“Thank you,” the couple replied in unison.
“This is really fancy,” Diane said, taking in the setting.
The black-and-white theme extended further than the waitstaff as the drapes lining the walls were midnight black with gold trim, and the tablecloths were white with gold trim. She liked the monochromatic palette and thought it brought elegance and grace to the classy establishment.
“I know, right?” Derek cheesed. “My boss made the reservations. We were supposed to meet with a client here, but he canceled last minute. I decided to keep the reservation, and I'm glad I did. Seeing your happy face makes it worth it.”
“Oh.” That was all she could muster at his revelation. It felt like someone had just poured a bucket of ice water over her head, dampening her excitement— so much for spontaneity. Just then, their server walked over.
“Hi, my name is Julian. I’ll be your server this afternoon. Have you decided what you'll be having?” he asked with his hands behind his back.
“I'll just have a Caesar salad,” Diane smiled politely.
“Are you sure that's all you want?” Derek's brow furrowed while he stared at her with confusion.
“I'm sure,” she replied with a tight-lipped smile.
“Okay.” He shrugged before turning his attention to the server. “I'll have the steak, medium rare and...”
Diane blocked him out as she stared at the letters on the menu.
“What's wrong?” he asked as soon as the server departed.
She lifted her head to meet his eyes. “Nothing's wrong. Why do you ask?”
Derek's green eyes stared at her for a good ten seconds before he responded. “You've gone cold turkey on me. Was it something I said?”
“It's fine. I'm fine,” she reassured him.
“Okay,” he replied with a shrug. Just then, his phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket and turned the screen to his face. “I'm sorry, but I have to take this,” he said apologetically, pushing back his chair. He didn't wait for her response as he stood and walked away.
Diane watched with mouth ajar as he headed for the exit with the phone now glued to his ear. She closed her eyes tight as she willed her fast-beating heart and the feeling of anger threatening to take over to abate. When she was calm enough, she opened her eyes, drew deep breaths, and reached for her water. She wanted to be supportive of his job and why he was working so hard, but to her, it felt like he was doing it all so that he wouldn't have to spend time with her and discuss their upcoming wedding. Once more, she wondered if he wanted to get married— to her.
The server delivered their food ten minutes later, and he still hadn't returned. She debated starting without him but ultimately chose to wait on him. She had lost her appetite anyway.
“I'm sorry about that. A situation back at the office needed sorting out,” Derek apologetically explained as he took his seat.
“No one else could have handled that crisis?” she asked, staring at her salad.
“I mean, there are, but the boss trusts my opinions most. Let's just say I've got a feeling he's eyeing me to replace the senior VP when he retires,” he bragged.
“That's nice.” She forced a smile.
“Think about it, two months from now, I could be Derek Kent, Vice President of Dehring and Co.,” he said, cutting into his steak. “We can easily have your dream wedding.”
“My dream wedding?” Diane raised a brow as she let the fork fall from her fingers before leaning back in her seat. “This is not my wedding, Derek. It's our wedding.”
“I didn't mean it like that, Di.” He sighed. “I just want you to have the dream wedding I know you want. It's what any woman would want,” he explained.
“But I’m not any woman, Derek. I'm your fiancée. You should know by now that all I want is for you to be with me in this process of planning our wedding and our future. It doesn't matter if it takes place in a church or the courthouse as long as you're in this with me,” she pointed out.
“I am in this with you, Di,” He reached across the table to rest his hand on top of the one she had there. “I just want to give you everything that you deserve,” he spoke earnestly, fixing her with a serious gaze. “Just give me some time to get everything sorted at work, and I'm all yours.”
She hated feeling like she was being difficult, but she needed to ask the hard questions. “And what about our wedding plans? We should have met with the planner to finalize the menu and the floral arrangement, and book a DJ.”
“The wedding is literally five months away. We have time,” he reasoned. “Besides, I'm sure I'll be fine with whatever you decide.”
Disappointment curled in her stomach, and she lost what little appetite she had left. “Okay,” she responded lightly, then switched the conversation. “On another note, I'm thinking about taking out a loan with the bank to expand the bistro.”
