I got my water and walked back into the living room. Ezra was standing by the windows with a glass of whiskey in his hand. “The wine Hale keeps is excellent. You should try a glass and relax. You’re so pent up, nervous and scared. I wouldn’t stay if I thought it would cause you problems. Trust me on that Sammy Jo.”
He came directly to the point and I liked that.
“Okay,” I heard myself say.
Ezra smiled and the grin made my heart do a stutter like it was trying to tell me something. He was really nice to look at. Now that I didn’t dislike him so much, I could admit the man was beautiful.
“Good!” was his jovial reply. He walked back to the bar and opened a bottle, pouring wine in a massive glass. The liquid was so red it was black.
“I’m not a big drinker,” I admitted.
Ezra smirked this time. “I didn’t exactly peg you as a whorish party animal. The glass is big so you can move it around. Look at it. Shit like that. I’ve never really understood it myself. I’m not exactly a connoisseur.”
He was teasing me and self-deprecating, all at the very same time. That was really hard to do, to make fun of yourself and another without being mean about it. Taking the glass I couldn’t help but smile up into his face and teeth. He made being away from everything that I loved easier, which gave me peace.
Taking a small sip the liquid was rich and expensive tasting on my tongue. You could actually smell the dollars rising from the glass. The only other wine I had sampled was some homemade swill in Moulton. Ben’s dad had made a batch from blackberries with a tart, sour taste. It didn’t have the smoothness of what I was drinking. This was velvet on your tongue.
“I don’t know much about wine, but this sure tastes nice goin’ down.”
“It should,” he replied with a laugh. “It’s four hundred dollars a bottle.” He then nodded his head out to the balcony as I collected myself from the floor. “I’ve already called in our order. They’ll ring me when they arrive downstairs. Let’s go outside and enjoy the evening.”
Although this wasn’t a date or anything romantic I felt like it was becoming that. We’d done things I once imagined I’d do with Hale, but now I didn’t want to be around him.
“When do you leave?” I asked him, once we stepped outside. That suddenly made me sad. The idea of Ezra’s going. I hadn’t been alone today. I liked having him around.
He shrugged. “Never know. When the job calls I move quick and immediate.”
And what job was that exactly?
“Are you ever going to tell me what it is you do?”
He didn’t look directly at me but I could see his shoulders tense.
“No,” was all he said.
He had his reasons for being quiet. And just because he’d shown me a good time didn’t mean his secrets were mine. I wanted to know more about Ezra. My curiosity was subject to fancy. My imagination got the best of me.
“I worked at a bakery with my mom, until Hale came in one day.” I told him because I wanted to share my life. The connection was important to me.
“Do you miss it?” His stare came back and was riveted.
“I miss my family and friends, not Moulton. Coming here was a much better choice.”
“And is this world what you thought it would be?”
I thought about that question. Was it? Yes and no. “Not completely. But I’ve only just begun.”
He appeared thoughtful and reserved. “New York City isn’t your final destination?”
I shook my head. “No it’s not. It’s the beginning of a very long trip.”
“Don’t let your desire to see it all make you loose sight of what’s best.”
What exactly did he mean by that?
“What exactly do you mean by that?”
He turned his baby blue gaze to the city. “Don’t simply settle for what you think can fulfill the dream you have. Some roads to a dream, or through it, can actually be paths to a nightmare.”
Again he was warning me. But why and from what? Did he worry about me with Hale?
“I don’t want more from Hale than a job.” I blurted it like a confession.
“Yes, but Hale wants you. He’ll want more and more each day.”
I finished my wine, let the warmth relax my body and then Ezra filled it again. I drank my second glass while I watched him get the order from the takeout guy in the hallway. He then grabbed a couple of plates. He was comfortable here as if he knew the place well. Ezra did more than I realized.
The mystery around him seemed less important after my second glass. When he filled it again the mystery of wine was the best idea to muse on. I’d have to investigate it further.
Chapter Ten
Ezra had been correct. The Chinese food was delicious. The best I’d ever eaten. Being this close to that particular restaurant was a major perk for me. I’d be ordering again for sure.
He spent the meal telling stories from his past. I laughed for an hour and a half. They weren’t detailed nor did they give me any insight into what he actually did. But they showed me who he was as a person. He wasn’t from wealth like Hale. That much I’d gotten from the tales. I also didn’t think he respected Hale. Or if he did he didn’t show it.
The buzz from the wine relaxed me and I enjoyed my dinner immensely. Just as much as Ezra’s company. When he laughed his eyes lit up. There was a beauty in the flash that I wanted to admit before I blurted it out. I didn’t think he was starving for complements, or sponging attention from others, but he was, and he was pretty. Although I didn’t want him to think I was flirting. I didn’t know what to do.