Date Shark

Date Shark Chapter One

He paused, waiting for their assent to give them the details of these special dishes. Leila was still too deflated to respond, but Eli nodded.

"To start off your meal, our chef offers a panzanella caprese salad, a delectable mix of two Italian classics. The entrée features miso-glazed sea bass with asparagus, followed by a dark chocolate truffle tart with a raspberry reduction for desert." Pierce smiled at Leila. "The truffle tart is especially divine. My favorite desert Chef Alonzo has come up with yet."

His easy attitude helped Leila regain a little of her composure. She smiled back and dared looking over at Eli after Pierce took his leave. She was encouraged by the pleasant expression on his face.

"Pierce is a secret chocolate fanatic. Chef Alonzo saves him a dessert every night, but don't tell him I told you that," Eli said, a playful glint in his eye.

"My lips are sealed." He chuckled at her response. It was a pleasant sound, and the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed made Leila smile again.

When she realized she was still holding her purse in her lap, Leila glanced around for somewhere to put it. The chair had a rounded back and no arm rests. She settled for setting it next to her on the chair, but it slid off immediately with an audible thump. Eli looked over at her curiously. Cringing, Leila reached down and snatched her purse off the floor and let it fall back into her lap.

She dropped her eyes to hide her scarlet cheeks and opened her menu. Deciphering its contents would be a perfect distraction. Like the chef's special, she had no idea what most of it meant. If Pierce hadn't said the panzanella caprese was a salad, she wouldn't have had a clue. She also didn't know what miso was. The menu was filled with the names of dishes she was sure were fabulous, but the lack of descriptions left Leila lost. Was panko chicken different from regular chicken? What was raita? She wasn't even sure whether pancetta was a meat or a vegetable.

Their waiter arrived and took the drink orders with polite professionalism. Not as friendly as Pierce was, Tony only broke his uptight demeanor once. Right before he left, his eyes swept over Leila in consideration. It wasn't a glance to scope out her figure or looks; it was clearly curiosity to know what was wrong with her. Suddenly, Leila's earlier wondering about whether Pierce knew about Eli's job was answered. They must all know. Pierce was simply better at hiding. Tony turned away as if nothing had happened-and really it hadn't-but with a deft sweep of her finger, Leila untucked her brunette hair from behind her ear. It fell forward to cover her face, and her embarrassment.

"Have you decided what to order?" Eli asked.

Leila folded her indecipherable menu and set it down. "The special sounds so good, I think I'll have that."

"I usually prefer a ginger sauce when it comes to Japanese cuisine, but Alonzo does make a very good miso sauce. Have you ever had it before?"

"Oh yes," Leila lied. "I prefer it over ginger." Her quick smile attempted to cover her deceit. The corner of Eli's mouth twitched. He wasn't buying it. "Actually, I've never much liked ginger, in anything. Gingerale and ginger snaps make me gag. My mom tried to give me some kind of ginger tea when I was sick once and it made me throw up. I didn't like it before then, and I liked it even less after that."