Page 14 of Blame It on the Bikini
He wasn't usually that into surprises. He preferred to order what he wanted. He liked predictability, but judging by the expressions on both their faces, that was clearly not the correct answer. "Sure," he said. "I'd love to eat whatever you choose to serve."
"Great. Any allergies or dislikes?"
"Nope."
"That makes it easy," Gabe said, picking up their menus. "Madison will be out in a while to say hello. And the waiter will take your drink orders shortly."
"I love the view from here," Lexie said as Gabe left them alone. "It's too bad the sun has already set, but we still have a painted sky."
The sky was a mix of fading orange, pink, and purple, casting a glow over the water. "I'm surprised you're not taking a photograph," he said, looking back at her.
"I've taken a million shots of the sunrises and sunsets around here. I don't need more."
"Do you sell your photographs or show them somewhere?"
"I've been talking to a gallery in town about a show, but I don't have quite the collection I want yet."
"What are you waiting for?"
She frowned, bristling a little at his question. "I'm not waiting for anything. I've just been busy. I have a lot of jobs right now, and I help my aunt at Ocean Shores, and it's just…busy." She picked up her water glass and took a sip.
"Okay."
Judging by the spark of fire in her eyes, she didn't like that comment any more than she'd liked his question.
"I will have a show," she said firmly. "But I'm not going to do it half-assed. I want it to be perfect, the best it can be."
"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" he challenged.
"I don't have to convince you of anything."
"You don't. But it feels like there's something stopping you besides time."
A frown turned down her mouth. Then she said, "I want to show photographs that are different, that make people think, that create emotion and feeling. It's important to me to put out something great, not just good enough. And I don't have enough photographs that fit that description."
The passion in her voice told him far more than her words. She had bigger ambitions than he'd realized, and she also didn't like to fail. "Then you're smart to wait until you have exactly what you want."
"I think so. And I appreciate you saying that, even though you probably don't think much of my business acumen in turning down a great opportunity like this."
"I don't know enough about your acumen to make an assessment," he said with a light smile.
She reluctantly smiled back. "And we're not going to get into that tonight." She paused as the waiter delivered a very expensive bottle of wine to their table. "Gabe is pulling out all the stops."
"The chefs insist that this will complement the meal," the waiter said. "Do you want to taste it first?"
"No, please just pour," she said. "I trust Madison and Gabe."
The waiter filled their glasses and told them their appetizer would be out shortly.
"This is good," he said, taking a sip of the merlot. "Your friends are very generous. They must like you a lot."
"I think this is about impressing you."
"To save the building," he said with a nod. "I'm very aware of the ground game, Lexie, and I know you won't believe me when I tell you that this isn't personal, but it really isn't. I'm not trying to hurt anyone."
"But that would be the result," she argued.
"Life is about change. Sometimes moving on is a good thing. A different location can give you a different perspective." He frowned as he finished speaking.
