Page 161 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 10
I gripped the wheel a little tighter. I wanted to know more about her, but I had forgotten that she’d be asking me questions about myself. Personal things weren’t something I talked about freely. I was barely honest with my shrink. Let alone a beautiful woman. I thought about the suggestion Dr. Clark had given me – that I’d need to be honest. But I wasn’t ready to lose Penny yet. "I needed a change." It was a vague answer, but at least it was true.
"Did you live in the city?"
"Yes."
"I understand why you needed a change then."
I laughed. "Not a fan of New York City?"
"Everything is so loud and busy all the time. And everyone seems so depressed on the subway."
"I wouldn't know, I rarely rode the subway." But I agreed with the first thing she’d said. NYC was loud. And busy. It was easy to get lost in all that.
"I'm sure the taxis aren't much better. And there's not enough grass."
I laughed again. This was a topic she had a strong opinion about. But she hadn’t seenmyNew York. I had a feeling a subway and taxi-free experience with a view of Central Park could easily change her mind. Not that I wanted to go back. I’d left for a good reason. "Well it is very different from here. Is this where you grew up?"
"I live about an hour away,” she said. “Well, an hour from school. I don't really know where we are now."
I pulled into the country club’s entrance without answering her. She’d see for herself soon enough.
A valet quickly came to her door and opened it for her.
"Welcome, madam," he said and put out his hand for her to grab.
I climbed out of the car while he assisted her.
"Hello, Mr. Hunter," the valet said with a huge smile. "I've heard so much about you."
I was sure he had. The whole staff had been briefed about the new ownership transition. And about the importance of this evening. I handed the valet the key. "Thank you."
I put my hand on the small of Penny’s back and escorted her inside.
The marble floors had been polished since the last time I’d been here. And the chandelier glistened even brighter. Small cosmetic changes and the place already seemed livelier.
The same hostess that had greeted me the other day walked up to us. "Mr. Hunter. Your table is ready." She seemed nervous to be talking to me this time. I wasn’t sure why. I hadn’t let any of the previous staff go. I wanted things running as seamlessly as possible. Especially for tonight.
We followed her down the hallway and entered the restaurant. I felt like everyone turned to look at us. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get patrons to sign confidentiality agreements, or else I would have. There were no country club members that also went to the University of New Castle. Ian had confirmed it after I bought the place. But the restaurant was open to the public. Hopefully no one I knew or that knew me was here.
The hostess showed us into the private room in the back that I’d requested. There was a roaring fire and an elegant loveseat to one side. In the middle of the room was a table with a flower arrangement in the center. A bottle of wine and two glasses were already on the table. It was perfect.
"Your waiter will be right with you," she said and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Penny looked up at me. "Where are we?"
"My country club."
She nodded, but I couldn’t tell if she understood what I meant or not. Which made me smile. If she knew who I was, she would have known I meantmycountry club. That I owned it and wasn’t just a member here. Ian was wrong about her. I’d already known it, but it was nice to confirm it for myself.
I pulled her chair out for her.
She smiled. "No one's ever pulled out a chair for me before.” She sat down and stared at me.
Seriously, what kind of people had she been dating? I sat down across from her and tried to push away the thought. "Then you haven't been dating the right people."
"And I've never been to a country club before. Do you come here often?"
"This is actually only the second time that I've been here."
