Mar drove me to Gin and Thomas. I frowned.
"Uh Mar, why are we here?"
"Your surprise silly…Mark is inside." She looked at the time on her cell. "Shit we're late actually. Hurry, we don't want to keep him waiting. She pulled me out of the car and practically pushed me into the restaurant. I gulped. The last time I was here I had been dating Josh.
"Come on Mar, really what is the surprise?"
"I'm not telling you…anyways you're about to find out." Mar walked up to a waiter. "Hi my friend is here for her date. Mark Diablo, if you could be so kind as to lead her to his table." The Waiter smiled and nodded. He held out his arm for me to take.
"Right this way Maim." I cringed inwardly. I was way too young to be a Maim. I looked back at Mar, and she gave me a bright smile and a thumbs up.
"Call me with the details later Gwen." Then she blew me a kiss and left me alone with the waiter. He looked down at me and raised a brow.
"Blind date?" he asked.
"Sort of," I said. He shook his head and started to lead me to the back of the restaurant. I saw Mark before he saw me, and what I saw almost made me stop dead in my tracks. He looked gorgeous, he had on a black Armani suite and his hair had been trimmed and tossed in a style that made him look sexier than hell.
"Lord almighty," said the waiter.
"Damn." His brow went up again.
"Sweetheart I think this may be your best blind date ever." He said giving me a shove towards the table. "Now go on. I'll send someone out to get you drinks." With that he turned and walked away. Leaving me to approach the hot man sitting and waiting. Taking a deep breath I started towards the table. His head lifted when I was about a foot away from the table. And when he looked at me his eyes widened and they lit up much like mine had not a moment before.
"Whoa," he said standing. "You look beautiful." I blushed and glanced at my feet.
"I was going to say the same about you." He flashed the smile that always sent my heart pounding. Then like a gentleman he pulled out my chair for me. "So this is the surprise that everyone was keeping from me?"
"Uh…part of it." A waiter came then.
"Hello, my name is Antony, I'll be your waiter this evening. What can I get you to drink?"
"I'll have a martini, and she'll have a ginger ale." I smirked. I wasn't sure if he was making the point that I was underage or that I was pregnant. Either way I appreciated his thoughtfulness.
"Two ginger ale's, please." The waiter bowed and went to get our drinks. Mark raised a brow at me. "I'm thirsty okay? Were you the one being dragged around all day by Marlene? I'm starving too. It's a good thing we're having dinner. I might've passed out on you otherwise." He chuckled.
"Yes well I was the one being dragged around by your mom."
"Yeah you're right, you had it worse." We both laughed. "So…what's the other half of the surprise?"
"You'll see."
An hour later I was full from my gourmet meal, and I'm pretty sure the baby was too. I looked across the table at a grinning Mark.
"What are you grining about?"
"Nothing."
"Uh huh.' I adjusted myself in my chair. I looked down at my stomach. "I'm fat." Mark snorted.
"If you say so toothpick…and anyways you're pregnant."
"Psh…I'm not that pregnant." I took a sip of my third glass of ginger ale. I glanced around the restaurant. "Can I ask why you chose this place?" Mark shrugged.
"I didn't, your mother did." I pursed my lips.
"Did she?" Mom knew that Josh's uncle worked here. Why would she send me here?
"Lass!" Mark and I jumped at the sound of Chef Gin's booming voice. I was immediately enveloped in a bear hug. "Och! Lass, it's been a while. Why haven't you come to visit?"
"Well im in college now. Plus Josh and I broke up…" Gin waved away my words.
"That boy told me what happened. And I already gave him a piece of my mind. Cheating on a beautiful Lass like you, shame on him." Gin looked at Mark. "Oh well, looks like you caught another one up. A handsome one too." Then he stared Mark in the eye and took on a very serious face that looked a bit goofy on his round face. "Now you take good care of this one. No breaking her heart, you hear?" Mark, a little stunned from the whole performance, looked at me, and his eyes softened.
"I swear I would never do such a thing." Gin seemed satisfied with his answer. He clapped his hands together.
"Now, for dessert! Let me think. Something special for the lass and er…what's your name laddie?"
"Mark…"
"Mark! Excellent name! Let me go whip up that dessert now." He turned to leave but Mark stopped him. He whispered something in Gin's ear, something that made the Chef grin from ear to ear. "Marvelous!" He exclaimed and headed into the kitchen.
"What did you say to him?" I asked Mark curiously. He fiddled with his tie.
"Oh nothing."