RUNNING FROM MY HUSBAND

A Step Back.

FIVE

"The Collage?" I asked, surprised when he stopped in front of the fancy restaurant.

"Yes. You have ever been here before?" he asked as he came to a stop.

"I doubt I could get a reservation here, let alone afford the food on my income," I said, chuckling awkwardly.

The valet attendant opened the door for me and helped me out of the car. Quin threw him the keys, and he caught them swiftly—he must be really good at his job, I guessed. Quin stood beside me and offered his hand. I slid my small fingers into his big ones.

"Stop fidgeting. You'll be fine, trust me," he said as he looked at me, and I couldn't help but relax. I guess Casey got something right—he did have hypnotic eyes, I thought.

We walked into the restaurant, and a lady at the door, looking at a book on the small stand, greeted us.

"Hello," Quin said, and the lady looked up with a fake smile plastered on her face. It's like a requirement when you work in the service industry—I would know, I used to be a waitress at a bar and a diner. But when she saw Quin, her eyes and smile revealed that she recognized him.

"Hello, Mr. McDaniel. Your table is ready. Follow me," she said as she led the way, swaying her hips. I realized she hadn't even bothered to look at me. She treated me like I was invisible. Not that I could blame her—I felt out of place in this restaurant.

"Have a seat. A waitress will be right with you," she said, her eyes still glued to Quin, smiling and batting her lashes.

"Thank you," Quin said, then turned to look at me without giving her a second glance. "So, what do you think of the restaurant now that you're inside?" he asked with a smile.

"Honestly, I don't see what the fuss is about. It's pretty basic. The decor is nice, though," I said, looking around at the half-empty restaurant.

Quin chuckled. "The whole thing about this restaurant isn't the decor; it's the meals. They have the best chefs. I promise you'll enjoy the food here."

Just as he finished speaking, a small brunette waitress approached our table with the menus.

"Hello. I'm Lily, your waitress for today," she said with a smile. "Here are the menus. I'll give you time to look them over and be back shortly," she added, her sweet smile in place.

I opened the menu, and the first thing that hit me was the price of the food. It was like three times my rent. I guess my expression showed my shock.

"Don't worry. I'm paying, so just pick whatever you want," Quin said with a smile, though I couldn't help but feel offended by the statement.

I chuckled awkwardly. "I was just surprised by the names of the meals here," I lied. "I doubt I know how to pronounce half of them."

"If you want, I could order for both of us," he offered.

"No, I'm fine. I'm thinking of trying the Italian food. I've always wondered what it tastes like."

"What did you want to try?" he asked.

"Umm... The mushroom risotto with Caprese salad. How about you?" I asked, looking up from the menu.

"Since you're having Italian food, so will I. I'll have the chicken marsala with cumin-spiced chicken meatballs."

"Not bad. That's actually a nice meal. A lot of chicken though," I said.

He laughed. "I like chicken." He called the brunette waitress back to our table and told her both our orders. As the waitress was about to leave, he stopped her.

"How about you also bring us a bottle of Pinot Grigio?" he said with a smile.

"Nice choice of wine, sir. I'll be back with that," Lily said, then left.

"Nothing tops off a beautiful Italian meal like a bottle of white wine," Quin said with a smile.

"I guess so," I replied, not knowing much about wine.

The service here was fast, and based on the number of waitstaff I'd seen, it seemed like every table had its own waitress—unlike at the diner where we only had three waitresses. We shared our meal with good conversation. Quin told me about himself—how he started his company from the ground up, how it was hard, but he didn't back down because he wanted something to call his own. He also told me about his mother, who raised him after his father left them for another woman. It had been hard for her, and that motivated Quin to work harder.

In general, he talked a lot about himself for most of the night, but I wasn't complaining—his voice was soothing and manly.

"I'm sorry about that. I've been talking so much about myself I didn't even give you time to tell me about you," he said, chuckling. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you work at that club?"

I took a sip of the wine—it was sweet. It should have been, considering the price.

"Well, I had to drop out of college when my grandfather couldn't pay my tuition fees. I needed a job that paid well, and with my level of education, that's the best I could get," I explained.

"Oh, what were you pursuing before you dropped out?" he asked, taking a bite of his chicken meatballs.

"Medicine," I said, taking a bite of the mushroom risotto—spectacular, I thought, as the flavors danced on my tongue.

"That's impressive. So, do you plan on going back to school?" he asked.

"Yes, I do, but I'm still trying to get enough money together," I explained.

"I'm sure you will," he said.

The conversation continued throughout the night, and we shared a lot about each other. By the end of the night, I felt like I'd known so much about him, and he knew a lot about me too.

"I think you should quit one job. It's putting so much strain on you, and you're just a small little lady," he said as we exited the restaurant.

"I don't think I could. As much as the job at the club is... unusual," I said, struggling for a better word, "it pays me way more than the diner, and I need the money. Also, I don't think my friend would want me to leave her alone at the diner."

"That's awfully nice of you," he said as the valet attendant pulled the car over. Quin tipped him, and I was really starting to feel the cold night air, rubbing my hands to try and warm up.

"Here, this should keep you warm," Quin said as he draped his jacket over me. He opened the door for me, and I thought, Chivalry is not dead. I slid into the car, and he drove me home as we sat in comfortable silence.

When we arrived in front of my apartment building, he got out and came around to open the car door for me, helping me out.

"Love," he said, "I had a great time today. Would you mind if we did it again sometime?"

I gulped. "Yes, I would like that very much," I said, suddenly feeling very hot from how close he was standing to me. It seemed like he was going to kiss me when I suddenly spoke up. "I think I should get back. I do have a shift at the club today," I said, making him take a step back.

He chuckled. "Yeah. I should let you go."

I was going to give him his jacket back when he stopped me. "Keep it. It guarantees that I'll get to see you again," he said as he came closer to me. I subconsciously took a step back, but he gave me a peck on the cheek, making me release a breath I didn't know I was holding. He walked back to his car, and I watched him drive off.

How could just a peck on the cheek make me feel so turned on? I wondered. But I went to my apartment, and just as I was about to open the door, Casey beat me to it.

"Tell me everything!" she said, making me almost scream.

"What the heck, Casey?! Why are you still here?" I asked, yelling as I clutched my chest from the scare she gave me.

"I couldn't go home—I was too curious to hear about your date," she said, pulling me into the house and closing the door behind us. "I see he gave you his jacket. That definitely means he'll want a second date. Now, sit, and tell me what happened."

"He took me to Collage..." I started.

"Oh... fancy," she said excitedly, cutting me off.

"As much as I'd like to sit here and tell you about my date, I have to go to work," I said, standing up, but she pulled me back down.

"Don't worry about that. I called and said you were sick. So, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me what happened," she said excitedly.

"Of course, you did," I said quietly. "Now that I'm free, I might as well just tell you about the date, then." I started telling her everything. Honestly, it felt like I was in a romance movie or something as I recounted the events. It was awesome. I thought, I'm definitely looking forward to another date.