It's a short call from the restaurant confirming my reservation. I put my phone back in my pocket and take Veronica's hand in mine. “We gotta go.”
“Where are we going?” she asks as I pull her behind me towards my car.
“You'll find out soon enough.” I open the passenger door for her and wait to close it until she's safely tucked into the seat. She graces me with a grin just before I close the door and make my way over to the driver’s side to get behind the wheel. The car starts with a purr. Once we're on the main road, and I’m cruising in fifth gear, I reach over to grasp Veronica's hand in mine. I quickly glance towards her and the light from my head unit allows me to see her smile in the dark.
“So…” she drags out the word, “Now can you tell me where we're going?”
“Nope.”
“Pleassseee,” she begs.
“Nope.” I gently squeeze her hand.
“You're mean.”
“Well, that's not very nice.”
“You not telling me where we're going isn't very nice.”
“No, it's called a ‘surprise’. Maybe you’ve heard of them?”
I hear her huff in annoyance. “Well, are we almost there?”
“Kind of.”
“What? How long till we're there?”
I glance at the clock. “Hmm, twenty minutes give or take.”
I pull her hand over to my mouth, and place a kiss on the top. “Stop it. Please, let me do this for you.” I scan her face as it softens.
“Okay,” she responds, quietly. I place our intertwined hands on my thigh.
I smile. “Thank you.”
“So how did you get Taylor to agree to give up her Saturday with me?”
“It wasn't hard actually. She agreed pretty quickly. She was claiming she needed a break from you, or something along those lines.”
“Uh-huh,” she murmurs. “Did she ask to see your penis? I told that bitch it's mine.” I cannot contain the laughter that erupts from my mouth. “What?!”
“She's obsessed with penises.” I see her shoulders shrug in my peripheral vision.
“So, my penis is yours?” I joke. “I'm pretty sure it's connected to me.”
“And you're mine. So yeah, it's mine. Like I'm yours.”
I won't lie, my penis liked hearing that just as much as my heart. “Damn right, you are,” I growl. The sound of her laugh causes my lips to widen.
The large green metal sign hanging above the overpass reminds me that our exit is next. I shift lanes and Veronica hums next to me, grabbing my attention. Her eyes are narrowed and the tip of her finger tapping her bottom lip. This damn girl.
“Stop it,” I scold her. “I should've blindfolded you.”
“Do you want me to close my eyes?” she asks amused.
“I think I have a shirt somewhere in here, I can pull over and blind you with that,” I tell her while steering the car onto the exit ramp.
“I have no idea where we are, so I'm clueless.”
“Good.”
“Have you been here before?”
“I have.”
“With…?” she asks, a slight hesitation in her voice as if she doesn't want to know.
“Family.”
I can hear her exhale. I squeeze her hand in reassurance.
“Are we almost there?”
“Yep.”
We drive on the main road for a bit--and I let off the gas--allowing the car to slow down as we approach the wide driveway. The massive wooden sign is lit up and the name of the restaurant is prominent in the middle: ‘The Glasbern Inn’. I make the right onto the road. The long driveway is surrounded by trees on both sides until it opens into a clearing, and the large stone inn stands tall behind a fountain set in the middle of a roundabout. Veronica's body is turned, so she can look out her side of the window.
“So pretty,” she murmurs as we pass the large fountain. I pull up to the front, and two young men quickly approach the car. One’s opening my door and the other’s opening Veronica's. “Good evening, sir.”
I give him a polite ‘hello’, inform him of our bags and which suite we're booked in, and slip him a tip. Veronica comes to my side, and I place my hand upon her back, gently moving her forward and into the inn. Taylor did me a massive solid by packing a bag without Veronica knowing. The inside of the inn is all stone walls and wooden beams. Straight ahead is a large lobby desk for checking in and to the left of that is a massive staircase that leads up to the second floor. The most impressive part is the large chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It's far from your average chandelier; it's enormous and completely made of antlers.
Bypassing the main lobby, I guide us towards the left where a young girl in uniform stands behind a small stand. I give her my last name, and she smiles wide. “Your table is ready, Mr. Daniels.”
I nod, and we follow behind her as she leads towards the back of the dim-lit room. Couples are scattered around the dining area. Tables are spaced for privacy with a large candle set in the middle; there are small candles placed on each side. The hostess sets the menu in front of each chair and leaves us with a polite comment to enjoy our meal. Our table is nearby a large lit fireplace with windows on either side. I imagine the view would be scenic but, since it’s later into the evening, we can't see much.
Veronica leans forward while glancing at the candles. She speaks low, “This is so fancy!” I smile when she looks around the room again. “Fancy schmancy,” she mutters. Her eyes land back on me as she unrolls the utensils and places the white cloth on her lap. “To what is the occasion, Mr. Daniels?” She adds a British accent to her vocals.
“Ah, Miss Russo,” I respond in a thick, fake accent that causes her eyes to widen with surprise. “A beautiful maiden such as you deserves the fanciest of schmanciest of evenings.”
She laughs and shakes her head. “That was hot,” she admits, somewhat shyly. “This is seriously amazing, Chase. I'm feeling a bit spoiled.”
“Good. There's more to come.” I smile at her, then she bites her lip in that way I find incredibly sexy. Unfortunately, our waitress takes that moment to approach our table. After she introduces herself, she takes our drink orders and goes over the menu with precision before leaving us to make our selections. Veronica doesn't wait a beat to dive back into our previous conversation. She leans forward. “More?” she prods.
“More.”
She hums softly in thought, and I throw her a wink that I know puts her off-kilter. “No fair.”
“Don't worry, you'll enjoy it.”
“And you're so sure of yourself because...”
“Because it's my job to know you; your likes and dislikes. To fulfill you with your wants and needs and to know your every desire...and fill those too. I'm still learning, and I plan to continue learning for a long time,” I tell her this in complete seriousness. I can tell by her face that I have taken her by surprise. She remains quiet for a while, and I just wait.
“Wow,” she says low, but I catch it, “I wasn't expecting that. You better be careful or you'll never be able to get rid of me,” she jokes.