“Alright.”
Luke seemed surprised but smiled. “You can leave your car here if you want. We’ll come back and get it.”
Valerie shook her head. “No, that’s okay. We can take two cars. That way I can go straight home from there.” She wanted to be able to leave if the urge suddenly struck her, and she had a feeling it would.
Luke arrived at the restaurant before her and was waiting in the parking lot, leaning against his car. He was a good looking man. Tall, well built, and she’d always liked his hazel eyes. He’d obviously been well trained in management. His charisma and ease when speaking in front of the whole office, was another one of his attractive qualities. The only reason Valerie had never considered taking him up on any of his subtle offers was the same reason she’d put off going out with anyone else until Bruce. Alex.
Well, that was in the past. She wasn’t even sure what exactly Luke had in mind, if anything. But Bruce shouldn’t set the example of what it would be like to date after Alex. Not only had Bruce paled in comparison to Alex, she liked to think that dating a man like Bruce was a once in a lifetime mistake. One she’d never make again.
They walked in together. Even with her big heels she barely came up to his shoulders. They took seats in the bar and ordered drinks. After a bit of real estate chatter, Luke stopped and gazed at her. Valerie sensed he’d been trying to bring something up from the moment they’d sat down.
“So, what do you do, when you’re not working, Valerie?”
She lifted a shoulder and took a sip of her drink. “I hang out with my roommate, visit my dad, paint.”
Luke raised an eyebrow. “Paint? Really?”
Valerie nodded. “Yeah, I’ve always liked to, but it wasn’t until college when I took a few courses that I really started to get into it and discovered my hidden talent.”
“What do you paint?”
“Anything really, landscapes, portraits, the ocean. I’m done with sunsets.” She giggled. “The walls in my dorm were plastered with so many paintings of sunsets my roommate swore she’d burn the next one I painted.”
Luke smiled. “That means you’re a romantic.”
Valerie glanced at him, and their eyes locked. He’d done that to her before in the office and it made her uncomfortable then, too.
She turned back to her drink and stirred it. “No, it means I was cheesy.”
“I don’t think sunsets are cheesy.”
Valerie looked back at him. “I’m working on a portrait now. Kinda nervous about it. It’s a wedding gift.”
“Really? Who’s getting married?”
“My cousin. I’m her maid of honor.” She smiled. “Yeah, it’s really sweet. They met and fell in love in high school and have been completely inseparable since. I’m surprised they even waited this long.” She glanced at him. “They’re the ones I told you about, that I’m looking for a place for them to lease, for their restaurant. As soon as they get that up and running, I’ll be finding them a house.”
Luke smiled, “Nice… so, why you nervous about the painting?”
Valerie chewed her lower lip. “I dunno. It’s of an older picture of them, when they were first dating in high school. They look so young and in love. I just hope I can capture the nuance of true love. I’m not sure that I can.”
Luke was staring at her now. “Why not? Haven’t you ever been in love?”
She was almost locked in another one of his stares but managed to turn away. The bartender passed by, and she ordered another drink. Luke was still working on his. He stirred his drink and said nothing. He was obviously waiting for her to answer.
“Yeah, I have.” That’s all she’d offer. She wasn’t about to get into a bitter conversation about Alex. Not when she was supposed to be here celebrating.
“Has it been long?”
Her drink came and instead of answering she took a big swig of the drink. It seemed stronger than the first one.
“I don’t mean to pry. I’m just saying maybe if you can remember you can pour those feelings into your painting.”
“That’s true.” Valerie made sure that was the end of that subject. She asked him about what he did on his time off, and he told her. She wasn’t too surprised to hear he was a bit of a workaholic, leaving little time for himself. What time he did get, he played golf and cooked. He loved cooking.
A few drinks later, she felt more relaxed and began to wonder if driving herself had been such a good idea.
As expected with a few more drinks her sense of humor picked up, and she started to giggle. If Luke noticed she was getting silly, he didn’t say anything. She kept having to break out of his stare.
After a few trips to the ladies room, she knew either she slowed down on the alcohol, or Luke was going to have to drive her home. She didn’t want to leave her car there, so, she made her decision on the way back from the ladies room. Water was her only option. Lots of it. But by the time she got back, Luke had already ordered her another drink. She hadn’t even finished the last one.
She noticed a few drinks earlier that Luke stopped trying to be discreet. He sized her up again as she made her way back to the bar. Her unabashed smile obviously pleased him.
“Damn, you’re sexy. Is it okay if I say that?”
Valerie couldn’t help but laugh. “I think maybe we should stop drinking.”
“If you’re suggesting I’ve developed beer goggles, you couldn’t be more mistaken. I’ve always thought you were sexy as hell.”