“I’m not laughing.” I steal a quick kiss.
“I meant to ask you. When did you learn Greek?”
I admit, “Charlotte taught me a few words. That wasn’t the smoothest move. Sorry about that.”
She strokes my cheek. “I thought it was nice.”
“Maybe you can teach me more.”
“You want to learn Greek?”
“Yes. If you and your family speak it.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
She says, “When did Charlotte teach you that?”
“Today.”
“Today?”
I nod.
“So you got on Piper’s good side and learned Greek from Charlotte? Why do I feel like there are more details behind all this?”
“I’ll tell you about it later.”
She’s about to say something when there is an announcement to take our seats.
I wink at her and lead her to her table, pull out the chair, then sit next to her.
She fidgets with her hands in her lap again, and I put mine on them. I lean into her ear and whisper, “Do you get nervous when you think of me naked?”
She whispers, “You seem to really want me to think about you naked.”
I throw her a grin.
“You’re so cocky,” she says.
“One of us in this relationship needs to be. It’s definitely not you.”
The waitress puts salads in front of us both. We spend most of the dinner talking to the other guests at our table. From time to time, I see her fidgeting, and I still her hands.
She’s so sweet and beautiful. I kick myself again that I wasted so many months with her.
When dinner is over, the MC goes up on stage and introduces the mayor. Vivian holds her fingers so hard that I see white on her knuckles.
I put my arm around her and clasp her hands with my free one. I lean into her ear and whisper, “Breathe.”
She releases a breath.
“You’re going to do great,” I murmur in her ear and circle my thumb on her hand. “Nothing you say will screw anything up.”
She gives me a small smile.
I can’t say I blame her for being nervous. I’m guessing there are a thousand people in the room and they’ve all paid a hefty price to be here. I don’t know the Chicago scene, but from what I can tell, they’re the movers and shakers of the city.