Page 64 of Vitamin Sea
Clicking her phone back off she closed her eyes and savoured the comfiness of her mattress.
Last night Jack said he was going to leave her alone to process her thoughts, but all she seemed to have processed that night was the wine. A breakfast of coffee perked her up and she sat there in silence with the lights dimmed and a candle burning. She thought, she thought, and she thought again.
At work that day she was distracted and had finally texted Liam back around noon. She had texted Jack first thing in the morning, and he had responded back within the hour.
Liam, in stark contrast to what his pattern of communication had been in the last six months of their relationship, messaged her back in three minutes.
It was unnerving.
Meet me for dinner this week?he asked.
She pondered.
Dinner with him hadn’t gone so well last time.
She still hadn’t found it in her to go back to the restaurant she had walked out of looking like she had been on an all-night bender.
But things were different now. Sure, his appearance last night had shaken her, but that was mostly because she had been soshocked. No matter what Liam had to throw at her, she was confident that this time, she would walk out of the establishment with her head held high and her mascara intact.
She texted Liam and agreed to meet him for dinner.
In another surprise, he responded by asking Chloe where she wanted to eat. It was a sign that he was trying to make up for his behaviour.
Poor effort, really.
If he wanted to make up for what he had done, he really had a lot of work ahead of him. Not that she wanted flowers and chocolate and groveling. Although, it might help. Not in the ‘getting back together’ department, but in the ‘I was a total asshole, I apologize and plead with you to forgive me for being such a jerk’ department.
If she had been feeling in the punishing mood, she would have chosen Don Alfonso, Nobu, or St. Thomas. Trendy, hard to get into, and sky-high prices. Instead, she opted for Toca. Fine dining for sure, but not something out of the ordinary or something that screamed ‘special occasion’. It was one of her go-to restaurants when she was in the mood for familiar and fancy food.
You’re sure?Liam texted in reply.You don’t want to go somewhere nicer? Nobu or Butcher Chef?
Chloe texted him back and told him she was sure. But his question did make her curious. If Liam was offering to take her to Nobu, she didn’t need to be in the punishing mood—it seems he was flagellating himself.
Chapter 19: The Unexpected
Toca was housed at the Ritz-Carlton. It was in close proximity to Chloe’s home, and unless there was a conference in the hotel, it was usually quiet. It also had phenomenal mushroom ravioli and a glass-covered cheese cave. Which was exactly what it sounded like—a cave in the middle of the restaurant that was full of cheese. Chloe had checked it out one night and consumed so much dairy she went home feeling like a wheel of brie.
The hostess showed her to the table—a chic curved booth where Liam sat with his back to her. She was a bit surprised at the table he had chosen. The seating arrangement would require them to sit next to each other in a cozier position than she would have liked.
“Chloe.” Liam looked relieved when he saw her.
She had a sneaking suspicion that he thought she might stand him up tonight. It would have been well within her rights to do so, but it wasn’t the way Chloe played.
“Hi,” she said casually. To her surprise, her voice didn’t have any hint of bitterness or a nervous catch. If they had done this six months ago, she reflected, she would have shown up looking like something the cat dragged in and, tears in her eyes, would have begged him to take her back.
Now, though? She was happy and content. Both with life and her budding new romance. She wasn’t showing up tonight out of desperation and hope. She was showing up out of curiosity. And she wasn’t dressed up to the nines like in the movies when the main character goes to meet her ex. From her hair to her outfit, Chloe was totally casual.
She took a seat next to Liam and put her purse down between them.
Why, several months after breaking up with her for another woman, did he want to see her? She had told Jack about Liam’s request to meet for dinner and he had seemed cautious but supportive. He had questioned her about it—not anything like giving her the third degree but just trying to suss out her feelings about Liam.
She had allayed Jack’s concerns without him voicing them, and she truly believed in what she said. Jack had respected her decision and just told her that he was there for her if she wanted to talk afterwards and to let him know if she needed some space.
The waitress put a menu down in front of Chloe and she requested tap water and a pilsner. Tonight, she wanted to keep her wits about her.
The gentle glugging of water into her glass punctuated the silence between her and her ex.
“So,” he turned to her after the waitress walked away. “Thanks for coming, Chlo.”
