“Sebastian,” I growled. “What are you doing? That was my dinner!”
Sebastian simply shook his head. “No, it wasn’t.”
“What?”
“That was poison. Your dinner awaits…at the Bella Carmen.” He offered me his hand.
“Bella Carmen? But that’s a restaurant, right?”
“Yes,” Sebastian replied, a twinkle in his eye. “I’m taking you out for some fine dining.”
CHAPTER13
SEBASTIAN
Bella Carmen was in my top five favorite places to dine. The place was owned by my great-uncle’s brother-in-law, so every time I visited, the service was spot on. Mario had started with a shack on the beach back in the sixties, and then slowly, together with his wife, they had built it up to becomethespot to visit. All of the big names in the whole of Colombia had visited. Actors, singers, politicians. The view over the beach was the kind artists painted for galleries and the food was just exquisite.
We arrived just as the sun was setting. It had taken some persuasion to get Elly to agree to join me at the restaurant; she’d refused to budge for a good ten minutes until we’d called back the porter to reveal what was on the hospital menu that evening. Soggy rice with dark spots wasn’t exactly an athlete’s choice of meal. She had finally agreed, grudgingly.
For a moment, the view of the sea and the sun painting deep colors across the sky had both of us transfixed. The hospital had provided Elly with a wheelchair, but she had point-blank refused to sit in it. Instead, we watched the sun fall behind the ocean with her cautiously holding onto my arm for balance.
It was a strange feeling having her so close. Was I nervous?No, of course not. I’m just taking a pretty girl to a fancy dinner. It’s basically a business meeting. Nothing more.
Inside, a band played soft jazz music. A lilting saxophone melody floated through the large room, reflecting off the satin-band table linen, maneuvering around the portraits of past heroes, artists, and the sea. The room was a blend of gold, whites, and creams.
I could count the guests that were already ordering their dinner on both my hands. It was a little early for the usual crowd, which was exactly what I had wanted. Nobody to interrupt or listen in to what I was about to propose.
As per my instructions, Mario gave us the best seats in the house. But also, the seats with the most privacy. A cozy corner with a full view of the ocean. Elly eyed the distance from the door to the table with a look of apprehension. I put my arms around her waist and half-lifted her.
“Hey!” Her hands tried to push mine away. “Just because I’m injured, doesn’t mean you can take advantage of me. Take…”
I rolled my eyes and let her go. “I wasn’t taking advantage of you. I was trying to help you. Unless you want to limp all the way to our table,” I whispered, my hand sweeping the main room.
Elly pursed her lips to consider her options. She sighed. “Fine. But…”
Before she could finish, I had already picked her off her feet and half-carried her to her seat. For anyone else, this would have tallied as a romantic gesture by a chivalrous man, but the look Elly gave made it clear that wasn’t what she thought.
I don’t understand her,I thought.And yet, I want to.
We sat in silence for a couple of minutes, browsing the menu. I couldn’t help but smile. She really was stubborn.
“The menu is in Spanish.” I glanced up at her, one eyebrow raised, calling her out for not asking for help.
“Yes. And?” She looked up at me. Our gazes met. Her eyes really were beautiful and her looking at me stirred something inside me. I tried to laugh it off, whatever it was.
“Well, Ms. Stubborn, you don’t want me to translate it for you?”
Elly rolled her eyes. “In case you haven’t gathered yet, I’m not a damsel in distress. Your attempts at rescuing should really take like ten steps back. I can read Spanish,gracias.”
Fortunately, our waiter arrived just in time to take our orders. Elly flicked through the menu hurriedly.
“I’d recommend the house special,cazuela de mariscos,” I whispered across the table to her. “Cartagena is known for its seafood.”
Elly glanced over at me and then at the waiter. She nodded.
“And a bottle of soda water for the table.” I winked at Elly. There was a hint of a smile.Good. Maybe, just maybe…
The waiter left to fetch our bottle of soda water. Elly watched the waves roll back and forth as the wind started to pick up.