Jade had to admit she looked lovely. Maybe as lovely as she ever had. It would probably be enough to pass at whatever restaurant Harley chose tonight. But this was just a test run. Would the woman in the mirror pass for a member of the Steele family? That was a better question.
And would it ever come to that?
When she returned to the living room, she found Harley there in a black suit with a silk, charcoal-gray shirt. He’d forgone the tie tonight and she liked it. The open collar gave just a peek of the hollow of his throat, which she was certain smelled like a mix of his cologne and the warm musk of his skin. It took everything she had to pick up her purse and not bury her face there to draw in his scent.
&n
bsp; After seeing him around the house in more casual clothes the last few days, it was nice to see tailored and put-together Harley once again, too. He was like a chameleon, blending in to any environment. Looking at him now reminded her of the moment she’d opened the front door to find him on her porch. It was hard to believe that was only a week ago. The same butterflies took flight in her stomach when she looked at him this time, too.
He didn’t seem to notice. Harley was too busy staring at her. “You look...” He cleared his throat and nodded. “You look very nice.”
Jade smiled and glanced down at her ensemble. “Is this okay for where we’re going?”
“Absolutely. I’m sure you’ll be the most beautiful woman there tonight.”
She had a hard time believing such a big compliment, but after their earlier discussion, she decided not to argue with him. He seemed to believe it, which meant it was true, at least in his eyes. “Thank you,” she said.
He offered her his arm and escorted her out the door to his Jaguar.
“So where did you end up getting a reservation?” she asked as he drove out onto the highway toward downtown Charlestown.
Harley smiled, his eyes fixed on the road. “Well, I know a guy who has recently invested in a great steak house in an old converted carriage house. You’re going to love it.”
About twenty minutes later, they pulled up to the valet stand outside of Harrison Chophouse. While Harley handed over the keys, Jade waited patiently on the curb, reading decals on the tinted glass windows that pronounced several awards they’d won, including most romantic restaurant and top ratings from various dining and travel sites.
Inside, they found a dimly lit room made all the more intimate and warm by the dark wood paneled walls and crackling fire in the stone hearth in the center of it all. Each table had a white tablecloth, a flickering candle and a small centerpiece of fresh flowers. Most tables were occupied and a small crowd was gathered in the lobby, waiting for seats.
Harley made his way to the maître d’s stand, and Jade was surprised when they were immediately escorted back to an intimate corner table. She settled into the chair across from Harley and accepted the menu that the maître d’ handed her.
Her gaze had barely flicked over the selection of seafood and steaks when another man approached the table and introduced himself as the restaurant’s sommelier. “May I offer you something from our extensive wine list?” he asked. “I highly recommend the 2014 Opus One, which is a lovely red blend, or the Silver Oak cabernet sauvignon.”
“Do you like red wine?” Harley asked.
She nodded. “Whatever you like best,” she said. In truth, she wasn’t sure if she liked red wine or not. She hadn’t drunk much wine in her lifetime. She occasionally had a glass of white wine at social functions, but that was about it. Especially after things went down with Lance. Somehow consuming any kind of addictive substance had made her uneasy for the first year or so. But she was willing to try whatever was appropriate for tonight. It was part of the experience, she supposed.
Harley looked over the wine list for a moment and ordered a bottle of something she couldn’t pronounce. The man seemed pleased, disappearing for a few moments and returning with Harley’s selection.
The sommelier went through the ritual of opening the wine and pouring a small sample for Harley to try. Once he approved, the man poured a glass for each of them and left the bottle on the table.
Jade casually picked up the wine menu and found what Harley had selected. It was a four-hundred-dollar bottle of wine, and didn’t even come close to being the most expensive choice on the list.
“You’ll get used to it,” he said with a smile as he seemed to notice her reaction.
Jade looked at him and frowned. “Get used to what?”
“Your new life. If it turns out that you’re the true Steele heiress, a lot of things are going to change. It took me a while to adjust, too, especially after spending so many years overseas. I was accustomed to living in such rough conditions that just coming back to the States was luxurious. Then once my company took off and I found I had more money than I could ever spend, it took time to adjust to a new way of looking at the world. I had always had a poor man’s perspective. In some ways I still do, but I tried to broaden my horizons. If I wanted something, I could have it. I could eat at nice restaurants and wear expensive suits. I can spend more than I paid in rent money for my old apartment on a single bottle of wine. The key for me is to never take it for granted.”
Jade wasn’t sure if she could ever do that. “Don’t you feel like an imposter?”
“Every day of my life. I thought for the longest time that people would see through it all and kick me to the curb as though I didn’t belong. But it never happened. The same will happen to you, Jade. You might feel out of place, but you’ll fit in soon enough. I’d say you already would fit in if you’d take a deep breath, take a sip of that ridiculously expensive wine and allow yourself to relax.”
She shook her head and looked back down at the menu. “I don’t know about it being that easy,” she said, but forced herself to take a deep breath, anyway. “I’m not so confident that my life is going to change, Harley. Even if you get the proof you need and the Steeles turn out to be my real parents, that doesn’t mean they’re going to welcome me with open arms. And even if they did, I doubt they’re going to give me a room in their mansion, hand me a checkbook and immediately rewrite their wills to include me. I might end up like the distant cousin that only gets invited to Christmas dinner. After all this, I’ll probably live the same middle-class life I’ve scratched out for myself.”
Jade reached for her glass and took a healthy sip. It was lovely. Better than the twelve-dollar-a-bottle stuff she was used to having from time to time, as well it should be.
It worked its magic on her quickly, however, especially on an empty stomach. The splash of cabernet warmed her and relaxed her muscles. Perhaps that was why the rich liked wine so much, she thought. It helped them deal with the stresses of their wealthy, complicated lives.
Harley looked at her across the table with exasperation in his blue eyes. “You haven’t even met these people yet and you’re already planning their inevitable rejection. Care to tell me why that is?”