*

“Oh, wow,” Sarah whispered quietly. She closed her eyes and savored the succulent flavor of the light and delectable sea scallop on her fork. “This is amazing.” She sank down in her chair in utter surrender. In fact, it was so much more than amazing. It was heavenly. That was it. For a moment, she thought she’d died and gone to heaven.

James chuckled quietly at her response to the dish. “I was hoping you would like it.” He leaned a little further into her across the table. “I think that was my exact reaction the first time I ate here. The chef is world-renowned, and when you’d told me on the phone you’d never been here, I knew I had to fix that.”

“It’s a wonderful restaurant. Thank you for introducing me to it.” It was a crazy expensive restaurant is what it was, and Sarah couldn’t quite relax. She looked around Fleur de Lys, the French restaurant James had selected for their second date. It was the picture of everything opulent. Everything she wasn’t. The dining room was accented with touches of gold, grand bouquets, and votive candles. From the ceiling, patterned fabric tented softly overhead offering the feel of dining under a large canopy. Sarah was a bit shocked when she initially opened the menu and caught the lavish prices, but it was clear to her that James wanted the evening to be special, and to be honest, so did she. So she was willing to ignore the unease that she felt. She was determined to enjoy the evening with this wonderful man and not concentrate on the fact the cost of their dinner would add up to a fourth of her rent for the month.

“So I have a confession to make,” James began. Was he actually nervous? Again, cute. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about our date last week. You made quite an impression on me, Sarah.”

She smiled. “I had a great time too. I’m so glad we decided to do it again.”

“Is it too soon to ask for a third date?” He laughed, yet made it clear he was sincere.

She matched his smile. “I accept.” There was something about him that she liked. He was easygoing, kind, and a complete gentleman. Her hopes were high and she was truly having a fantastic evening. The conversation had never lulled, they’d laughed together easily, and as an extra added bonus, he was really good-looking. Yes, sir. Things were looking up indeed. She owed Carmen big time for this.

James picked up his wine glass and offered a toast. “To new beginnings.”

She lightly touched her glass to his. “New beginnings. Cheers.” She brought the glass to her lips slowly and sipped the sweet red wine, never taking her eyes from his.

“How’s work?”

“Busy. I’ve been working in the field the past couple of weeks to help my mother out, but I’m not complaining. I’m happy to do it.”

He shook his head. “I find it admirable that you’ve been so loyal to your mother. Family is important to me, and it clearly is to you as well. You should be proud of the choices you’ve made.”

“Thanks, that’s sweet of you.” Sarah reached for her wine then, just in time for her eyes to land on a familiar blonde two tables away. Surely, it couldn’t be. But it was. She’d never seen Emory Owen outside of the Banning Street house, and seeing her here, now, in the real world, was surreal, almost like when you see your teacher at the grocery store. She was talking quietly with a striking brunette who delicately sipped from a martini glass. If Emory was surprised to see Sarah, she didn’t show it. She nodded her head in silent greeting, a smile eventually making its way onto her lips. Sarah smiled back shyly. The brunette, picking up on some kind of exchange, tossed a quick glance in Sarah’s direction before turning back to Emory, who leaned in, probably in explanation.

“You know Emory Owen?” James asked, inclining his head discreetly in Emory’s direction.

Sarah nodded, sipping her wine. “She’s a client. We’ve gotten to know each other a little bit over the past couple of weeks. How do you know her?”

“My firm’s done work with her company, and of course, I know of her from friends of friends. Nothing against her, but she’s one of those trust fund babies who’s practically had the world handed to her. Must be nice not to have to work as hard as the rest of us.”

Sarah thought of the long hours Emory consistently put in and the careful work she’d done to get her company off the ground. The description didn’t seem to match, but she decided not to argue the point.

“And just so you’re aware,” he lowered his voice. “She’s a lesbian. Not that it’s a bad thing. I just thought you should know.”

“Ah. Yes, I think she mentioned that.” But Sarah couldn’t help notice the underlying warning in his voice, almost as if Emory were a predator and she the unassuming prey. The idea almost made her laugh out loud. James was a nice guy but clearly not as worldly as he would like to think. Only a minor strike against him.

“Just didn’t want it to come as a shock.”

She nodded, understanding that James meant no harm. He just didn’t have a lot of experience in this department, not that she did either for that matter.

They made small talk as they ate, and occasionally, Sarah’s gaze drifted in the direction of the table two away from theirs. She wondered how the two women knew each other. A date, maybe? She couldn’t be sure. They seemed very comfortable together, and if they were dating, they certainly made a striking pair. In the course of her ascertainment, she somehow became aware of the fact that James was offering her the details of his recent move from an apartment to a house, and she was also aware of the fact that she wasn’t actually listening. She was nodding—she was a great nodder—but her attention was captivated by the activity at the nearby table.

The brunette was laughing at something Emory said, and Emory was shaking her head trying to contain her own laughter.

Damn it, she should stop staring. It was rude and intrusive.

And she would.

She focused on James then and forced herself to ask a question that would bring her back into the fold of the conversation. “Do you feel at home there yet, in your new place?”

“Not quite. But I’m sure with time I’ll get there. It’s the perfect place for me with room to grow into, you know?”

“I’m sure you will.” She nodded again, but her gaze was pulled across the room as if attached to a magnet.

*

“Oh, and that brings me to my next topic,” Lucy said, “which is to congratulate, and at the same time scold you, for your much talked about dalliance at The Edge last week. Mia was all too eager to dish every last detail when I saw her for lunch.”

Emory regarded the after-dinner drink in front of her and frowned in annoyance. She hated the way information traveled like wildfire among their group of friends. “It was not, what was the word you just used? A dalliance. I danced with a woman, actually a girl if you want to get technical. Not a big deal, Luce.”

“It is a big deal if you took her home with you. It’s been a while since you’ve gotten out there. This is kind of monumental.”

Emory couldn’t help but laugh then. “I would hardly call whatever that was dating, and no, just for the record, she absolutely did not go home with me. I don’t think I could stand myself if I slept with a woman who uses five letters to spell Amy.”

“Such an elitist bitch,” Lucy mused, clearly enjoying it.

“Am I?” Emory laughed along with her. “I wish I wasn’t. I don’t want to be.”

“It’s okay, Em. I think it’s our lot in life. We were brought up to be selective about who we surround ourselves with. There are worse things in life than good breeding, trust me.”

Emory thought about that sentence and the people she did choose to surround herself with. She didn’t have a whole lot of family left. There was Vanessa, but she lived in Colorado with her own family, and they’d never been close. She had Lucy, Mia, and their circle of friends, and of course, her assistant, Trevor, and the people she worked with. She also spent time with the co-chairs of the various charities she volunteered with—planning events, galas, and fundraising opportunities. And lately, there had been Sarah. Her gaze moved across the short distance between them and she studied her. When she’d first recognized Sarah in the restaurant, her movement had stilled, and she’d lost the last bit of something Lucy was saying about olives.