“Okay, why are you so nervous, Brighton Rogers?”
I placed my hand over my stomach to calm the butterflies. I wasn’t sure what it was about Luke that had me in knots. Probably a small part of it in the back of my mind was because he was a famous actor, but I had gotten to know Luke Morrison, not Luke Walters. And boy, did I really like Luke Morrison.
Grabbing my coat, I slipped it on and reached for my purse before I headed down to the lobby.
“Hey, Jessie,” I said as I walked up to the doorman.
“Good evening, Ms. Rogers. You look nice this evening.”
I smiled. “Are you flirting with me?”
Jessie, who was probably old enough to be my grandfather, winked. “It’s a terrible thing, I know. But when I see a pretty girl, I can’t help myself.”
I laughed. I loved listening to Jessie speak in his native Irish brogue. He’d moved to the US to work for one of his cousins when he was twenty-nine. He’d met the love of his life, Lily, at a dinner party and they’d never looked back. Four kids and five dogs later, and Jessie was just as happy. He didn’t have to work, but said he needed to do something to keep from being bored after he’d retired. So he worked part time here in my building as the doorman. I was pretty positive Jessie had enough money to buy the building. Rumor had it he was actually the owner. I would believe it too.
“I’m telling you, it’s the Irish accent that does it for me, Jessie. If only you weren’t married.”
He laughed and waved me off. “Are you waiting for Wendy?”
Before I had a chance to answer, a Mercedes pulled up and Hank got out.
“That would be my ride.” I pointed while Jessie held the door open for me. “You don’t have to come out here, Jessie, Hank’s got it.”
He gave me a wink. “Be careful, lass, and have a good time.”
“I will!” I called back as I walked up to Hank. “Where’s the Jag?” I asked with a teasing smile.
“Mr. Morrison—the older one, I mean—required it tonight.”
I glanced at the back door and frowned. Why was Luke not getting out? “Is Luke back there?”
Hank shook his head. “He’ll meet you at the restaurant.”
I pulled my head back in surprise. “He’ll meet me there?”
Hank nodded and held open the door to the Mercedes for me, as if it was the most normal thing in the world for my date’s assistant to come and pick me up. I slipped into the backseat and took a long, deep breath before letting it out.
Once Hank was in the driver’s seat, I asked, “Does he do this often?”
“I’m sorry?” Hank asked as he met my gaze in the rearview mirror.
“Have you pick up his dates and bring them to him?”
Hank laughed. “If I’m being honest, Luke doesn’t date much at all.”
I wasn’t sure if that made me feel better or not, because Hank didn’t really answer the question.
Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to Sorellina and Hank jumped out of the car. He held out his hand, and I took it. “Enjoy your dinner, Ms. Rogers.”
“I call you Hank, so you can call me Brighton.”
He gave me a quick nod. “Brighton, it is.”
Hank walked me into the restaurant and leaned close to the hostess. “This is Ms. Rogers.”
Her eyes immediately went to me and a wide smile appeared on her face. “Good evening, Ms. Rogers, please follow me to your table.”
I quickly glanced at Hank, and he smiled. “Have fun.”
“Thank you, um, I will.”
I followed the hostess and realized we were going into a private room. “Mr. Morrison requested a private dinner this evening,” she said, looking back at me with another smile.
My stomach jumped. I’d never been to a restaurant where I got to sit in a private room before. We walked into the small room, and I couldn’t help but smile as I saw Luke stand. He was dressed in a suit and had shaved since I’d last seen him. He walked up to me, and when I stopped in front of him, he placed his hand on my waist and leaned down to kiss me.
“Would you like the wine now, Mr. Morrison?” the hostess asked.
Luke couldn’t seem to pull his eyes off of me while he answered. “Yes, thank you.”
“Ms. Rogers, would you like me to take your coat and hang it up?”
It appeared I was just as transfixed on Luke, because I couldn’t seem to find the words to speak. Luke walked around me and took off my coat, then handed it to the young woman.
I finally found my voice. “Thank you so much.”
“Of course. If you need anything, please let Robert, your waiter, know.”
Luke nodded, then pulled a chair out for me to sit. I placed my purse on the table and sat down. He leaned down and placed his mouth next to my ear. The heat made me shiver.