Valentine's Dinner?

12. Declarations

While Valerie sat braiding her hair, she asked, "What have you planned for dinner?"

"Nothing." Lorne shrugged. "I was told Sunday nights are rarely busy here, so I saw no need. What would you like?"

"What are the options?"

"Both Miyako and Pic are closed, so we're left with l'Accademia or the brasserie – unless we want to wander into town."

"Pic? Is that related to Restaurant Pic in Valence?"

"The same. Anne-Sophie Pic oversees both of them, except the one here has two Michelin stars instead of three."

She looked up at his reflection in the mirror. "Pity it's closed."

He bent and kissed her shoulder. "Yeah. Sundays and Mondays. We'll have to come back; it has one of the largest wine cellars in Europe."

Valerie stopped her braiding and turned to stare at him, her mind spinning as she slowly nodded. He's so easy with this. With the idea of us. "We'll have to fit it in. So, what about the two that are open?"

"One's an upscale Italian, and the other's an elegant French bistro."

"Hmmm."

"I love that."

And I love you. "What do you love?"

"Your endearing hum."

"My confused and hesitating one?"

"If you will. But it's endearing to me."

She finished her hair, then stood to make a slow turn in front of him. "What do you think?"

He drank her in as she continued turning. "The most beautiful creature on the planet."

Valerie stopped and raised her hands, waving them on either side of her head. "Up here, Lorne." She chuckled. "I meant my hair."

"I can look at that after you're dressed."

She took three quick steps and wrapped her arms around him, mashing his stiffness to his belly as she pressed her body to his. "You really are visual, aren't you?"

"I can't seem to get enough of you."

"You'll likely get too much if we move in with you."

"I don't think that's possible." He looked down into her eyes. "And, what's with the if? I thought we had decided."

O, God! He really does want us. "I guess it's when, isn't it." She pulled his face down for a kiss.

A quarter-hour later, after they had settled into side-by-side seats on a banquette in a corner of the brasserie, Valerie said, "You're right; it's not at all busy. So, what's good here?"

Lorne looked up from scanning the day's menu. "I don't know. This is my first time, so we'll have to experiment."

"There's a first time for everything." She chuckled. "Remember I said that Tuesday night? About using your club for other than business."

"That seems so long ago now. So many firsts since then." He leaned and kissed her lightly on the lips, and then he sat up and trembled. "So many."

"What's your favourite among them?"

"Uninhibited sharing." He bobbed his head for a while, then continued, "Yeah, learning what it means to love."

Oh, God! Did he say he loves me? She gazed into his eyes, searching for an answer. "This is also a first for me — allowing myself to love a man."

She watched the corners of his mouth turn up as he slowly nodded. He was about to speak when a waiter arrived.

"What may I bring you to drink?"

Lorne glanced at Valerie and then back to the waiter as he pointed to the wine list. "Some wine. Give us a minute or two to decide." 

After the waiter had nodded and left, Lorne opened the list. "I think Champagne would be appropriate to the occasion." 

"What's the occasion?"

"Us." He leaned and gave her lips another light kiss, then lingered a few inches away as he continued, "Us declaring our love for each other."

She mashed her mouth onto his, and then they relaxed into a long, exploring kiss. When their lips finally parted, she asked. "And how do you know I love you?"

"The way you've shared your soul and opened your darkest secrets to me. The way you lay asleep in my arms, so peaceful after such turmoil." He chuckled. "And the way you responded to the idea just now."

"Yeah." She ran a finger across his lips. "I had been wondering whether these feelings are just the euphoria from releasing our pent-up sexual tensions."

"And what had your analyses shown?"

"It's far beyond that."

"That's what I've seen..." Lorne paused to examine the wine list as the waiter approached again. "What about this, the P-J Belle Epoque? Or this, the Taittinger Comtes de Champagne?"

Valerie looked to where he pointed. "Ooh! I love Taittinger's '06 Blanc de Blanc. Let's have that."

After the waiter had taken the order and headed off, Lorne asked, "Do you know Taittinger was James Bond's favourite bubbly?"

"Yes, but only in Fleming's novels. In the movies, the marketing money displaced it as Dom Perignon and Bollinger bought their way to fame."

"Unfortunately, they didn't follow their new fame with quality; only with higher prices to cover the product placement costs and to pretend to their new-found market positions."

She tilted her head. "You seem to be well beyond just familiar with wine marketing. Are you involved?"

"I have substantial holdings in the drinks industry."

"As do I."

He chuckled. "We're likely competing with each other."

"Let's let that be for the moment. We need to concentrate on merging our lives first." She looked at him with a sheepish grin, then shook her head before continuing. "We need to. We've taken a huge step from our soup kitchen meetings to this weekend away. Our next step is far bigger."

"Yeah. I was thinking about this as you slept."

Oh, God! "And what did you see?"

"I use only the lower ground and the ground floors. It would be quick and easy to have the first, second and third cleaned and furnished for you."

Valerie nodded. He's already planned. This is happening. But separate spaces? "The separation might be useful."

"I had thought it would be better to ease into this — for appearance's sake. This will also be a big change for Chloe."

She turned and cradled the sides of his head between her hands. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I've sensed it must be the same as I feel for you."

Valerie and Lorne were deeply involved in another kiss when the waiter arrived and placed the ice bucket and its stand beside their table with sufficient sound to announce his presence. They opened their eyes and parted lips to watch the bottle being presented.

A short while later, they both winced at the loud pop and the sight of wine frothing from the bottle's neck. "Such a waste," Valerie mumbled, cutting off Lorne as he began to speak. "Sorry, you were about to say something."

He nibbled on her earlobe as he whispered. "Needs training."

After the waiter had poured a taste, Lorne moved his glass across the table to Valerie and took her empty one. "This was your selection." He winked, then he turned to the waiter and shrugged.

Valerie smiled as she tasted and approved, and once the waiter had poured their wine and left, she snickered. "I love the subtlety of your lesson to him."

"The best way is to show, not tell."

She raised her glass to him. "Here's to always showing each other what love means."