Date Shark (5 page)

“No … he gave me his cell phone number.”

Ana was hooked now. When the topic of Eli first came up she told Leila how her shyness made it nearly impossible for her to meet new people. She had anxiety attacks even thinking about dating. Eli gave her the number to a brilliant therapist who helped her work through her fears. Several years later she ran into Eli again and they became friends. Ana was a fierce friend.

“Was there anything else about your date that was different?”

“I don’t know, Ana. It’s not like I’d gone out with him before,” Leila said. But even as she said it her thoughts turned back to their last few minutes together that night.

The back of Ana’s hand smacked into Leila’s shoulder. “What is it?” she demanded.

“Nothing.” She eyed Leila with the same look she gave her production manager when he didn’t get her samples out on time. Leila wasn’t really giving in just because she knew Ana could be relentless. More than that, she was curious. So at the risk of embarrassing herself, she said, “Well, it’s probably nothing, but he did walk me to my car after dinner, and then he … he kissed me goodnight. On the cheek.”

As if a drape had just been drawn, Ana’s curiosity shut down. “Huh. Well, like I said, maybe Eli does things differently now.” She stood up and straightened her skirt. “The new line finally arrived. I’ve got the interns doing inventory on everything we received and getting the displays set up. The new line launches Saturday, finally. Two weeks later than everyone else. I know you’ve had the promotional products ready to go for a couple of weeks, but make sure everything’s in place for the launch and reception.”

“Uh, sure, no problem,” Leila said. Ana’s sudden shift in topics was followed by an equally abrupt departure. Her steps were muffled by the carpet, but Leila heard her continue down the hall to her own office. Ana shut her door, which wasn’t unusual. The echo of her raised voice was. Even through several weeks of delays on her new line, Ana never once yelled at her production manager.

There was no reason for Leila to think this, but for some reason she was sure that Ana was on the phone with Eli. Why she would be yelling at him, Leila had no idea. Ana’s reaction did hint at one thing. Eli didn’t usually kiss his dates goodnight.

***

Leila thought she would spend the whole week fretting about having dinner with Conrad. Preparing for the Bohemian Bead launch proved more of a fight than she originally thought it would be. The proofs for their programs and brochures had been ready and waiting for the launch weeks ago, but as often happened, they were ready to submit for printing at the same time as ten other major orders, and the printer got backlogged. The flowers Ana wanted as accents along the runway tripled in price because of a late freeze. The list kept growing every day.

Bursting into Leila’s office, Ana stopped, hands on her hips as she glared at her employee. “What are you still doing here? I sent you home two hours ago.”

“And then Pedro called to say there was a problem with the chairs we ordered.”

Ana’s face lit up with panic.

Leila held up a hand to fend her off. “I took care of it, but I’ve still got a ton to do.”

“That’s what interns are for, Leila. Get out of here, now, or you’re going to be late.”

A quick glance at her phone confirmed it. Conrad’s invitation said eight o’clock. It was seven now, but it would take Leila twenty minutes to get home, at the very least half an hour to change and freshen her makeup, and the restaurant was fifteen minutes from her house with light traffic. Leila sighed and dropped her phone on her desk.

“I’m not going to have time to run home. I’ll guess I’ll just have to go in this.” It could have been worse, she supposed. Her light pink silk blouse and black slacks was one of her classier ensembles. She would have to hop over to the dressing room set up for the models and see what she could do about her hair and makeup, though.

“Absolutely not,” Ana said as she yanked Leila out of her chair. “You are not going to dinner with Conrad Manera wearing
that
.” She continued dragging Leila down the hall to her office. Only when she flung the door open did she finally let go of her. Leila stumbled in her heels, catching herself on one of the many clothing racks crammed into Ana’s office for the fashion show scheduled for the following night.

Leila’s well-meaning boss pulled a floor length dress off one of the racks and held it out to her The crushed linen tank dress with its intricate beading along the empire waist was gorgeous, but meant for a model, not Leila. “Ana, there’s no way that will fit me. I’m not model material.”

“No arguing, Leila. You may not be as tall as some of the models, but you’re as slender and curvy as any. Stop making excuses and go put this on. We still have to fix your hair and makeup. You look like you’ve been fighting with lions all day.”

“No, just caterers and furniture rentals,” Leila grumbled on her way to the dressing room. She had seen Ana
help
her models dress, pinning and pulling, tucking and shoving. Thankful she was letting her do this on her own, Leila shimmied out of her work clothes and into the dress. It fell around her lightly, tickling her bare feet as it settled. The top and waist were a little snug, but it was close enough to admit Ana was right. It fit, and it looked fabulous on Leila. She turned in front of the mirror to get the whole effect and found Ana grinning at her from the doorway.

“Told you so,” she said. “Get over here so I can fix your hair.”

Half an hour later, Leila handed her keys to the valet—having asked Ana beforehand how valets worked so she wouldn’t have to park a mile away this time. Leila’s little Jetta was probably the least impressive car the valet had parked all night, but the slowly building panic in her stomach kept her from caring too much. Leila got as far as the foyer before starting to talk herself out of the date. It was too soon. She hadn’t even had time to process everything Eli told had her. Every awful thing that could happen that night started running through her head.

“Miss Leila,” Pierce exclaimed when he spotted her. He gestured for Leila to step to the front of the group waiting for their tables. After a moment’s hesitation she politely pushed her way through to him. He took her hand and guided her away from the crowd. “It’s so nice to see you again. Mr. Manera will be with you in just a moment, but he asked me to seat you as soon as you arrived. If you’ll follow me.”

Leila nodded and trailed behind him to a part of the restaurant she hadn’t seen on her previous visit. Segregated from the other diners by a frosted glass panels and gorgeous bouquets of calla lilies, the table for two was clearly meant to be private. The familiar feeling of being way out of her depth made another appearance.

“Mr. Manera will join you in a moment. Would you care for something to drink while you wait?”

Leila gave him her drink order quickly and sat stiffly in her chair as she waited. Before she had too long to convince herself she shouldn’t be there, a large, cheerful man burst into the room. Not quite what Leila was expecting, his enthusiastic smile drew a grin from her regardless of his stocky appearance. Leila stood and held her hand out to him.

Meaning to shake his hand, Conrad surprised Leila by kissing the back of her hand instead. “Leila, thank you for coming. I have been looking forward to this night all week.”

“Um, so have I,” Leila said, something not completely untrue. Yes, she had been dreading having to go on an actual date after hearing everything Eli said, but as her week got progressively more hectic she wanted a night out more and more.

“Please, sit,” Conrad said. He waited for her to take her seat before being seated himself. “Now I hope you don’t mind, but rather than having you order off the menu, I asked Alonzo to prepare something special for us tonight. No miso involved.”

Blushing, Leila said, “Eli told you?”

“Yes, he did, but don’t feel bad. Everyone’s palate is different. I do hope you’ll enjoy what I have planned for you tonight, though.”

“I’m sure I will. Thank you so much for inviting me, Mr. Manera.”

“Please call me Conrad, Leila. I don’t believe in being formal with friends.”

Leila nodded and started to relax. Everything about Conrad, from his rotund appearance to his ruddy cheeks, put her at ease. She got the impression from him that nothing she could do tonight would put a dent in his jovial outlook.

“So Eli tells me you work for Ana St. Claire.”

“Yes, Ana mentioned that she knew you.”

“Ana is one of my favorite patrons. She is always quick to compliment my restaurant and recommend it to her friends,” Conrad said. “What do you do for Ana?”

“I’m her marketing manager, but this week I’ve also become a florist, caterer, interior decorator, and event planner. It’s been a little manic around the studio lately,” Leila said. Leila’s own ears picked up the negativity in what she had just said. Before she could figure out whether or not she needed to reevaluate her outlook like Eli suggested, Conrad interrupted.

“The fashion show tomorrow night. Yes, Ana invited me, but unfortunately I won’t be able to attend. I have guests coming into town tomorrow. I’m sorry your week has been so stressful, but hopefully you will be able to relax and enjoy yourself for at least a little while tonight,” Conrad said.

A waitress stepped into the room bearing bowls of soup. The aroma of leeks and garlic instantly made Leila’s mouth water. Conrad beamed at the dishes as they were set down in front of them “Thank you, Megan,” he said. Megan left, and Conrad’s whole focus went into explaining every detail of the meal to Leila. From the caramelized onions to the freshly ground sausage and spring potatoes, she felt intimately familiar with the exquisite soup before she was halfway through. When their entrées arrived, Leila looked forward to Conrad’s explanation of the herb crusted venison and stuffed mushroom caps. He didn’t disappoint.

Along with jokes and cooking tips, Leila also got to hear stories about his experiences as first a busboy, then through the culinary ranks to owning his own five star restaurant. Leila laughed and ate and indulged. Not once did she think of the upcoming fashion show, the R.S.V.Ps she still hadn’t received, or the model down with a head cold. Leila let the shaved chocolate of her dessert melt on her tongue slowly, relishing the tang of the custard it was paired with. Everything about that night was wonderful. Her only regret was that it went by too quickly. By the time Conrad walked her back up to the entrance, her list of problems to tackle in the morning were beginning to creep back into her mind.

“Thank you so much for inviting me to dinner tonight, Conrad. I had a wonderful time.”

“Come back any time, Leila. I enjoyed your company very much,” Conrad said. “And good luck with the show tomorrow.”

“Thanks, we’re probably going to need it.”

Conrad’s booming laugh rustled the air around Leila. It was absolutely contagious. “I’m sure everything will come together, Leila. Try not to worry about the details too much.” He began to say something else, but paused when a familiar face walked up to them.

“Eli,” Leila said, surprised, “what are you doing here?”

“I’m here most Friday nights,” he said, to which Conrad frowned.

“I didn’t think …” Conrad got cut off by Eli.

“I was just on my way out.” Eli’s sharp glance at Conrad seemed out of character, but it kept Conrad from saying anything else. Leila watched the two, unsure of what had just happened between them. Whatever it was, Conrad shook it off first.

His smile returned at full power. “Thank you again for coming, Leila, but I best get back to managing my restaurant before disaster breaks out. I’d suggest we make plans to do this again, but I suspect your calendar is about to become a bit crowded.” He paused to throw his friend a questioning look, one that was met with ambivalence. “Hmm. Well, have a good evening. Eli, I trust you can get Leila to her car and see her safely off?”

“Of course. Goodnight, Conrad.” A wolfish smile Leila wouldn’t have expected to see on Eli was paired with Conrad shaking his head as he walked away. As Eli led Leila out of the restaurant she felt like doing the same thing.

Chapter 5

Fallback Option

Conrad was a good friend, but Eli wanted to clock him when he caught his lie. He knew Eli wasn’t scheduled for dinner that night. Actually, he was aware of the fact that Eli had been scheduled to bring a client in that night and had rescheduled for reasons Eli didn’t share. Eli was pretty sure Conrad just figured it out.

“So,” Eli said to Leila as he opened the door for her, “how did dinner with Conrad go?”

“Oh, it was great!”

The excitement in her voice irritated him. It wasn’t directed at her, but at his friend, Conrad. “That’s nice. What did you two talk about?”

“Well, it was actually the opposite of our date. I barely had time to say anything because Conrad spent so much time talking about the food.”

“He does tend to do that. I hope you weren’t too bored.”

Leila shook her head. “Not at all. It was fascinating. He knows so much about food, more than I’ll ever know. It was fun to watch him get so excited about herbs and chocolate. I had a great time with him.”

Eli turned just enough that Leila couldn’t see his expression while she gave her ticket to the valet. Why did Conrad have to invite her to dinner? When Leila turned back to Eli he forced a smile back on his face. “I’m glad you had a nice evening. Do you think you’ll see Conrad again?”

“Oh, I don’t know.”

The uncertainty in her voice buoyed Eli’s mood. “I thought you enjoyed yourself.”

“Oh, I did. I tried to remember the things you told me, and I think I did better, but I think Conrad really only asked me to dinner as an apology for last weekend. He’s not actually interested in me.”

“What makes you say that?” Eli asked, sounding much more chipper than he should have.

Leila shrugged. “I had a good time, but it was pretty clear Conrad’s first love is food. I think it made him happy to be able to tell me about the dishes and how they were prepared. I was just someone to entertain. That’s okay, though. I figured before I came here tonight that’s how it would probably be. If it hadn’t been for you talking to him about the waiter, he never even would have noticed me. At least I was able to see that this time. I’ve been duped before.”