Page 87 of The Prize
I smoothed out my napkin. “This is lovely.”
He glanced up toward the cameras. “They only have visual coverage so we can talk freely.”
I gave him the look that deserved. “And you know that how?”
“I Googled it.” He gave a wry smile.
“I once Googled you.”
“Anything interesting?”
“You know your public image.”
“I’m interested in hearing how you perceived it.”
“You have a beautiful woman on your arm in many of the photos.”
“And?”
I tilted my head to say the rest.
He gestured with a wave to make his point. “I’ve experienced a dramatic shift off my axis after meeting you.” He raised his brows playfully. “You’ve affected me in unusual and somewhat existential ways.”
“Somewhat?”
“You’ve given me a reason to live, Zara.”
My hand rested on my chest to soften the effect of his words.
“Do I frighten you?”
“I’ve given you the power to decimate my life, Tobias.”
“What do you need to hear from me to know my affection for you is real?”
“Tell me why you find it hard to love?”
He set his knife and fork down. “You want to do this now?”
“Yes.” I gestured to the paintings. “This is an incredible setting. I know you went to a lot of trouble to make it happen. Still, you are more important than any painting.”
“It gave me a great deal of pleasure arranging this for you.” He raised his hand to insist. “I made the calls, not Coops, in case you’re wondering.”
“It has your touch.”
He cut into a square of ravioli and gestured for me to eat mine. It tasted delicious and the flavors tingled my taste buds with their creamy tomato sauce. I was hungrier than I realized and tucked into my food with gusto.
“This is perfect.” Tobias set his cutlery down on his plate. “We should do this every night.”
“It’s a date. The visitors will just have to walk around us.”
“Maybe I’ll buy it.”
“The Met?”
He gave a shrug. “Maybe I’ll buy it for you.”
“First, it belongs to the people, and second...”
