Her cheeks heated at the unexpected compliment. “Thank you.”
Dane slowly turned to look at the older man. “You know her?”
“Sure. She was a world champion in figure skating. Ladies singles.” Timothy turned to Sophia. “Would you mind signing an autograph? I’d love to hang it in the shop.”
“Of course.” She smiled.
After Timothy left to get a pen and paper, Dane gave her a look. “A world champion?”
“Well. That was years ago.”
“And you’ve been known to ‘strap on a pair of skates every now and then’,” he said in a slow, sardonic voice.
She spread her hands. “You didn’t ask me if I was a world champion.”
Before she could say anything else, Timothy returned. She gave him an autograph, and did her best to hide her amusement when he prevailed upon Dane to take a picture of the two of them together. His excitement at meeting her was genuine, and she couldn’t be impatient with him even though she was tired and starving.
They walked out to the car after changing back into their regular clothes. “Hungry?” Dane asked.
“Yes,” she said emphatically. “I can’t wait to see what Al’s prepared for us.”
“I’m not eating anything at that house.” He opened the car door for her. “Get in. We’re having burgers and fries.”
* * *
Dane took them to his favorite bar. It was a hole in a wall kind of place—small and tidy and nothing that caught your attention when you passed by. But it served the best burgers and fries in the city. The place was always busy, thanks to word of mouth, but Wayne, the owner, always made sure Dane got a table. He’d invested in the business after Wayne’s manager had embezzled funds. Although Dane wasn’t into restaurants—that was his brother Mark’s thing—he didn’t mind throwing seventy or eighty thousand bucks at a worthy eatery.
“Two cheeseburgers and fries,” Dane ordered. “The beer of the day for me and…?” He cocked an eyebrow at Sophia.
“A margarita,” Sophia said. When the waiter left, she turned to him. “A bit presumptuous of you.”
“I’m a presumptuous kind of guy. And you didn’t object.”
“Only because I like cheeseburgers.” She peered at him through her eyelashes. “How good is this place?”
“The very best.”
“Huh. I pegged you as the caviar type.”
“I’m not a cat.”
She snickered. “You know what I mean. The kind of people who frequent restaurants like the one your brother owns.”
“You’ve been to Éternité, right?”
“Yeah. It was stunning.”
“It’s a good place, but I prefer not to dine at my brother’s restaurants unless I can’t get a reservation elsewhere.”
Her eyes sparkled. “Too much like eating at your father’s house?”
He laughed, then stopped when he realized it was springing from genuine humor. He couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. “No, but it is a family thing. I prefer to limit my dealings with them. However, I’ll take you to La Mer. It’s one of those restaurants you have to go to at least once if you’re in L.A.”
“Also your brother’s?”
He nodded. “Mark. He’s the restaurateur.”
“Then it must be amazing.”
Their waiter plunked down their drinks and disappeared, promising to bring out their burgers soon.
“So. I won,” Sophia said.
“That you did.” Dane sipped his beer. Wayne brewed his own, and the beer of the day was excellent as usual, with a faint hint of raspberries. “Go ahead and gloat if you want. I won’t hold it against you.”
“Not really good sportsmanship to gloat.” She toyed with her straw.
“What about withholding material facts about your skill?”
“Hey. I told you I was going to beat you.” She sucked down the margarita. “Now tell me: if you’d known, would you have made a different bet?”
He considered. “No.”
“Are you going to honor the terms?”
He frowned. “Of course.” It hadn’t crossed his mind that he wouldn’t. “I’m a man of my word. Speaking of which…” He peeled two hundred-dollar bills and pushed them across the booth toward her.
Her shoulders relaxed as she pocketed the money. “I’m glad. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. You earned it. Have you lived your whole life surrounded by liars?”
She hesitated. “Not everyone’s honest.”
Who had betrayed her? The idea tasted bitter, and he washed it down with some more beer. It was irrational for him to react this way. “If you weren’t sure, why did you bet?”