Chez Paul et les Sirènes was a top floor restaurant with stunning views of the bay. It’s upscale décor, hinting at ocean themes, instantly made Claire feel out of place. Alex, on the other hand, moved like he was a frequent customer. He walked up to the reception desk; a sculptural masterpiece of iridescent stone countertop set before a focal wall of frosted glass patterned into a large oyster shell.

“Reservation for two under Alex Lee. Please be sure it is a private booth,” he flashed a smile at the hostess, who smiled brightly back. “Thank you,” he added as she picked up two menus and guided them to their seats.

Claire unconsciously gripped Alex’s hand as they were led through the main dining area. There were guests in business attire, so she wasn’t underdressed, but others were dressed in labels that cost more than her yearly salary. She surreptitiously smoothed her shopping-mall-find sheath dress as she walked past the occupied tables.

The hostess seated them in a high-backed booth in a corner of the restaurant and placed the menus in front of them. She went over the special entrée of the evening, casting shy glances at Alex. Claire held back an eye-roll until she finally left, then leaned over to Alex.

“We didn’t have to go to a fancy restaurant, Alex,” she whispered. “Dante’s, or any bar for that matter, would have been fine.”

Alex looked back at Claire with a pout. “But I wanted to treat you to something nice.”

She shook her head and chuckled lightly. “This is a bit too nice, Alex. For me anyway, I’m not used to this.” She glanced uncomfortably at the menu. “I don’t even know what half these dishes are, or how to pronounce them,” she muttered, more to herself.

He reached out to grab her hand, gently rubbing the skin by her thumb. “Do you trust me to order for you?”

Claire put down the menu and smiled. “Yes, I trust you.”

They had light conversation about life after high school while they waited to order. The conversation stopped momentarily when their server arrived, and resumed again when the server left. But Alex stopped mid-sentence when he looked up and noticed a group of businessmen in the main dining area.

“Oh. No.” Alex’s quiet staccato outburst surprised Claire. She followed his line of sight and began to turn around. “No, wait!” Alex reached out to grip Claire’s wrist, stopping her movement. “Don’t turn around, it’s Ascend’s CEO and a few key board members.” He took a deep breath and shimmied further into the booth, trying to hide behind the tall seat backing.

Panic started to well up in Claire’s eyes. “What if he sees us?” she whisper-yelled at him.

“It’s okay,” Alex huffed. “Unless he walks by, he won’t see us. They look like their done eating, so they should be leaving soon.”

After what felt like an eternity, it was clear no one from the table bothered to look their way, allowing Claire and Alex to breathe normally again. Their food arrived and they cautiously began to eat. They slowly returned to their earlier conversation, gradually feeling more at ease.

What they didn’t take into account was their booth was in the path toward the restrooms. Alex didn’t notice until the last minute that one of the board members was walking towards them. He tried to nonchalantly rub his temple to hide his face as the man walked by. If he noticed Alex, he didn’t show it.

But Claire wasn’t completely sold on not being discovered, so she opened her bag and pulled out a file. She left it closed on the table next to her and continued to eat. She glanced at Alex and noticed his curious look.

“In case someone comes to our table,” she waved at the file. “This is a working dinner.”

Alex flashed a beaming smile. “See, I knew you were smart and quick on your feet. I hired a keeper!”

Claire gave a delicate snort. “Of course I’m quick. I had to learn to pivot on a dime when dealing with short turn-around projects.”

They continued eating as they talked. Alex glanced up. “It looks like their leaving,” he heaved a sigh of relief that Claire echoed.

But relief was felt too soon. Alex glanced up once more, and his eyes grew wide. “Oh, shit.”

Claire’s heart began to race. “What? What?!” Panic flowed into her voice.

“Jaewon Kang is coming this way!” Panic seeped into his own voice.

Channeling her inner Flash, she whipped out her laptop from her bag, opened it and hit the power button. Then she put it at a 45-degree angle and flipped open the file folder. It wasn’t long before she felt a looming presence at her back. She looked up from her folder and into the calculating eyes of Ascend’s top executive: Jaewon Kang.

“Alex. Claire,” Jaewon gave a nod to each of them. “What a surprise to see you here…dining together.”

Alex moved out of the booth to stand next to Jaewon, his demeanor calm and professional, a sentiment Claire tried to mirror.

“Mr. Kang,” Alex began, bowing slightly, “Claire and I were discussing some final details for the fashion event. We thought it would be more productive to do so over dinner.”

Jaewon’s gaze shifted to Claire, and she nodded nervously. “Yes, sir. We wanted to ensure everything is perfect for the follow-up meeting tomorrow.” She gestured toward her partially closed laptop. “Would you like to preview our work while you’re here?” she offered up her most sincere smile.

Jaewon’s expression softened slightly, but his tone remained rigid. “That isn’t necessary. I trust you understand the importance of preplanning and focus on the finer details, especially with the event so close.”

Alex responded firmly, “Absolutely. Claire has been instrumental in ensuring the success of this event. I have full confidence in her abilities.”

Jaewon didn’t say anything more, he just nodded in Claire’s direction before looking pointedly at Alex. He turned back toward his table to give his polite farewells to his dinner guests, settled his bill and left the restaurant without looking back.

Claire let out a long breath she didn’t realize she was holding in. “That was a disaster,” she huffed, her hands trembling as she closed her laptop to put back into her bag.

Alex had sat back down and was letting out a huge sigh of his own. “No, it wasn’t. He didn’t accuse us of anything, or even suspect anything for that matter. We’ll be fine.”

Claire was not convinced, but nodded in agreement anyway. She took a sip from her wine, trying to calm her nerves. “Let’s finish our dinner,” she suggested quietly.

They continued their meal with more silence than conversation. Claire was lost in thought, reflecting on how much risk she was taking on having a relationship with Alex.

“Claire,” Alex’s voice cut through her musings. She looked up from her plate and into his concerned eyes.

He reached over the table to take her hand gently into his. “I’ll say this every day, every hour, every minute until you believe me—nothing is going to happen to your job. Your position is secure because I will make sure of it.”

Claire smiled back at him and clasped his hand reassuringly. “I believe you, Alex.” But her smile faltered. “It’s just…”

“Just what?” Alex prompted, a hint of anxiety seeping into his voice.

Claire sighed. “It’s just that I don’t know how much of this uncertainty I can take.” She looked directly at him. “I know you will have my back if things…go south about our relationship. But the fact that we have to worry about it is too much sometimes.”

Alex opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. After a long pause, he began again. “I’m sorry.”

Claire looked at him in surprise. “About what?”

“I never meant to put so much pressure on you. I just really wanted to be with you, and,” he rubbed his hand over his face in frustration, “I guess I was really an asshole for not taking your fears seriously.” His eyes were filled with something that looked like fear. “I just don’t want to lose you, Claire. Not again. Not after I was too much of a coward to go after you the first time.”

Her lips moved into a reassuring smile. “You won’t lose me, Alex. We just might need to adjust our relationship a little. At least until after the fashion event.”

Alex looked crestfallen, but he continued to hold Claire’s hand. “Yeah, you’re right,” was all he said before letting go. They finished dinner quietly.