Page 42 of Snapping the Ice
Her smile waned. “Word of advice? Not that you asked for it, but a restraining order might help.” She ticked her head, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’ve dealt with an ex like that, and it wasn’t fun.”
“Thanks, I’ll think about it.” I glanced at Lucas, who pursed his lips.
“I have a video of what he did. You can use it for the court to get the order. If you give me your number, I can send it to you and keep an eye out, you know.” Her gaze softened as it found mine. “My son is gay. I’m an ally.”
“Oh, thank you, yes.” It would be nice to have someone here to watch my place while I was gone. Grabbing my backpack from inside, I slipped my phone out. After exchanging our phone numbers and getting the video footage, we said our goodbyes and Lucas followed me into my apartment.
With a loud exhale, Lucas sank into my couch and scrubbed his face. “Holy shit, I thought for sure Tate wouldn’t leave without a few punches.”
“No, the man’s a coward.” I strolled into my bedroom and threw the old clothing into my hamper. Tate had a lot of bluster, but always backed down when things got too heated. Except with me. I added new clothing to my backpack. I needed to think of better things, like…“Where do you want to have dinner tonight?” Throwing my bag over my back, I strode to Lucas.
He stood, brushed my hair off my shoulder, and gave me a coy grin. “Sushi? There are a few decent places in downtown Scottsdale.” He pressed a lingering kiss on my lips.
“Sushi would be nice.” There he was, being affectionate again. And I was spending the entire night with him in his bed. Fuck Tate. “Let’s go,” I said, taking his hand and leading him out the door. I waved at Stella, who was standing in her window across the courtyard. There were good people in this world. I just needed to open my eyes to see them.
Stella waved back at me with a wide grin.
After dropping my things off in Lucas’s apartment, I strolled with him along Scottsdale Road in Old Town. People strolled by and cars crawled along the street in the heavy Saturday night traffic. This area was quaint and touristy, with its one and two-story buildings, some in brick and all with overhangs over the sidewalks held up by hand-hewn logs.
“So, I’ve heard this place is popular, but I think it’s a chain restaurant.” Lucas swung our hands between us. “So, it’s not as fancy as?—”
“It’s fine, Lucas.” With a shake of my head, a smile grew on my lips. He better not worry about keeping up with Tate. It was a non-contest.
“Here we are.” He held his arm out to a corner building with long windows. He held the glass doors open for me and I stepped inside.
The place was warm, with dark woods and red lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Four-top tables littered the center of the room while long bench seating rested along the brick wall.After meeting with a hostess, we took a table along the wall with me sitting on the bench seat.
Lucas perused his menu.
We needed to discuss what was going on between us. “Lucas, I’ll work to get an order of protection against Tate.” Then maybe Lucas wouldn’t feel the need to be at my side constantly and he could relax. He needed to focus on hockey.
“You will?” He lifted his gaze over his menu. “I think it’s a good idea.”
I shrugged. “It can’t hurt, right?” I’d never expected having to get a protection order with Tate. “What do you want to eat?”
“How about we share a few rolls and some sashimi?” He buried his nose in the menu. “Look, they have a lobster filet mignon roll.” He flicked his tongue around his lips.
Sometimes, it was all about food with him. I chuckled softly. “That sounds fantastic. Is there anything you don’t like?” I looked over the craft rolls.
“Nope. Okay, maybe Uni, but I’ve never tried it.” He scrunched his nose. “Not sure I want to, either. It’s the thought of it.”
“I haven’t tried it either. When it comes to food, I’m not very daring. I usually pick the standards.” But some of these rolls looked delicious. My gaze landed on the drink menu. “Hey, want to share the Blue Samurai Punchbowl?” It was a huge mixed cocktail, and we were walking home, after all.
“Sure.” He set his menu down and gazed at me. “Ezra, this is the most I’ve seen you smile all week.”
“It’s you. You make me smile.” Warmth enveloped my heart. He’d unlocked something inside me.
The server stopped at our table, and we ordered.
Lucas planted his elbows on the table and tented his fingers, eyeing me. “What boyfriends have you hadbesides Tate?”
That came out of nowhere. “None.” I stirred my water with the straw. “Before Tate, I dated, but guys never stayed.” Could that be the reason I tolerated his shitty behavior for so long?
Wrinkling his brows, Lucas shifted. “How old are you?”
I couldn’t believe we’d never talked about this. “Twenty-six.” My gaze met his. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-two.” He blushed. “I’m dating an older man.” A grin grazed his lips. “But I’ll be twenty-three in a few months.”
