“You know that’s my job. How can I be a gentleman if you won’t let me?” he asked, shutting the door again. As soon as the door shut, he pulled the handle open again and grabbed her hand as she stepped out. She laughed at him for taking the time to prove his point.
They reached the entrance of the restaurant, hand in hand.
“Just the two of you?” asked the hostess.
“Actually, we have a reservation for four. I called yesterday. Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox, plus two,” Maverick responded. Pilar looked over at him, surprised that he had claimed her with his last name. She was shocked, but she liked the way it sounded.
“Oh, yes, I see it. Sorry, Mr. Wilcox. We will get you seated right away. Your table is ready for you.” She smiled and handed the four menus to the waitress that had walked up beside her.
“Follow me,” she said.
They walked behind her as she led them to their table. “My name is Breanna, and I will be your server tonight. Can I get you two started with any drinks while you’re waiting for your guests to arrive?” she asked when they were seated.
“Rum and Coke, please, and her favorite is raspberry lemonade,” Maverick responded, smiling at Pilar. She shook her head in agreement. She liked that he paid attention to the small details about her.
"I will get those started and bring out four waters as well.”
The waitress walked off in the direction of the bar, and Pilar glanced at Maverick.
“How sweet of you to remember something so small.” She grinned.
“I don’t think it’s small. I will never be able to learn enough about you. Every detail counts.” He grabbed her hand under the table and brought it over to his leg. They sat together and talked as Lydia slid onto the bench seat across from them. They hadn’t even seen her arrive.
“Hi, sis!” Lydia said excitedly at the sight of her sister.
“How are you?" Pilar climbed out of her seat to hug her sister. "I didn’t even see you come in." Hopefully, she couldn’t see their hands under the table. She wanted to be able to tell Lydia about Maverick without her finding out. That was the whole reason for the dinner.
Lydia looked up from the cell phone in her hands. “I noticed. But it’s okay. Man, this is a nice restaurant. What’s the occasion?”
“We will tell you as soon as the other guest arrives,” Maverick said.
“Ohhhh, so it is a fancy occasion. Who’s the other guest? You’re not setting me up, are you?” Lydia laughed.
“The waitress will be bringing out some water for us soon,” Pilar chimed in, changing the subject.
“Let me guess, you ordered raspberry lemonade with that as well, didn’t you?” Lydia shook her head.
“Of course." Maverick winked at her. "Clearly, you know her.”
Aunt Clarice suddenly appeared at the edge of the table, not saying a word. She was so silent that no one noticed she was standing there until the waitress had come back with their drinks.
“Hello, ma’am. You must be guest number four. Please, have a seat. I can take your drink order.”
That voice behind her snapped her out of the trance she had been in while staring at Maverick. She sat on the bench next to Lydia. They all smiled at her as she sat.
“About that drink, ma’am?” the waitress asked her again.
“The water is fine, thank you,” she answered, still staring at Maverick, who sat across from her. The waitress nodded and left the table after they all nodded in agreement to needing a minute or two longer to order.
Maverick started the conversation to break the silence. “Hello, Aunt Clarice. We’re so glad that you could make it tonight.” She continued to stare in silence, her eyes wide.
He wiggled a little under her gaze, chuckling nervously. “I look different, right? Yeah, it’s a long story, but we brought you both here tonight to attempt to share with you the short version.”
Pilar interrupted, “Well, that’s one of the reasons we brought you here.” She looked down at their hands still placed on his leg and squeezed his in excitement.
“Okay, what’s going on then?” Clarice finally responded.
“Well, a lot has happened since we met, and I'm not going to lie. Most of it was bad. We don’t want to sit here and worry you about things that have already happened, though. We wanted you to know the good news that came from all of it.” Maverick sounded thrilled. “In order for me to be safe from all that had been happening and to stop the man that had been trying to hurt me, I had to change.”