the one who suggested them for me.”
“Smartass.” I hold my hand out. “Want me to put it away?”
He stands. “It’s okay, I can do it.”
I put on my red cardigan as he returns the book.
“Where are we going?” I ask as we walk to my car. “I’ll follow you.”
He frowns like he doesn’t like that idea but doesn’t push me on it. “I thought we could try out that new place on William Street. The Italian one.”
I love Italian food, and he knows it. “Sounds good.”
I unlock my car door and get in. I watch Tane do the same, and then follow his car to the restaurant. We park right next to each other, and he gets out first to open my door.
“Thanks,” I say as I get out, close the door, and stand right in front of him. I look up into his handsome face as he places his hand on my lower back.
“Come on,” he says with an amused smile when I don’t move.
Why is he so … Tane-ish? I like everything about him, and I don’t even know why. Okay, maybe not everything, but still. It’s like I’m hanging onto my young image of him, and whenever his behaviour matches that image I fall deeper into his trap.
My heart is being stubborn and won’t let him go. Or let him in, either.
We get seated near the window, and then look over the menu. I can feel his eyes on me, but I keep my gaze down.
“I’ll have the carbonara,” I tell him. “What are you going to get?”
I look up to see his eyes on me and not the menu. I raise an eyebrow, but he just smiles. When the waitress arrives, he orders for the both of us.
His phone buzzes, so he puts it on silent and then looks up at me. “I want to talk about us.”
I instantly turn wary. “What about us? Everything is fine the way it is.”
“You’re not even a little bit curious if there could be something more between us?” he asks, resting his fist against his cheek.
Curious? “I don’t think being curious is a good enough reason to get my heart broken again, do you?” I ask, unable to hide the bite in my tone.
“So you haven’t forgiven me,” he muses, nodding his head thoughtfully.
“No, I have forgiven you. I just haven’t forgotten, nor will I ever,” I return, quieting when our drinks are brought to the table.
“I don’t want you to forget, but I want another chance,” he says softly, watching me with my son’s eyes.
I sigh. “Look, it’s really not even about that. The way things are? I want them to stay that way. We can’t go taking chances like this when we have Parker. We need to put him first.”
“And you think that taking a chance with us will be bad for him?” he asks, staring me in the eyes. “What if it works out, Giselle?”
“What if it doesn’t?” I counter.
“I don’t want to live out the rest of my life wondering what if,” he says. “Potential failure isn’t a good enough reason not to try. What message does that send to Parker?”
Manipulative bastard.
“What about one date night a week? After a month, if you decide you don’t want to give me a chance, I’ll back off.”
Do I want him to back off? I don’t think I know what I want.
“Four dates?”
“Four dates,” he replies, bobbing his head.
“Okay, deal.”
His satisfied smile makes me slightly nervous. Four dates with Tane Miller.
I can survive that with my heart intact … right?
Chapter Twelve