“Well, we should leave you to it and get to our table.” India indicates to the waitress, who’s been hovering this whole time.
“Why don’t you join us?” Andi says.
I feel Kat’s hand tighten on my arm.
“That’d be okay, wouldn’t it?” Andi asks the waitress. She looks back to India. “If you want to join us, of course.”
India looks to Dan.
He smiles. “Of course. As long as you don’t mind us crashing your party.”
I feel like raising my hand and saying that I mind.
I mind a fucking lot.
I don’t want to sit here and watch them fawn all over each other. Not that there’s been much fawning.
“Of course not,” the waitress replies.
Clicking her fingers, she gets the attention of a waiter, who brings over two more chairs and two place settings for them.
By now, I’ve managed to extract Kat’s hand from my arm, and I’m sitting back in my seat.
We’ve all had to move around a bit, so Kat is practically sitting on my lap, and somehow, India has ended up in the chair next to me.
Well, this is going to be a fun night.
How the fuck did I end up on a couples night with my shrink?
Maybe I should have that drink now.
I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE WRITTEN THIS NIGHT OFF.
First, my car broke down on my way out shopping to buy a new pair of stockings, as I hadn’t realized I had run out, and I was stuck waiting for the RAC to come fix my car. They couldn’t, so it’s currently at the garage.
Then, my heel snapped while I was at the shop, buying the stockings, so I had to go and buy a new pair of shoes. That wasn’t too bad, as I ended up also buying the ones I’m wearing now as well as the new dress I’m wearing.
Then, after getting caught in the rain and having to hail a taxi home, I’d just run a bath when a patient called. Of course I took the call, and by the time I was done, my bath was cold. So, I had to take a shower.
Then, my hair straightener wouldn’t work, and to round it off, I broke my favorite lipstick.
It’s been a shithole of a day, so of course, I would see Leandro Silva here on a date.
It’s good that he’s dating, and he’s clearly not drinking, judging from the lemonade he just ordered.
But his date is a bit handsy. I have a full show of her hand on his thigh, inching its way up. He has to keep stopping when she gets too high. Really, he should just tell her to knock it off. I mean, of course, it’s not bothering me. I just don’t think you should grope someone in public at dinner.
An image of Leandro’s hand sliding up my thigh flashes through my mind, and I feel myself grow hot.
I take a drink of my wine to cool off.
Just focus on your food and the pleasant conversation and Dan sitting next to me.
Not the man on my left.
Or his handsy date.
Kat Whisker.
The laugh I held back earlier slips out, which I quickly cover with a cough. Dan glances at me and then goes back to talking to Carrick.
I can feel Leandro’s eyes on me, but I won’t look at him.
But then again, maybe not looking at him is even more obvious.
I’ll just casually look at him, like a normal person would.
I glance in his direction to find him already staring at me.
Why is he staring at me? And why do I have to find him so damn attractive?
It’s not helping that he’s all looking seriously dapper, and his beard is gone.
I wonder if he shaved his beard off for his date with handsy Kat.
It’s not like I can even ask him. He made it clear that he doesn’t want people to know we know each other. That’s understandable. I am his therapist after all, and Leandro has a public persona to keep up even if it has been sketchy as of late.
I smile at him and try to think of something that a person who doesn’t know him would say. “How’s your dinner?”
Wow, that was awesome, India.
A grin edges his lips. “It’s okay. The steak is a bit overdone for my liking. I prefer it rare.” His eyes flash with the emphasis on the last word.
Okay. Deep breath. I take another sip of my wine.
“How’s yours?” His deep accented voice seems closer.
As I turn my head, I see that he’s leaning in my direction.
I glance down at my salmon, which I’ve hardly touched. “It’s good.”
When I meet his eyes again, he’s smiling at me.
My ear pricks up when I hear Dan ask Carrick, “So, how do you guys know India?”
I glance at Andi, gauging her response. She has loosened up so much since I first met her. She’s more open, but whether she’ll want Dan to know I was treating her is another story.
“India helped me deal with some issues I had with Carrick’s racing.”
Okay, she’s fine with it, which is good.