Chapter 47: Cooked Through
"Is there something on my face?" Matteo asked, with a raised eyebrow. "You seem to be staring at it a lot."
"It’s nothing! I was just wondering if your food tastes good," Amelia said, her mind quickly looking for an excuse. She couldn’t tell him that his face was arrestingly handsome in the soft candlelight of the restaurant, that it conjured up an entire colony’s worth of butterflies in her stomach.
Mentally, she reminded herself that this date was a stunt. The camera flashes that nearly blinded her when she first entered the restaurant were a testament to that. The fact that Matteo didn’t book the entire restaurant also showed that he wanted people to see them, to talk about them, and to spread the word that they were together.
There were no real feelings involved in this damage control attempt, and she shouldn’t be so foolish to fall in love with Matteo over a full-course meal.
She made herself look at her dining table, reluctantly tearing her eyes away from the vision that was Matteo Montgomery in a pressed suit. It helped that food had already been served, and she could focus on her meal instead.
Since this was her first time at a restaurant so renowned, Matteo had offered his recommendations, and she had decided to follow suit, choosing a seafood spaghetti that featured actual lobster meat as a topping. It came with a piping hot lobster bisque soup, with herbs sprinkled on top.
All in all, it was a culinary delight. Amelia was half-afraid to learn how much it cost. The menu she was offered had given her plenty of flowery descriptions for each dish, but no actual prices.
At least Matteo was generous when it counted. The smell was heavenly, but Amelia’s nervousness made it hard to stomach much. She sipped her soup.
"Do you not like the lobster?" Matteo asked, concerned. "You hardly touched your food. I will have them give you something else."