“No,” he answers carefully. “Listen, you should know that I really had to beg to get her to agree to help, so don’t be angry with her. To be honest, she wouldn’t budge so I had to call in the big guns and she really isn’t happy with me right now. To be blunt, I wanted to see you again. Let’s have a meal and talk. What do you say?”

The rubber is meeting the road for me right now. Last night I spent a good portion of time upset with myself for not trying something different. If I keep my guard up and I give Exton nothing to hurt me with, I’ll be fine.

With a deep breath for courage, I nod. “I can’t believe I’m doing this but . . . fine. I’ll have dinner with you.”

His smile of relief makes me feel all quivery inside. “You won’t regret this,” he says firmly. I shiver as he sets his hand on my lower back to guide me to the table. I’m surprised to find that my natural response is to lean into him. I only just barely manage to keep myself from doing just that.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but when we get to the table he pulls the chair out for me and stands at my side like a gentleman as I settle in. Only when I’m in place does he walk around the table to sit down himself.

My heart is racing and my mind is blown because I’m sitting at a candlelit dinner table in an otherwise empty restaurant with Exton. I don’t know if I can take it further than this, but I’m proud of myself for having dinner with a man for the first time in five years.

“So,” I say nervously, “You own this?”

Smiling at me, he nods. “I’m what’s called a silent owner. Dante and I each put up some money for our friend from college, Lazarus Charles, to start his own place.”

“Oh my gosh,” I say excitedly. “Lazarus is opening his own restaurant? I watched his season of Chef-Tacular! I was totally rooting for him, not that silver haired witch who screamed at everyone in the kitchen.”

Nodding in agreement, Exton laughs. “He really should have won, but in the end it’s probably been a blessing for him that he didn’t. If he had, he’d be under contract with the Flavor Network for five years and they would’ve owned his ass. This way he got his name out there to a national audience and that will bring people in here. Once it gets big, and I know that it will, he’ll buy Dante and I out. This was just our way to support our friend so that he could strike while the iron is hot.”

I like the fact that he is supportive of his friend, a lot. It makes him more human to me—less like someone that I can think of as being just some douchebag celebrity with no real connections.

“Not only is that a great friend thing to do, it’s amazing for people like me who wanted Lazarus to succeed.” Toning down my excitement level a bit, I let out a nervous laugh. “Sorry, I’m a total foodie. I love to watch food shows and dream about eating in some of the restaurants they showcase.”

“Don’t apologize, I think it’s perfect. I’m a foodie too, thanks to Laz. When we roomed together in college I didn’t know the difference between a corndog and a five star meal, but he and Dante changed all of that. The meals that used to come out of the kitchen at our house were nothing short of perfection.”

Shaking my head in wonder I say, “I really need to talk to Sabrina about the fact that neither she nor Dante have ever said a word about knowing either one of you. The only thing you’ve said so far that I did know is that Dante can cook. Sabrina says that it’s one of the reasons she loves him.”

We’re interrupted when a server comes out and pours iced water for both of us as he confirms with Exton what bottle of wine will be paired with the appetizer. As soon as the waiter departs, he turns his attention right back to me.

“That’s probably my fault,” he says. “He felt like he’d failed me as a friend somehow after one of his former—uh, flings I guess you would call it—turned up at my house. Naked. She’d gone through his phone and had pulled my contact card. He felt responsible because he’d introduced me to her, but that was bullshit. She was a psycho, and he couldn’t have known. Unfortunately the die was cast when that happened so he’s always been a lot more tight-lipped about our friendship. I knew that Sabrina was it for him when he told me that he wanted me to meet her. While they were dating I was off in Dubai working on Snowing Sand, so when I got home and met her they were already married. Since then she’s become like family to me, so I think she’s as protective as he is. I know they didn’t mean any offense by keeping it quiet. They both speak very highly of you.”

I can’t help but smile. “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not offended—I was just playing around. To be honest, it’s no less than I would expect from them. If I didn’t see their family coming in and out of the building, I wouldn’t know that they’re related to the Renegade Saints. They’re not the type of people that need to brag about knowing celebrities, which only makes them that much more amazing in my book. I’ll tell you what’s weird though,” I say with a chuckle.

Raising an eyebrow at me he asks, “What?”

“I had no idea that you were Uncle E. I started going to the kids’ birthday parties and other family events over the last year but you were never there. I assumed Uncle E was a relative that lived far away.”

“Ah, yes. I’ve missed several things this year, all because I was in Montreal while the last script I did was being shot. Now I’m stationary for the foreseeable future while I work on my next project.”

As I absently run my finger around the rim of my water glass I ask, “What are you working on now?”

His eyes light up as he leans forward. “I’m working on a TV show about an underground MMA club. It’s dark, violent and gritty, but I really think it’s the best thing I’ve written in years, if not my best ever. It’s exciting and different and the great thing is that with TV I’ll be able to give the story a lot more depth.”

I feel a twinge of jealousy about his enthusiasm for writing, but mostly I’m feeding off of his excitement. “That’s awesome,” I say happily. “I can tell that you’re really passionate about this.”

“Once I know that I’m supposed to do something, I always see it through,” he replies. The fact that he looks straight into my eyes as he says it tells me that had a double meaning. I really don’t know why he’s so interested in me, but I can’t imagine that it will last very long.

Our server interrupts us when he brings out a tray filled with plates. One by one they’re set on the table and my stomach growls as I survey it all. Looking up at Exton, I shake my head in shock. “There are so many options,” I say with a laugh.

Exton picks up a fork and knife as he winks at me, then slices into something and holds it up for me to take a bite. “Laz is very passionate about people enjoying his food,” he says huskily. “I asked him to prepare the signature Italian feast he’s famous for. You made my day when you told me that you’re a fellow foodie. You can’t imagine what you’re in for when these flavors explode across your tongue.”

Opening my mouth, I accept the forkful of food that he’s offering. Closing my eyes I barely contain a sound of pure bliss as the taste of what is undoubtedly the best calamari I’ve ever had invades my senses. It’s so good that it’s actually magical.

Bite after bite of the delicious fare makes its way into both of our mouths as we continue talking about our lives. Whether intentional or not, we more or less avoid talk of the distant past, something that helps to settle my nerves. I don’t talk to anyone about what happened to me in the past and I’d like to keep it that way.

We have very similar interests, including taste in movies and television. He makes me laugh with stories about living with Lazarus and Dante, and I tell him all about my Friday night food ritual with my local Chinese place and my obsession with Scentsy products. We talk about our parents and discover that neither of us have fathers in our lives. He tells me a bit about his mom, Edina, and laughs as he admits that she still refers to him as her baby boy. Once Exton graduated college, Edina moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. I crack up when he tells me that her hippy-ish ways have really flourished being there, so much so that she refuses to get a cell phone because they’re responsible for the downfall of society.