Her smile was nervous. “I’d rather just drive home.”
I nodded in agreement, but didn’t cancel the bottle order, then regretted it when the wine came. It was so damn sweet I nearly spat it out. She laughed at my expression. “Don’t you like it?”
“No.” I put it to one side and ordered a neat whiskey.
15
Caleb
For our meal order I took charge. When she was young she had always loved crab and I saw the crab dish on the seven-course starter meal for two. I knew she would never dream of ordering it herself so I ordered the seven-course starter meal for both of us. As soon as the waiter slinked away she leaned forward.
“There were no prices on my menu. I hope that seven-course meal was not too expensive.”
“Don’t worry I can afford it.”
“It’s just I feel so extravagant having seven courses.”
“I’ve never had one before, but I believe it’s made up of tiny portions,” I said honestly.
“I wouldn’t mind a bigger portion of crab though. It’s my favorite.”
“I know.”
Her head tilted. “You do?”
Damn, I was no good at this lying game. “I meant you look like a girl who loves good food.”
She grinned cheekily. “What does a girl who loves crab look like?”
“She looks like a girl who loves life. She uses her fingers to eat, laughs a lot, loves the wind in her hair, wears comfortable shoes, cries at movies, sings in the shower, is loyal to a fault, and will defend the people she loves to her death.”
She leaned back in surprise, her eyes twinkling. “You got all that from the fact that I love crab?”
“I’m a good judge of character.”
“I’m terrible at reading people,” she admitted.
“You may be better than you think. Go on, take a shot at reading me.”
She took a sip of wine and gazed at me from above the rim of her glass. She placed the glass back on the table, her eyes never leaving mine. “Okay. I think you’re the strong, silent type and very brave. I also get the impression you’re very resourceful. If I had to be stuck on a deserted island with only one other person I would chose you, because I just know you would figure out a way for us to survive. You’d climb the coconut trees and find a way to break the fruit open without a knife. You’d make a fire so I can cook the fish you’ve caught, and you’d find a way to build us a shelter and some kind of shower contraption. Who knows, give you enough time and you might even fashion a raft for us to leave the island on.”
I laugh at her description. That was exactly what I would have done too. I heard my own voice laughing and I realized I hadn’t laughed like this for a long, long time. In fact, the last time was when I was with her.
She frowns. “You’re tough and successful on the outside, but inside you’ve got some great pain. Some hurt that you are hiding from the world.”
Suddenly the atmosphere between us changed. Electricity crackled between us. That was too close to the bone. “That necklace,” I whispered, grasping on the first thing that came into my mind. “Where did you get it from?”
She traced the delicate gold pendant. “My father gave it to me on my tenth birthday.”
I thought of the Powerpuff watch sitting on my night stand. There was a time she had refused to take it off. But of course, she probably couldn’t recall any of that time. I watched her face, my heart heavy with sadness for all that she had been through. If only I had realized earlier. I could have done something. I wanted her to remember me, God, how much I wanted her to, but if it meant remembering those dark, painful memories, then I was okay with her not remembering us. The way we were. It was a special type of torment, but I had broad shoulders. I could bear it for us.
“He died in a car accident,” she said softly. “Both my parents did.”
“I’m sorry.” It sounded lame. Stupid. I wanted to reach across the table, take her in my arms and rock her until the hurt fell out of her, but I couldn’t. I could just sit opposite her and make inane platitudes.
“It’s okay. It happened a very long time ago. I was incredibly lucky. I was adopted by two wonderful human beings. You have to meet them one day. They are truly amazing. I even switched out my middle name for my adopted mother’s.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“Sabrina. My full name is Willow Sabrina Rayne.”
“It’s a pretty name. It suits you.”
“Thank you.” She bobbed her head awkwardly. She had always been lousy at taking compliments. Even something as mild as a pretty name. “What about you?” she asked. “Do you have a middle name?”