Liora’s POV
I honestly thought Ezra would excuse himself after dinner.
The assumption had felt safe. Predictable. He would check his watch, mention his clients, maybe apologize for disappearing, and I would be left with Gina and Robert to fill the rest of the evening with wine and laughter that did not make my chest feel too tight. That was how these things usually went. Ezra worked. I stayed out of his way. Order restored.
But instead of standing up or glancing toward his phone, Ezra leaned back in his chair, relaxed in a way I had not seen in days, and said his clients were off dealing with other matters for the afternoon.
“They will be busy for a few hours,” he added casually, as if this was nothing worth noting. “I was hoping you would spend the time with us.”
With us.
The words
