The Dinner Without Bodyguards
Chapter 19 - The Dinner Without Bodyguards
Their first date was at a little neighborhood restaurant where the tables wobbled and the owner wrote specials on a chalkboard. Dante arrived without his usual entourage. Evelyn wore a blue dress she'd bought herself after a promotion.
“I didn't expect you to choose a place like this,” he said.
“Because you own a dozen grander ones?”
“Because I would've chosen something terrible in an attempt to impress you.”
She laughed. “Then it's lucky I chose.”
They spoke about everything but court. He told her how his father taught him to cook, how he'd built an empire and lost parts of himself maintaining it. She spoke about Laura's stubborn kindness, Ben's medical studies, and her desire to run a restaurant where no employee had to choose between safety and a paycheck.
“Why don't you start one?” Dante asked.
“Because it takes money, experience, and more spreadsheets than I care to imagine.”
“Sounds like a plan, not a fantasy.”
She smiled. “Don't offer to buy it.”
“I wasn't going to.”
“Good.”
He held her gaze. “But if you ever want someone to listen to a business plan, I'm good at listening now.”
“You're improving,” she said.
***
They moved slowly. Evelyn kept her apartment and her work. Dante continued changing the way he managed his life, distancing his legitimate companies from criminal relationships and working with counsel to address the consequences of past decisions. The process was difficult and incomplete; he didn't pretend affection could erase wrongdoing.
Rose watched the relationship with cautious delight. She'd spent years wanting her son to have someone who challenged him without fearing him. She also reminded him that Evelyn's generosity wasn't something he could own.
One evening, as the two sat in Rose's garden, Evelyn asked Dante whether he could live with a woman who sometimes said no.
He laughed softly. “I think I need one.”
“No,” she said, smiling. “You need to be able to hear it.”
He took her hand. “Then keep teaching me.”
May you like
She shook her head. “We teach each other.”
And for the first time, he understood the difference.
