Marriage For One

Closing my hand around Rose’s much smaller one, I followed the hostess and had to pull a bit when Rose didn’t move with me. As the woman guided us through the front tables and deeper into the restaurant, I quickly glanced down at Rose. She looked a little flushed and unsettled with that small frown plastered on her face. I was unsettled too. Hell, maybe even more than her. The only difference was that I was better at hiding my emotions. You could read everything from just looking into her face, her eyes.

Her dress, and the way she looked in the dress had blindsided me, that much was apparent. And I hadn’t been able to keep my mouth shut. But that red flush on her cheeks, the widening of her eyes, the goose bumps she had tried to hide. Those little facts were really interesting.

“Are you okay?” I asked, leaning down close to her ear and giving her hand an involuntary squeeze as we took a turn to the right that led to the private area of the restaurant.

Jumping a little at my words, she looked at our clasped hands then up at me and nodded.

“It’s just dinner, Rose. Relax.”

Before she could even respond, we reached the round table where George and Fred were already sitting, but there was no sign of Wes Doyle, the potential client. As soon as they saw us, they stood up.

“There you are, Jack,” Fred said, pushing his chair back and walking around the table to get to us. “There’s a first time for everything. I never thought I’d see the day you were late anywhere.”

“We’re right on time,” I commented, and watched as Fred’s eyes dropped to Rose’s hand in mine. Instinctively, I gave her hand a little pull until she was plastered to my side. Rose gave me a quick surprised look then turned back to Fred.

Fred shifted his focus to her and his smile got bigger. At forty-five years old, Fred was the only one of the partners I could stand to spend more than an hour with. “Usually, he is the first one through the door whenever there is a meeting or work dinner,” he said to Rose. “And you must be the very unexpected but beautiful bride. Fred Witfield, pleased to meet you.” He extended his hand to Rose, and I had to let go of her.

I looked down at my hand. Still feeling the warmth and shape of her hand on my skin, I flexed my fingers.

“I’m pleased to meet you, too, Mr. Witfield. Jack has said lovely things about you,” Rose lied.

Fred laughed and finally let go of her hand. “Oh, I highly doubt that.”

I stood where I was, just a step behind her, and greeted George with a short nod while still listening in on their conversation.

“We’re really sorry for being late—it is completely on me,” Rose was saying.

“We weren’t late. We’re right on time,” I repeated as I pulled out her chair. “The client isn’t even here yet.”

Ignoring me, Fred pulled out the chair next to the one I had just grabbed, thinking she’d sit to my left, with me between her and Fred. Since she had her back to me, she couldn’t have seen that I was waiting for her, so she accepted his offer and took a step forward. Before I could comment, Fred was introducing her to George. When everyone was done with their introductions and niceties, we all sat down. I waited until Rose was settled and then took the seat I had originally pulled out for her. Fred sat down to her right, all his attention still on her. George, being the oldest partner, wasn’t as curious about my new marriage as some others in the firm.

“So, Rose, you have to tell us how you convinced Jack to marry you,” George started as soon as everyone was settled. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe every damn person on the firm was curious about my marriage.

A waiter leaned down between Fred and Rose and filled their glasses with water, causing the table to fall silent.

I couldn’t see her face, but I could imagine she was smiling and trying to come up with a lie. Done filling her glass, the waiter came to my left. I put my hand on the small of Rose’s back and spoke up before she could. Her spine straightened, but she didn’t move away from my impromptu touch. “Actually, it was the other way around, George. I was the one who had to convince her to marry me. Where is Wes Doyle?”

“Oh, I didn’t miss the big proposal story, did I?”

I pulled my hand back from Rose and turned my head to look at the owner of the unexpected voice: Samantha Dennis, the only female partner in the firm and someone who’d had no plans to attend this dinner.

“I didn’t know you’d be joining us, Samantha,” I said lightly.

“They only arrived a minute ago. You’re just in time,” Fred jumped in.

George’s phone started ringing and he excused himself from the table. “I’ll be right back.”

“You know how Wes Doyle is,” Samantha replied to me. “He always has more questions and wants everyone to cater to his needs. We want to get him on board. The more partners he sees, the more likely he is to sign the contract. Plus, my dinner plans fell through, so I didn’t want to miss the chance to meet your wife.” Samantha put her hand on the back of my chair and looked between me and Rose. “You don’t have a problem with me being here, do you, Jack?”

“Why would I have a problem with it?”

“All right then.” Her red lips curved up in a smile as she leaned down and pressed a kiss on my cheek. I stiffened, and it didn’t escape her notice. “Relax, Jack.” Rolling her eyes, she laughed at herself. “Old habits, sorry.” Putting down her black clutch on the table, she leaned forward and, in the process, her breast pressed against my shoulder. As she shook hands with Rose, I pushed my chair back and moved a few inches to my right, closer to Rose to leave more space for Samantha.

“Samantha Dennis,” she said. “The fourth partner in the firm.”

Surprising me, Rose didn’t even hesitate before responding. “Rose Hawthorne. I would be the wife, as you already know.”

“Yes, I do know. I actually didn’t believe it when I first heard he had tied the knot, but here you are.”

Rose’s smile turned up a notch, matching Samantha’s. “Here I am.”

Dismissing Rose, Samantha pulled her chair out and looked at Fred, giving him a more genuine smile. “Fred, Evelyn isn’t joining us tonight?”

“The kid caught some stomach virus from one of his friends, so she stayed home with him.”

I was still annoyed with Samantha’s kiss so I didn’t even think what I was doing. “Samantha has been dating the district attorney for the last year and a half,” I blurted out to Rose quietly then frowned at the table and picked up my water glass. This wasn’t a real marriage, I didn’t have to tell her about my old relationships. If sleeping with someone a few times four years ago would count as a relationship that is.

What the hell is wrong with you?

“That’s good. I guess. Good for her?” Rose whispered in confusion.

I put my arm around Rose’s chair. She stiffened even further, so I leaned down to speak into her ear. “This is not acting natural.” She was reaching for her glass, and as soon as the first word was out of my mouth, she almost knocked it down. Maybe I was too much in her face.

“Oh, sh…oot,” she exclaimed quietly. A little color touched her cheeks and she apologized to Fred, who had reached forward to catch her glass.

“Wes is pulling up—he was stuck in traffic,” George explained as he returned and took his seat again. “Samantha, glad you decided to join us.”

“Are you kidding me? I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

As the three of them started to talk among themselves, Rose scooted back in her chair, met my eyes for a quick second, and leaned sideways toward me. I leaned down until her mouth was closer to my ear to make it easier for her and so no one else could hear what we were saying.

“I am acting natural,” she whispered.

“You haven’t looked at me once since we sat down. At least try to act as if you don’t mind my company.”

Her head was bowed as I was whispering into her ear, but as soon as I finished speaking, she pulled back a little and looked up into my eyes with surprise.

“Got caught up in New York traffic. There was a small accident a few blocks away—a guy rammed into a cab. Please forgive me,” Wes Doyle said as he rounded the table. “Good evening everyone.”

Rose and I had to pull away from each other to start another round of handshaking, and as soon as the introductions were done, everyone finally settled down.

The waiter showed up again, and the next few minutes passed with everyone ordering their drinks.

“No menu?” Rose asked discreetly when everyone was distracted.

“This restaurant is known for the prix fixe menus. The chef changes it every few nights. He is supposed to be very good. It’s seafood night, I believe.”

She nodded and pulled away from me. Before I could catch her attention and ask what was wrong this time, the first course arrived: seared scallops with an almond vinaigrette served on a half shell.

Because Wes Doyle was someone who would be considered a big fish, everyone around the table started with their promises and assurances that he’d be on the list of people who were number one priority to the firm, but I was occupied with something else. I was watching Rose’s movements as she placed her napkin in her lap and stared at the scallops on her plate. Taking up her knife and fork, she cautiously cut a small piece and slowly brought it up to her lips. Oddly fascinated, I watched her chew it longer than was necessary and then force herself to swallow it down. Softly coughing, she reached for her glass and took a sip of water. For anyone looking at her, she’d look elegant as she enjoyed her dinner, but to me, she looked like she was being forced to eat garbage.

“Jack?” George called, and I had to shift my attention as they all stared at me—everyone except Rose. “Don’t you want to add something?”

It took me a second to shift gears. “I think Wes knows my opinions on this subject.” I glanced at Wes and he gave me a small nod. He had built an incredibly successful tech company from nothing in the last few years and had recently decided to change his law firm when his previous lawyers lost him a case that was being splashed all over the media and tarnishing his company’s reputation. It should’ve been an easy win, but they had made massive mistakes along the way, mistakes I had pointed out to him. “I can assure you, just as I did yesterday, if you decide to go with any other firm, you’ll be making a big mistake. I think after what happened with the last one, you’re done taking chances with the company you worked so hard to get to where it is today.”

I’d explained everything I would do for Wes and his company when he had dropped into my office the day before. He had taken his time to ask every little question he had, and I had answered every one of them with full honesty. If he decided to go with us, he knew what he’d be getting from me. I didn’t find it necessary to add anything else—he’d either make the right decision or he wouldn’t. He had all the facts, and the rest of it was up to him.

Everyone at the table focused on me, though my wife still didn’t. She stopped with the fork halfway to her lips for just a second, a slight hesitation, then resumed eating.

Samantha cleared her throat. “I think what Jack is trying to—”

Wes cut her off with a wave. “Oh, no. You don’t have to cover for him, Samantha. I like that he doesn’t hold back his thoughts. I need that honesty. And yes, we talked more about this yesterday in his office, and he is right. I can’t afford to make bad decisions about the people who are supposed to protect me and what I’ve built all on my own.”

Fred joined in and they kept the pointless discussion going. If I wasn’t mistaken, Wes had already come to a decision, but it seemed he wanted to hear more assurances. However pointless it was, I understood his reservations. Everyone loved getting pampered, and he was someone who seemed to enjoy being the focus of attention.

I took a few bites of my dinner and discreetly kept watching Rose even though I knew what a bad idea that was considering our situation. This was a work dinner, not the time to ogle my fake wife as if she was the most interesting thing in the world. But the more I couldn’t take my eyes off of her, the more I realized that she was doing her best to act like I wasn’t sitting right next to her. Then her quietness started to get to me as well. By helping her at the coffee shop I’d realized how much she loved to talk. About anything and everything. As much as she gave it her best shot she hadn’t quite managed to pull me into her conversations, not yet. The more she failed the harder she tried, as much as I admired her for it, I hadn’t lost my damn mind that much.

I didn’t want to get used to her. Didn’t want to get close. Not anymore than I already was. That was not the plan. Not at all.

When I couldn’t keep quiet anymore, I stopped thinking and placed my hand on her leg, my thumb and first finger making contact with her bare skin. She jumped in her seat, her knee bumping the underside of the table, rattling the dishes. I forced myself to relax and tried to keep still. After apologizing to everyone profusely, she put down her knife and fork and finally looked back at me with murder in her eyes. If she’d had any idea how much I enjoyed her reactions, she would have acted differently just to annoy me. I was sure of it. I leaned toward her, and our shoulders and forearms lined up on the table as she met me in the middle.

“What are you doing?” she whispered harshly.

“Why are you avoiding me? What’s wrong?” I asked, pulling my hand away.

She pulled back a little, but we were still huddled together as we looked into each other’s eyes as if in a challenge. Her brows drew together before she whispered back, “What are you talking about? How can I be avoiding you when I’m sitting right next to you? What’s wrong with you?”

She straightened up, took another small bite from her plate, and started the slow chewing process again. I leaned closer and my lips got dangerously close to her neck, so much so that I got more intimate with her smell. A fresh flowery scent mixed with a fruit, maybe citrus. “I…” It took me a moment to remember what I was going to say and I faltered. “Just relax a little. Don’t you like your appetizer?”

I pulled back, and this time she leaned toward me.

“I’m not a big fan of seafood. Is it too obvious?”

After a quick glance at everyone else around the table to make sure we didn’t have their attention, I turned my body completely toward Rose and put my arm around her chair again. My chest rubbed against her shoulder. I thought she would flinch or even pull away, but this time she stayed put. We were supposed to be newlyweds. As much as I was trying my best to stay away from her when it was just the two of us, while around other people, I knew we needed to act more intimate if we wanted to seem believable as a couple. “Yes, Rose. The whole menu is seafood—why didn’t you say something?”

“It’s a prix fixe menu—I didn’t think we could change anything.”

“Doesn’t mean you have to eat something you don’t like.” Still keeping my arm on her chair, I looked around the restaurant. “Stop forcing yourself to eat.” Not finding who I was looking for, I drew back from Rose, even managing to push my chair back a bit before she put her palm on my thigh. I paused and we both looked down to her hand on my slacks with surprise. She immediately pulled it back. That was a good decision. That was a really good decision.

In the spur of the moment, surprising myself and her, I believe, I leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss on her cheek. It was something a husband would do before leaving the table. Her eyes widened slightly, just like it did when I’d complimented her, but she managed to keep it together.

I rose.

“Something wrong, Jack?” Fred asked, looking up at me.

“Please continue,” I said to the table. “I’ll be right back.”

It only took me a minute to track down someone who could change our order. Even though the restaurant only offered set menus the elite of New York couldn’t stop talking about, with just the right amount of persuasion, they agreed to make a slight change just this once. When I got back to our table and sat down, Samantha and George were deep into their conversation with Wes while Rose was chatting with Fred, her cheeks flushed.

“Everything okay?” I asked, curious to hear what they were talking about.

“You didn’t tell me she was related to the Colesons’, Jack. Gary had been with us for what five years? I didn’t even know about her.”

Rose gave me an apologetic look.

“I only lived with them till I was eighteen. After that we didn’t see each other as much. Holidays and a random lunch or dinner every month or so. Gary was very busy with his firm and well, his own kids.”

“It didn’t come up,” I explained briefly, wanting to end the conversation.

“Is that how you two met?”

Rose gave me a look I couldn’t understand, but looked a lot like told you so, then turned back to Fred. “Yes. Well, kind of.”

When the waiter came and started to collect the mostly empty dishes, Samantha piped up, taking advantage of the lull in their conversation with Wes. “When are we going to hear the proposal story? That’s what I’m waiting for.”

“Proposal?” Wes asked.

“Jack and Rose just got married,” George explained. “Only a few weeks ago, I believe, right? It was a surprise to everyone in the firm.”

Wes looked from me to Rose. “Congratulations! I had no idea. We should’ve ordered champagne to celebrate.”

“Thank you. We’re just getting used to it ourselves. It happened so fast. I mean we fell for each other so fast,” Rose said.

“Give us all the details,” Fred chimed in. “So we can overlook the fact that none of us were invited to the wedding.”

Rose laughed then turned to look at me. “See, Jack, how nice—everyone wants to hear the proposal story.” When I just stared into her sparkling eyes, her smile tightened and she turned back to Fred. “Oh, I couldn’t. If I started, I’m afraid I wouldn’t stop. I have no brakes when it comes to talking about Jack.” She turned to me and patted my arm, a little too hard if you asked me. Trying to hide my smile, I licked my lips and reached for my whiskey as she said, “And this is a work dinner so I wouldn’t want to take over.”

“Nonsense,” Samantha pushed. “We have plenty of time to talk about work. Jack, however, is a complete mystery when it comes to his private life. We’re dying to hear anything you’re willing to share.”

Leaning back, I kept silent and waited to see how she would get herself out of this.

Rose sent another pleading yet angry look my way. “His proposal was actually very special to me, so if it’s okay, I’d like to keep that between us. That said, I’m sure Jack wouldn’t mind telling you how we met.” My hand was resting on the table when Rose covered it with her own and patted it twice. “Right, honey?”

The waiter returned with the second course—more seafood.

Her hand seemed a little cold, or maybe it was just her nerves, but her ring bit into my skin. She had finally worn it without me having to prompt her. Turning my hand over, my palm against hers, I linked our fingers together and our eyes met again. I didn’t realize it wouldn’t escape everyone’s notice and they would look at me in shock.

“It’s not as exciting as you’re all thinking,” I warned. “I made a complete fool of myself and it somehow worked on her.”

“Oh, now you have to give us more than that.” Samantha placed her hand on my forearm. “Especially after saying the cold and calculated Jack Hawthorne made a fool of himself.”

I reached for my whiskey with my left hand, getting rid of Samantha’s touch in the process. “If Wes doesn’t mind taking a little break from talking about work—”

Wes cut in before focusing on the plate in front of him. “Of course. Please go on.”

After everyone’s seafood dishes were served, another waiter came over and leaned between Fred and Rose to place a different one in front of her. It was larger and fuller than the other plates he had just delivered. “Creamy steak fettucine with shiitake mushrooms,” he explained quietly, only for Rose’s ears.

Her surprised gaze flew to mine. I wasn’t sure if she was aware of it, but her fingers tightened around mine and she softly said, “Jack, you didn’t have to say anything. I’m the only one who—”

When I was served the same pasta dish as her, she didn’t finish her sentence, instead giving me a big smile that reached her tired eyes for the first time since we’d walked into the restaurant. She mouthed a silent thank you.

My eyes dropped to her smile and I had to let go of her hand or otherwise… “A better option than seafood, I hope.”

“This is perfect, really. Thank you.”

Fred broke into our little conversation. “Come on, you’ve been whispering all night with each other. You’ll have plenty of time to flirt with each other once you leave here. Tell the story, Jack.”

“I already told you it’s not that exciting, certainly not exciting as your story with Evelyn.”

Fred turned to Wes. “He’s probably right. The first time we met, my wife, who is also a lawyer, threatened to put me in jail, and she almost managed it, too.”

“Oh, I’d love to hear about that,” Rose cut in, most likely trying to get them to stop talking about us so we wouldn’t have to come up with a lie. I had no intentions of lying, at least not about the entire thing. Also, I was curious about what her reaction would be.

“I saw her at last year’s Christmas party the Colesons were throwing at their place. If I’m not mistaken, you were also there, right George?” I asked.

George paused with his fork in the air and frowned, trying to recall the night. “Wasn’t that when Gary called us to talk about one of the startups he was considering buying? It was after Christmas, though, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, right after.”

“I remember the night. I thought you left before me, right after the meeting.”

I nodded. “I was about to.” I met Fred’s eyes since he was the one who was the most curious about how Rose and I had met, and Rose looked just as interested in hearing it. “I was at their place before you, and I think Rose arrived seconds before me. Gary briefly introduced us before we went up to his office to wait for you. At the end of the meeting, I left George with Gary and went downstairs. It was pretty crowded, actually, so I was trying to get out as quickly as possible. Then my eye caught something in the kitchen and I stopped.”

Rose’s eyebrows crept up, waiting for the rest. Did she remember the night?

I looked away from her. “I couldn’t walk away. Of all the things she could have been doing at a Christmas party, she was playing with a puppy, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I watched for a minute or two, trying to decide if I should talk to her again or not. Introduce myself again or not. Then a little boy came and took the puppy from her, and she finally came out of the kitchen.” That was where I had to change my story.

“And did you talk to her?” Samantha asked, clearly into it.

“Yes, I did. I told her I wanted us to get married.” Everyone at the table started laughing. My eyes slid to Rose. “She didn’t say yes, of course. I tried everything I could think of, but it didn’t look like she was going to budge.”

Rose’s confusion disappeared and her smile grew. “He really did try, maybe a little too hard, and the entire time he was so serious, so confident, not even a hint of a smile on his face,” she added, joining in telling our made-up story.

I placed my hand on her back and then changed my mind, pulled it back. “She thought I was insane, kept saying it over and over.”

Rose looked around the table. “Who wouldn’t? But I couldn’t walk away, either. As much as I wasn’t taking him seriously, I think anyone would be insane to just walk away from Jack.” She paused. “My husband.”

I took a long sip of the whiskey in front of me. “I wasn’t planning on letting you.” I cleared my throat and avoided her gaze. “I was sure if I came up with the right offer, she’d at least say she’d consider it, but she turned me down each time. Eventually, she agreed to give me her number, but I’m afraid it was just so I would leave her alone. I took out my phone while standing right next to her and called to make sure she wasn’t giving me a fake one. The next day, I called her, and we started talking.”

“He grew on me.” Rose looked at me while she spoke. “He was so different than what I thought he would be. I didn’t know how to act around him.”

“And?” Samantha prompted. “That’s it?”

I turned to Samantha. “If you think I’m going to tell you what happened every day after that—”

“There’s the Jack we know and love.” Samantha shook her head. “God, you got married! I still can’t wrap my mind around it.”

“Be ready to tell this story from the very beginning to Evelyn, too. I’m not going to ruin it for her. You have to finish your sentences as you look into each other’s eyes, too, just like you did now. She lives for this stuff, and she’ll be very pleased to hear that you’re happy, Jack.”

After that, the table slid back into easy conversation as Rose and I mostly stayed silent. Once she had finished her plate, I leaned down to ask if it had been okay just so everyone would think we were having our own private conversation apart from them, like a newly married couple who were very much in love would do, but that was only once. Toward the end of the dinner, after dessert was served and the evening was finally winding down, Samantha spoke up.

“Rose, I’m sorry we ignored you all night. So, tell us more about yourself. Are you working?”

I sent Samantha a warning look, which she completely ignored.

“I’m getting ready to open my own coffee shop,” Rose answered.

“Oh, really? A coffee shop—how cute. Where is it?”

“Madison Avenue.”

“When is the opening?”

“Monday, hopefully. Everything is mostly done, thanks to Jack, of course.”

Surprised, I glanced at Rose, and she gave me a small smile.

“Jack?” Samantha marveled. “What did he do?”

“Apart from handling all the official stuff, he’d been dropping by after work and helping with the things I couldn’t do by myself.”

Giving me a curious look, Samantha propped her head on her hand and leaned forward. “What has he done so far?”

As I turned the whiskey glass on the table, Rose’s eyes slid to me and then back to Samantha. “He painted the walls and helped me move some heavy things around.”

“Wow. Jack painted?”

“Samantha,” I said flatly, giving her a second warning.

“What?” she returned. “I’m making conversation. You can’t have her all to yourself. So, Rose, why didn’t you hire professionals to deal with that stuff?”

“I have a budget, so I’m taking on the things I can do on my own.”

“Jack, why are you not helping your wife with the money rather than offering her actual labor?”

I got as far as opening my mouth to cover for Rose, but she beat me to it. “Because his wife wants to do this on her own. Jack is respecting that, and him offering his help with the manual labor stuff means more to me than if he would have just thrown money at it to get things done. I’m a little old-fashioned like that, I think. It also means we get to spend more time together while working.”

I hid my brief smile by taking a sip of my drink. So she wasn’t afraid to show her claws when she was pushed. That was one of the things I liked about her. Only one of the things. I’d provoked her too many times and had been on the receiving end of her fierceness.

“Jack Hawthorne, the brilliant lawyer painting a coffee shop.” Samantha laughed. “I wish I could’ve seen that. I’m afraid marriage is already not agreeing with you, Jack.”

Surprising me for the second time, Rose looped her arm around mine and rested her chin on my shoulder. This time it was my turn to stiffen, but Rose ignored it and kept her eyes on Samantha. I downed my whiskey.

“You really think so? Please don’t take this the wrong way, Samantha. I’m sure you two had a great time while you were together—I mean, how could you not? Just look at him—but I’m very glad you actually don’t know Jack the way I do. I know he is a private person—that wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, I don’t think—but boy am I relieved he is only like this with me. You’re gorgeous, but I guess I’m the lucky one who got the big prize.”

I started coughing and reached for some water.

George cleared his throat across the table.

“Rose, I hope you’ll join us again another night, when Evelyn will be there, too,” Fred interrupted, trying to cut the tension.

Rose turned to him, her face softening. “I’d love to. I’m looking forward to meeting her.”

While she fell into an easy conversation with Fred, I took the opportunity to focus on Samantha. I didn’t care who could hear us. “Ease off.”

With a smile on her face, she leaned closer. “What are you talking about? I’m just getting to know your wife.”

My lips tightened. “You’re pissing me off, Samantha. That’s all you’re accomplishing here, and I think you already know I’m the last person you want to anger. Don’t play games with me.”

“Oh come on, Jack. Don’t be so touchy. She is adorable, the complete opposite of what I’d expect you would go for, but then again, I wouldn’t expect you to ever get married in the first place. At least it seems like she loves you.”

I leaned my elbows on the table, but Wes’ voice stopped me before I could say anything else.

“I think I’m ready to call it a night. If you’ll have the contract ready on Monday, we’ll make it official.”

When he stood up, everyone else followed his lead. George was the first to shake his hand. Rose stood up as well but chose to wait on the sidelines. As I was talking to Wes, telling him he wouldn’t regret his decision, I saw Rose discreetly run her hands over her bare arms. I looked at Samantha and noticed she was wearing a long-sleeved dress. As warm as it was inside the restaurant, Rose’s dress was still not appropriate for the temperature, inside or outside.

Separating myself from the group, I walked back to Rose’s side and took off my jacket, gently draping it over her shoulders.

She looked over her shoulder in surprise. “Jack, you don’t have to—”

“You’re cold. I’m not,” I said, trying to keep it simple. After a brief hesitation I put my hand on the small of her back and guided her out of the private area and into the brightly lit main dining room as the others followed us. Rose pulled my suit jacket tighter around herself and didn’t make any other comments. As we were all waiting for our cars in the entryway, I took Rose’s thin coat and draped it over my arm.

“It’s cold outside,” she muttered quietly as she leaned her shoulder against mine so the others wouldn’t hear. She started to shrug my jacket off, but I put it back over her shoulders. My hand covering hers in the process.

Our gazes held for a moment as I had to search for the right words. “I’m fine, Rose.”

As Raymond was the first to pull up at the front of the restaurant, we said our last goodbyes and headed out into the cold then got into the car.

“Mr. Hawthorne, Mrs. Hawthorne.”

Rose sighed. “Hello, Raymond.”

We all fell silent.

I was going through my schedule for the next day in my mind when Rose’s voice interrupted me only a few minutes into our ride.

“Well?” she asked quietly, giving me an expectant look.

“Well,” I repeated, not understanding what she was asking.

She took a deep breath with closed eyes, let it out softly, and then opened them. “You kill me sometimes, Jack Hawthorne. How did it go? I didn’t mess anything up, did I? At least not too badly? I sorta don’t want to apologize for the…thing I had with Samantha. She was pushing me, and I had to say something. I don’t like people like her, all the fake smiling when they’re actually insulting you and believing they’re the sharpest tool in the shed while you’re just few fries short of a Happy Meal. I’m a little bit sorry if I went too far with the I know him better than you stuff and He is only like this with me crap, though.”

“Are you sorry or not?”

Another deep breath. “Fine, not really.”

“If you’re not sorry, you don’t need to apologize. I didn’t mind it. She deserved more.”

“How old is she anyway?”

“Thirty-seven.”

“Well, she acted like a teenager,” she mumbled as she stared out the window.

I couldn’t argue with that so I didn’t. I awakened my phone and started scrolling down, double-checking my schedule. “You need to relax more. Next time, try to look more interested in me.”

“I—what do you mean?”

I sighed and put my phone down. “Every time I touched you, you either jumped up or flinched.”

“I know, but you didn’t warn me.”

I quirked an eyebrow. “I was supposed to warn my wife before I touched her?”

“Not in there, of course, but before, when we were in the car. We should’ve talked more, gone over a few things. We were unprepared, and I don’t want to say I told you so, but I did tell you. They asked all the questions.”

“If I remember correctly, you fell asleep in the car, and what’s the big deal? We answered them.” I carefully considered my next words. “You were warmer to Fred.”

I looked at her when only silence followed my words. Her eyes were slightly widened. “I was…trying to be nice to your friends. You didn’t think that I…that I would—that I was flirting with him or anything—”

I frowned at her. “What are you talking about? Of course not. Why would I think that?”

“You just said—”

“I said you were warmer to him. You smiled and talked to him more than you talked or smiled to me. That’s all I meant. Also, again, they’re not my friends—”

“Just partners, I know. I got it.” She released a longer sigh and massaged her temple. “If we want to keep up this charade, we desperately need to communicate more, Jack. You have to talk to me.”

I looked out the window and stayed quiet for the rest of the way back to the apartment. How was I supposed to explain that I was actually trying my best to talk to her as little as possible? That I had to do so?

Once we were in the building, the doorman stood up. “Mr. Hawthorne, Mrs. Hawthorne. Welcome.”

“Good evening, Steve,” Rose said, smiling at the older man. To my surprise, she stopped next to his station as I called down the elevator. “How are you feeling today? Your migraine is gone, I hope?”

“Much better. Thank you for asking, Mrs. Hawthorne.”

“I told you before, you can just call me Rose. Has it been a busy night?”

The doorman’s eyes darted my way. “Erm, just the usual.”

With my hands in my pockets, I watched their interaction with interest.

Steve’s eyes cut to me then back to Rose again before he quickly added, “Mrs. Hawthorne.”

The elevator doors pinged open and she looked toward me. “Looks like our ride is here. Have a good night, Steve. I’ll see you in the morning?”

“Yes, Mrs. Hawthorne. I’ll be here.”

I held the doors open as she quickened her steps and got in the elevator. I stepped in after her. We only managed to go up two floors in silence before my curiosity got the better of me. “You know the doorman?”

“Yes. I met him the first morning I was leaving for work. We chat a bit in the mornings. Why?”

“You’ve only been here for two weeks.”

“So?”

“I didn’t know his name,” I admitted uncomfortably.

She hugged my jacket tighter around herself. “You never asked?”

“I—no.” I didn’t want to admit that I hadn’t deemed it necessary, because I didn’t like how that made me sound.

A moment later, I couldn’t stop myself from asking what had been on my mind for days now. “Do you still talk to Joshua, your ex-fiancé?” I blurted out at the same time the elevator doors opened, surprising both of us.

Rose froze and gave me a startled look. I cursed myself for bringing it up, but after the dinner, I was too curious to ignore the idea completely.

“No, I don’t talk to him. Haven’t talked to him or seen him since we broke up and I’m not planning to do it in the future either. Why would you ask that?” she finally asked, walking out of the elevator before I could answer. I followed her to our door.

“I thought maybe you weren’t over him yet and that was why tonight was more difficult.”

“Trust me, I’m over him. I got over him pretty quickly, considering. Tonight wasn’t difficult, Jack. I’m not a stranger to awkward dinners. Tonight was…just a first. That’s all. It was our first dinner, too, and I actually think we did a pretty good job, don’t you agree? Still, I think we should work on getting to know each other a little bit, just talk about random stuff. The next one should go down better. Also, I thought you’d be distant when we were around other people—that’s why I was surprised when you touched me…so much.” She peered at the door. “Aren’t you gonna open it?”

She still had my jacket on. “The key is in your right pocket,” I replied, reaching for it before she could do it herself. She froze when my hand slid into the pocket and inadvertently touched her body through the lining. I stopped when my fingers touched the keys and met her startled eyes. We stood exactly like that as I slowly pulled the keys out. Her throat moved as she swallowed, and she looked away first, laughing awkwardly.

Unlocking the door, I stood back so she could enter. Inside, after taking off her shoes, she slid my jacket from her shoulders and handed it back to me. “Thank you.” She avoided my eyes, and I realized I didn’t like it.

“You’re welcome.” I took it off her hands and neither one of us walked away from each other.

I thought she looked beautiful with her hair down and a little messy, her lips bare and her eyes still sparkling. I was heading straight for trouble if I was noticing the details.

She smiled a little. “Well, do you think we should—”

My phone started ringing in my hand and she paused mid-sentence. Dragging my eyes away from her lips as her smile slowly faded, I looked down at the screen and my entire body tightened. Ignoring the call, I looked up at Rose. “I need to take this. It’s about work and I might need to drop by the office for a bit.”

“Now? At this hour?”

I clenched my jaw. “I’m afraid so.”

“Okay then. I hope it’s not something too important.”

“We’ll see. If I don’t see you around when I come back… Goodnight, Rose.”

Riding the elevator down, I put my jacket back on and tried not to lose it. When I was back in the lobby, the doorman rose again.

“Good evening,” I said, trying my best not to sound angry.

He looked startled for a second, making me feel even worse, but then gave me a quick smile and nodded. “Good evening, sir.”

Before I could step out of the building, my phone started to go off again. Anger surged through my body and my fingers tightened around the phone. I had known I would eventually hear from him, but hadn’t thought it would happen so soon.

Finding the cold bite of the air refreshing, I took a deep breath and caught a whiff of Rose’s scent from my jacket. With her smell surrounding me, cursing myself, I answered the call.

“What the hell do you want?”

“How nice of you to ask. I think we need to have a talk, Jack. I imagine we have a lot of things to say to each other.”

I gritted my teeth. “When?”

“How about now? Do you think you can get away from your beautiful bride for a late-night drink?”

“Tell me where.”

He was just a few blocks away from us, the son of a bitch also known as Joshua Landon. Rose’s ex-fiancé. Had he watched Rose and I as we returned from dinner? Livid, as soon as I ended the call, I headed toward the bar where he was waiting.