"I am." I feel a bit flushed from the second dirty martini I had with my dinner. "It's a great school."
"She's going to be a doctor," Hunter states boldly.
I turn my head to look at him. How does he know that? Someone at the party last night must have told him. I blush slightly knowing that he was cu
rious enough to ask about me.
"What do you do?" I focus my gaze back on Jax. I can't look at Hunter right now. The martinis, combined with the fact that he knows more about me than I realized has me worried that I'm going to misread him again and make a fool of myself.
"I work with my girlfriend, Ivy, right now." His face lights up as he smiles. "She's a jewelry designer." He reaches into the pocket of his suit jacket to retrieve a business card.
I run my hand over the embossed lettering. Whispers of Grace it says along with an address in Manhattan. "That must be very exciting," I mumble. "I'm not creative at all."
"You're just a genius." Hunter's voice is low and composed.
"That's not true," I chuckle. "I'm just a good student."
"It is exciting." Jax interjects. I'm grateful for the escape from Hunter's unexpected compliments. "I'm unsettled though. I've got some other irons in the fire. Some with this guy." He nods in Hunter's direction and I suddenly realize that I know absolutely nothing about what he does for a living.
"What kinds of irons?" I direct my question at Jax who is throwing Hunter a quizzed look. It's the same look I shoot at Alexa when I don't want her revealing my entire life story to someone.
"Restaurant irons." Hunter straightens in his chair. "I do consultations for new restaurants."
Jax chuckles and I toss my gaze in his direction. He takes a long drink from his wine glass and darts his eyes around the room, avoiding mine.
"Consultations? What does that mean?" I know I don't sound worldly but now I'm curious about what exactly Hunter does with his time. "You help new restaurateurs?"
"Yeah. Exactly." Hunter nods. "I help them before they open."
"How did you get involved in that?" I'm going to push the issue. He's a mystery and any tidbit of information I can gleam from him or his friend is a jewel.
He shoots his eyes across the table towards Jax before he answers. "My dad owns a few restaurants. I grew up in the business. I know what works and what doesn't. It's a good fit for me."
"That makes sense," I whisper. "Did you help with this restaurant?"
They laugh in unison and I immediately feel like the outsider in an inside joke. Why am I even having this discussion with him? How did I end up sitting at his table?
"Not this one. No." Hunter tries to regain his composure as he answers.
I'm overcome with uncertainty and I realize that this is my cue to leave. I've thanked him for the dinner and met his friend so it's time for me to make my timely exit. My bed is beckoning me anyways. It's been a very long couple of days.
"I'm going to say goodnight now." I stand to leave, reaching for my purse on the table. "It was great meeting you, Jax." I offer my hand and he takes it gently in his.
"It was great, Sadie." He smiles. "If you're ever in Manhattan stop by Ivy's store and say hi."
"Definitely," I say as I run my thumb over the card. I can't recall the last time I was in New York or anywhere other than Boston. Since I've started school, studying and working has been my entire life. Adventures aren't a part of the picture at this point.
"I'll get you home." Hunter reaches for his suit jacket, which he lazily shrugged off his shoulders during dinner. "You shouldn't be wandering the streets alone at night."
I furrow my brow. "Wandering the streets?" I ask. "I'm going to walk out the front door, get in a cab and go home." I turn to leave.
"I'll take you." The insistent tone of his voice causes me to stop in my tracks.
"That's silly." I sigh. "Stay here and visit with your friend." I nod towards Jax who is now leaning back in his chair listening to our game of verbal tennis across the table.
"We'll catch up tomorrow?" Hunter doesn't wait for Jax's response as he takes my elbow guiding me towards the restaurant's entrance. Why do I feel as though this is an evening I'm not soon going to forget?
Chapter 7