Presque Vu

Chapter 36

   Shannon handed his keys to the red-vested valet before helping Raina out of the car. He took her arm and carefully guided her down from the truck, making sure she was standing securely on her new heels before turning to escort her inside the restaurant. 

   Due to a lot of nagging on her part they had arrived a full ten minutes early, neatly beating the deadline Jared had set for them. As they approached the hostess she looked up from her seating chart and, recognizing them, quickly stepping away from her station to greet them personally.

"Mr. Leto has requested that you join him in the bar," she informed them as she ushered them off to the side. Shannon nodded and thanked her, continuing to guide Raina along, his palm flat against her lower back. She was busy taking in the restaurant with wide eyes, noting the enormous, opulently carved columns that marked the entrance to the dining area. In the low lighting, she caught a glimpse of tables decked in crisp white cloths, neatly set with fine crystal and place settings with more plates and utensils than she probably had in her entire kitchen at home. The people seated there were elegantly clothed, and as she smoothed her new black dress she wondered if Jared had bought her this outfit as caring gesture or to make sure she didn't stand out like a sore thumb and embarrass him. She tried to remain casual, as if stepping into a place as grand as this was just another Thursday evening for her, but it was difficult to maintain that veil of composure. She was sure she couldn't even afford to park here on her own. Realizing that made the last few months suddenly hit home in a way they hadn't before. She was way out of her element and felt every inch the South Carolina farm girl dumped into the middle of someone else's story.

"Hey, you all right?" Shannon asked when her step faltered. Raina looked at him, his hazel eyes warm and crinkled in concern. He had started with even less than she had, she reminded herself, and he had stepped in here like he owned the place. She was his guest. She had as much a right to be here as anyone else.

If he can do it, so can I. Raina straightened her shoulders and squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I'm fine."
Shannon nodded knowingly and gave her hand a little squeeze in return. "Leave it to Jared to pick a place like this when all I wanted was to go out for tacos," he joked.

They spotted Jared at a small table near the bar. He was with another man, a slightly older and vaguely familiar gentleman with stylish glasses and salt and pepper hair that managed to look entirely dashing. They stood up as they saw Shannon and Raina approach.

"Raina, I am so glad you were able to come out tonight," Jared said with a smile, giving her a hug that Raina by now knew to be his form of a professional handshake. The unexpected company had thrown her for a bit of a loop, not to mention the slightly odd and formal way he was greeting her. "Thank you for bringing her," he said to Shannon before turning to his guest.

"Raina, this is David Kernan from Moderne magazine. I hope you don't mind but I brought your portfolio to share with him."
Raina's tried not to let the confusion she was feeling show on her face. Composure in the face of the unexpected was something that one looked for in a potential employee, and if Jared was shopping her out, she wasn't about to let him down. She smiled warmly at the surprise guest and extended her hand. "Hello, it's nice to meet you."

Kernan gave her a quick handshake before gesturing to an open chair. He waited until Raina was seated before continuing. "The pleasure is mine, Ms. Gallo. Jared has been sharing some of your work with me and I must say I'm very impressed."

   "What's happening here?" Shannon asked. "I thought Raina was coming to work for you at Wonderland."

   "Well, as delighted as we would be to have her, I felt that we snatched her up a little unfairly. She had only had a few hours after finding her last position was no longer available before we extended her an offer, and I want to make sure we didn't just take advantage of the moment. We want her to take the job because she is happy to have it and it's the best fit for her, not because she feels it her only option," Jared explained. "I hope you don't mind, Raina, and that you'll listen to what David has to say."