Fractured [SHAWN MENDES]

~50~

Taryn smoothed her body-hugging dress when they got to the entrance of the elegant restaurant Shawn had chosen for her birthday dinner. She'd never been somewhere this nice, so she felt a bit out of place.

"You look gorgeous," Shawn whispered in her ear as he read her body language.

The maître d' greeted them warmly and then they were escorted to their table for two. On a gold plate at Taryn's spot was a small gift.

"You've already broken the rules by taking me somewhere so expensive," she said once they were seated. "I'm scared to see what's in this box."

When Shawn first mentioned her birthday, she'd set strict guidelines regarding how much he could spend. She knew he could afford an extravagant gift, but that wasn't what she was comfortable with; she wanted something small and meaningful.

He held his hands up. "I stayed within your parameters, but dinner doesn't count. It's your special day and you deserve to eat the best food that Toronto has to offer."

She looked down at the prix fix menu and tried to decipher what exactly they'd be eating tonight. Foie gras...koshihikari rice...pain au lait...Muscovy duck? This was definitely going to be an exciting culinary experience, and she appreciated that he wanted to treat her to such luxurious food, even if she had no idea what any of it was.

The sommelier brought over a bottle of champagne and opened it. Taryn suspected that it cost ten times what she'd paid for her new dress, but she decided to bite her tongue.

Shawn held up his crystal flute. "Happy birthday to the woman I love."

She smiled and held her glass up, too. "Thank you to the man that I love."

The tasting menu was designed to be savored over several hours. Each course had small portions of masterfully prepared and artistically decorated foods that the waiter was kind enough to explain to Taryn. Shawn was content to sample each thing without really knowing what it was, but she was curious about every ingredient and how each thing was prepared.

"Are you abandoning the brewpub idea for a fancy restaurant?" he teased.

"God no! I wouldn't know the first thing about owning and running a place like this. I just like to hear what the chef has created. It's all so unique and beautiful."

"What are your thoughts on this wine?"

They'd finished the champagne and were following the suggested pairings on the menu. It was a good thing they'd walked the five blocks to the restaurant, since both of them were starting to feel the effects of the alcohol.

Taryn took a sip. "It's quite dry, but I like it."

"I preferred the last one, but I can see why a red complements this course."

She giggled. "This is such a different dinner than the one the other night. No one talked about how the beer complemented the fried chicken."

They'd gone out to a trendy new hot-chicken restaurant with Patricia and Earl on Monday for an early celebration, since everyone was free that day. Today was Taryn's actual birthday, and Tricia was working the night shift so that her daughter could enjoy herself. The fried chicken had been excellent, but the two dining experiences were like night and day.

"Did you used to eat like this a lot?" she asked a couple courses later.

"Not really. Sometimes on tour we'd go someplace nice based on their Michelin star rating, but more often than not we tried to eat simply and healthfully. When I lived in Malibu, I'd go out to places like this once or twice a year."