He would replay that moment in his head over and over again. He did just that as he got the pie out of the oven and placed two slices on small plates with generous scoops of ice cream. When he brought out their next course, Isa had poured each of them more wine. It was a clear sign that she agreed.
This was a date.
“The dessert is from my aunt Macie’s shop.”
“Nice. What’s that called? Tiger Sweets?”
He grinned. “That would have been good, but no. It’s Sweets, Sweets, Sweets.”
“Clever.” Isa laughed. “Tells you exactly what to expect.”
“Her concoctions are the best. She makes this cherry-rhubarb pie that makes me wanna cry. I hope you enjoy it.”
“I’m sure I will. I’ve noticed there is quite a bit of tiger stuff around town. Is there a particular reason?” Isa brought her fork to her mouth and moaned when the dessert hit her tongue. “This is amazing. I love pie. Pie is amazing. Sometimes, I would say, pie is better than cake. This pie? This pie proves it.”
“What? Woman, do you hear what you’re saying? Pie is not better than cake. My aunt is a baker, and she would definitely agree with me.”
Isa dove for another bite. “Pie. All the way.”
Valens chuckled. “Next date, we’re having cake. We’ll put this debate to rest.”
“Next time?” she asked, her eyes glowing with so many things. Desire. Lust. Excitement. Pie love.
There definitely needed to be a next time.
11
ISA
The Tiger Cafe was as adorable as Valens had told her it was. The little round tables were covered in creamy yellow tablecloths accented by small candleholders shaped like tigers. The soft sounds of an instrumental playlist wafted over the speakers giving the whole place a sweet ambiance. The delicious smells coming from the kitchen made Isa’s stomach growl.
“Hey, there,” a middle-aged woman with dark brown hair streaked with silver said with a smile. “What can I get for you today? Would you like to hear our special?”
Isa returned the smile because this woman screamed maternal. She had to curb the need to hug her and call her mommy. Maybe it was the scent of fresh bread or the woman’s kind face, but Isa felt at peace.
“I’m actually meeting someone.”
The woman’s eyes sparkled as she giggled like a schoolgirl. “Oh! You’re Isa! You’re the young lady Valens told me about.”
“Of course, you’re his aunt. Ms. Thatcher. I’m so pleased to meet you. Your lasagna was out of this world.”
She waved her off, blushing. “You have to call me Minnie. I insist. Is Valens meeting you here? Is he late, that naughty boy.”
Isa laughed. “No. He’s not. I’m early.”
“Well, let me get you a nice bowl of chowder while you wait.”
“That sounds amazing. Thank you.”
As Isa waited, soaking in the warmth of the restaurant, her phone pinged with a message. Thinking it was Valens, she grabbed it from her purse.
It wasn’t Valens.
YourOne&Only: I don’t know why you think the fancy doctor can show you a good time. He’s a lame pussy. You need a real man. You need me. Don’t make this mistake, Isa. You won’t like it when I get mad…
She shivered and dropped her phone onto the table.
“Whoa. Are you okay?” Valens asked, his hand going to her shoulder.
She sighed. “No. Yes. I don’t know. I just got an upsetting message.”
Valens picked up her phone and read the message, his eyes scanning through it. “What the fuck?” He used his thumb to scroll further. “Isa. You have a stalker.”
“I know, yeah.”
“Do the police know?”
She shrugged. “There’s nothing to do. He hasn’t threatened me.”
Valens waved her phone. “This is a threat.”
“Right, I get that. But none of it is really actionable. I showed Luke, who deals with all of my legal stuff. He said it wasn’t a big deal. Just ignore it.”
“That is not good advice. We need to tell my brother about this. Get something on file. How does he even know where you are? That we’re meeting?”
“Honestly? No clue. No matter where I am in the world, he always finds a way to guess what I’m doing and who I’m doing it with.”
Valens sat at the chair in front of her. “Isa, daredevil, I don’t wanna scare you, honey. This is serious. Either someone is feeding him information, or there is malware on your phone or computer or…”
“Or?” she offered after a long silence.
“You won’t like what I’ll say. You barely know me, and I don’t want to upset you.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re running that risk already. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“It could be someone on your team.”
Isa burst out laughing. “Not a chance. You’re way off base. Tarrah is head over heels, madly in love with Luke. And Luke is… I don’t know what Luke is, but he isn’t dangerous or into me at all. I’m like the exasperating little sister he has to follow around the world to make sure I don’t die on a hill somewhere.”
“I don’t like it. This needs to be addressed.”
Isa took her phone back from his hand and slapped it onto the table. She spoke through gritted teeth. “I really don’t want to make a scene in your aunt’s restaurant. It’s a cute place, and she is an adorable woman who is about to give me chowder. You’re going to sit your butt in that chair, and we’re going to have a nice meal without talking about my stalker. Those are my terms. If you don’t like it, leave. I don’t want you to ruin chowder time.”
Valens’s jaw clenched down so hard, Isa could see it ticking. His eyes were darker, and there was no doubt in her mind she was pushing him to his limits.
Good.
The doctor needed to be pushed out of his comfort zone a bit.
“Well, you can keep staring at me like that. I’m gonna eat.”
Thankfully, Minnie appeared with a bowl of chowder and laid it on the table. “You eat, Isa. I’ll bring you a bowl, Valens. Sit down before you scare the customers. Don’t make me sic your mom, Reina, and Bree on you.” She winked at him, and Isa could tell her words had another meaning for Valens.
Begrudgingly, he sat and crossed his arms.
“Are you gonna sit there and watch me eat?”
“Well, you said I can’t talk about the stalker, so what else am I gonna say?”
“Oh, I dunno. How about you tell me how your day was? It’s called have a conversation, Valens. You know how. I’ve seen you do it before.”
Isa felt bad for giving him crap, but she also didn’t like the whole overprotective thing Valens had going. It was suffocating as fuck and reminded her way too much about her dad. It wouldn’t even be something she was okay with a boyfriend or partner.
“You’ve got some mouth. I’ll give you that,” he grumbled.
“I know. Let me handle my business. I’ve been dealing with this creeper for years.” She kept the rest of her thoughts silent. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she’d known Valens for a week now.