Page 16 of Marrying a Billionaire

“We’re eating in here?” she asked.

Reed paused. “Is that okay? It’s my normal table.”

Lillian glanced over at him and then nodded. “Yes,” she breathed out. “I’ve just never sat at a table like this before. I see it all the time on cooking shows and have always wondered what it would be like. . .”

He watched her as Pierre motioned for her to slid into the half-circle booth that lined the far wall. She was so amazed by the smallest things. He liked that she didn’t know anything about his world. It was refreshing to see his life through a new set of eyes.

“You may sit,” Pierre said, extending his hand.

Reed clapped him on the shoulder and nodded. “Thanks for doing this,” he said and then slid in next to Lillian.

Pierre gave him an exasperated look before he flipped the wine glasses over. He was always telling Reed to stop thanking him for just doing his job. “What will we be drinking tonight?” he asked.

Reed glanced over at Lillian.

“Water is fine.”

“Madam, we serve the best wines in the country. Perhaps you would like to see the list?” He reached into his suit coat pocket.

Before he could pull it out, Lillian shook her head. “No alcohol for me, thank you.”

Reed studied her. Lillian kept her gaze on the white table cloth in front of her.

“And you, Mr. Williamson? Scotch on the rocks as normal?”

Reed shook his head. “Actually, I’ll have a water.”

Lillian glanced over at him and he shot her a smile. “Don’t feel like you can’t drink on my account,” she said.

Reed shrugged as Pierre walked away. “It’s okay. I probably drink a bit too much as it is.”

Lillian smoothed out the table cloth as she glanced around. “It’s beautiful in here. Makes my dingy apartment kitchen look like a dump.”

Reed leaned back, relaxing his legs. One brushed against Lillian’s. For a moment, he hesitated, wondering what she would do. She shifted but didn’t pull away. His heart hammered in his chest. What was wrong with him? He was acting like a teenage boy. But he wasn’t going to move. He liked the feeling of Lillian next to him.

“So, besides your love of kitchen architecture, what else should I know about you?” He unbuttoned his suit coat which helped him feel more relaxed.

“Me?” Lillian pointed her finger toward her chest. “Nothing really. I’m pretty boring.” Her cheeks hinted pink as she fiddled with the silverware.

Reed liked how nervous she was. “Okay. Well, if we are going to pull this fake marriage thing off, I’m going to need to learn something about you.”

She chewed her bottom lip. Reed couldn’t help but notice how soft and full they looked. When she glanced over at him and he realized that he was staring at her mouth, he snapped his gaze up to meet hers.

“Well, I love art.”

Reed clapped his hands as he leaned forward, hoping to distract himself. “That’s something. Is it painting? Drawing?”

“Clay. I love pottery.”

Reed nodded. Truth be told, he didn’t know too much about that. His mother dragged him to all the galleries in Europe, but nothing really held his attention. “Do you just like studying it or do you do it?”

Pierre returned with some sparkling water and poured them each a glass. He announced that the chef was whipping up something new and exclusive just for them and then left.

Now alone, Lillian peered over at him. “I do both. Study and create.”

“You’ll have to show me sometime.” A waitress brought them a basket of bread and they each grabbed a piece and began eating.

It was nice, sitting in silence next to Lillian. She had a calming effect on him. Even though they’d just met, he was grateful to have her by his side. And for some reason, he wanted to learn more about her. An excited feeling brewed in his gut. Perhaps, this whole arrangement wasn’t going to be terrible after all.

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