The restaurant was exactly what Alexa would have chosen herself.
Quiet but not stiff. Warm lighting. Tables spaced far enough apart to allow conversation without intrusion. Ethan had clearly put thought into it—and she noticed that about him immediately.
She always did.
“You look beautiful,” he said when she arrived, standing to greet her.
“Thank you,” she replied, meaning it. He did too—polished, relaxed, comfortable in his own skin.
They ordered easily. No awkward pauses. No need to fill silence out of nervousness.
It was… pleasant.
Ethan asked about her program, listened carefully as she explained a recent case study, followed up with questions that showed he had actually absorbed what she’d said weeks earlier.
“That’s impressive,” he told her. “You think structurally, but you d
