Page 85 of The Bad Boy Prince in Love
The waiters were dressed in the finest tuxedos and each table was decorated with an artful flower arrangement.A woman in a flowing aquamarine dress played a relaxing melody on the harp in the middle of the dining room.
“This place isn’t the Cactus, but it’ll do,” Hallie said.
Luke chuckled, suddenly getting a good vibe about Hallie’s ability to navigate the business world.She had probably never been to a restaurant as fancy as this, but even if she was intimidated, she was good at hiding it.
The couple they were going to meet arrived soon after them.
“Arnold Stephens,” said the man, offering his hand to Hallie.He was stout and red-faced, with a cheerful demeanor.“And you must be Luke’s girlfriend.This is my wife, Suzu.”
As Luke had suspected, Hallie and Arnold got along and found things to chat about, both being from the same region of Texas.
Arnold’s wife seemed like a friendly woman, and Luke had always prided himself on being able to charm the ladies, only in this case, Hallie took over the conversation just as easily.
It turned out Suzu was from Tokyo, and suddenly she and Hallie were chattering away in Japanese.
Both Luke and Arnold looked in amazement at the women conversing like they had known each other for ages.
Luke suspected at first that maybe Hallie’s knowledge of the language was limited to a few phrases.He knew how to say a few words in Japanese himself thanks to his diplomatic training, but Hallie was way ahead of him.
“When did you learn to speak Japanese?”Luke asked when there was a slight break in the conversation.
“In college,” Hallie said casually.“I always liked Japanese anime, and now I can watch it in the original.”
“That’s a very cultured girlfriend you’ve got there,” Arnold said, “I think she’s a keeper.”
I wish she could be, Luke thought.Every time he thought he knew her well enough, she surprised him.
But even if he wanted to get involved in a serious relationship, he would never be able to go through with it since his parents would soon have him married off to some noble heiress of Sarkadia.
Chapter 45: Break the Spell
Hallie was excitedto talk to Suzu about her favorite anime shows, and they had more general things in common too, like having older sisters.
“You should come to our Japanese culture club,” Suzu said.“We meet every week and have dinners, outdoor walks, lots of other fun stuff.”
“Thanks,” Hallie said.“That sounds awesome.”
