Page 15 of Passionate Player

The waitress drops off our appetizers and tells us she’ll come back for our order in a bit.

“The Velvet Lotus is one of the hottest sushi spots in all of LA,” she says. “How did you manage to get a reservation?”

“My sparkling personality.”

“Yeah, that must be it,” she says with a laugh. “Try again.”

“My agent was able to throw his weight around a little and got us the reservation.”

“Oh, so I guess fame does have some perks after all, huh?”

“A few. Now and then,” I say with a grin.

As we chat and munch on our appetizer, I watch Bailey closely. She seems a little more subdued than normal and not her usual bright, bubbly self.

“You okay?” I ask.

“Huh? Yeah. Of course.”

“You seem off.”

She frowns and looks down at the table. It’s a brief pause, but it’s enough to tell me that she’s dealing with something. But then she raises her gaze and offers me a smile.

“I’m fine. Really.”

“Okay,” I reply, totally unconvinced. “But if you ever do want to talk, I’ve been told I’m a pretty good listener.”

“Yeah? And who told you that?”

“It was in a fortune cookie.”

She laughs. “Great. Thanks.”

“I mean it. I’m always here to listen.”

“I appreciate that.”

She seems to perk up a bit as the evening goes on. I can tell something is bothering her, but she doesn’t seem to want to put a damper on the evening, so she keeps it to herself. After I pay the bill, I step around and pull the chair back.

“You’re such a gentleman,” she says.

“You seem surprised.”

“Most guys these days aren’t as thoughtful.”

I shrug. “I’m old school, I guess.”

“That’s not a bad thing.”

As we step out of the restaurant, a booming crash of thunder sounds overhead. Bailey nearly jumps out of her skin, and I can’t stop the laughter that bursts from my mouth. She slaps my arm playfully but joins my laughter.

“Ass,” she says.

“Sorry.”

Before I can say anything else, the skies open up and a deluge of rain comes pouring down. She squeals and I quickly pull my coat off and throw it over her head.

“Come on,” I say.