Enough Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY – SIX

We drove straight over to the restaurant which was in the heart of town. Tessa informed the hostess that she was a friend of Chef Andre’ and he was expecting us. We were shown to a table in the rear of the room that had a reserved sign on it. I couldn’t help but notice all the men eyeing up Tessa as she passed them. I went to the table and held out a chair for Tessa to slide in to. I then walked around and sat down across from her.

“You do know every woman in this place is eyeing you up huh?”, Tessa mentioned.

“I’ll be honest with you, I don’t even notice that anymore. Ever since I started lifting and gained weight the stares always came.”, I replied.

Just about that time, a nice-looking man in a white chef’s jacket came from the back and walked over to our table. He leaned over and kissed Tessa on the cheek then moved over to greet me. I stood up and extending my hand to him.

“I’m Andre Millon, this is my place.”, he said smiling.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Chris Williams.”, I replied.

“So exactly how did you get Dr. Williamson to go on a date with you?”, he asked.

“Oh, well I don’t think it’s a date, but she asked me sort of?”, I responded.

“She’s the best Chris, she operated on my oldest son. I owe her the world.”, he said.

“Stop Andre, I did my job. But I love you too.”, she laughed.

He had a special pasta alfredo dish with veal that was the night’s special so we both agreed to that. Tessa ordered two glasses of red wine by name which saved me the trouble because I knew nothing about wine. He left and told us the meal would be ready in about twenty minutes.

Tessa wasted no time getting to the reason for this dinner. She wanted to know all about my past with Lexie Thomas. So, I started from the first time I met Lexie when she took me in to the precinct. I told her about my mother being killed and how I reacted. I told her that Lexie’s problem with me was the fighting although I rarely ever initiated one.

I mentioned about being bullied in high school and that was the reason I started lifting weights. I mentioned about our on and off again relationship and how she broke the engagement that night at my home when the detectives were questioning me. I did mention that I dated Chrissy Haynes for a very short period but that I caught her with her old boyfriend.

“So, you’re the one who stopped and helped the female police officer that night on the highway.”, Tessa asked wide eyed.

“Yes, that was me.”, I admitted.

“I was in the emergency room the night they brought her in although I was not the attending.”, Tessa admitted.

“That sequence of events happened so fast I can barely even remember it anymore.”, I said.

“Well, I am not surprised that Lexie Thomas went after you. Lexie was a year ahead of me in high school but was one of the most popular girls in school. Once she set her eyes on a boy that she wanted it was all or nothing. She broke up many couples in high school with her foolishness. By the time she graduated Lexie and Cody were the school joke.”, Tessa stated.

“I believe they are still together but still off and on.”, I replied.

“That does not surprise me. Lexie actually stole my boyfriend from me her senior year. We had dated from the eighth grade on, but he fell for it. They dated about a month or so then she dumped him. He tried to come back but my parents made sure I understood that I should choose a man that put me above all others and never lie to me.”, she stated.

“Sounds like good advice.”, I replied.

Then Tessa began to tell me her life story and what had led her to this point in life. She was an only child of successful parents who pushed her to be the very best. Tessa’s father was the administrator of Methodist Memorial and her mother a banker. Tessa spent a lot of summers in the hospital growing up and was always drawn to the pediatric wing. So, when the time came, she went to college and medical school to become a pediatric surgeon. Tessa had accomplished quite a lot being she just turned twenty-nine years of age. She admitted that she loved her career and couldn’t see herself doing anything else. The hours were long and brutal, but the rewards were dealing with the little children.

Tessa admitted that her parents were very overprotective but a lot of that came with being an only child. Tessa admitted that the few boys she had brought home after her first boyfriend did not fare well with her father. She admitted he was an excellent administrator and could spot bullshit a mile away.

The rest of the meal went smoothly and after spending a few hours with Tessa, I felt very comfortable. She was beautiful, intelligent and told you exactly what she thought. I felt that she probably took charge in a relationship but being a surgeon I’m sure she had to be to make critical decisions fast. We left the restaurant around nine o’clock and she suggested we go to a coffee shop close to her condo.

We stayed at Starbucks for close to an hour and a half talking about the past. By the time we left we pretty much had caught up on each other’s past. I drove back to Tessa’s condo and walked her up the stairs. She turned and faced me with a huge smile on her face.

“Chris, you’re a good guy and I really enjoyed tonight. You’re very easy to talk to and very attentive as well. You’re a rare breed in today’s world.”, she stated.

“Thank you, Tessa, I enjoyed tonight as well.”, I replied.

“Look, my parents cook lunch every Sunday and the immediate family all get together. I would like you to join me tomorrow, but I understand if you can’t.”, she said softly.

“Oh, I guess I could……… are you sure your family would be ok with that?”, I asked.

“My parents know about you and how you have helped me over the last few months. But no, they won’t mind.”, she answered.

“Ok then, I’ll pick you tomorrow at what time?”, I inquired.

“Eleven thirty.”, she answered.

“I’ll be here.”, I replied.

Tessa took one step forward and lean up to kiss me. She gently pressed her lips against mine for a very soft moist kiss. It did not last long but I could have sworn I felt the tip of her tongue briefly. She stepped back and opened the door and went in.

I drove straight home and took a shower then jumped into bed. I laid there thinking about Tessa kissing me and what it meant. Up until that moment she had given me no clue that she might be interested in a relationship.

I slept late the next morning which was unusual for me. Since it was already after nine o’clock in the morning, I decided not to go to the gym and work out. I called Amber and made sure everything was ok and told her I probably wouldn’t be in today.

Something around ten-thirty, Tessa sent me a text telling me to bring a bathing suit in case I wanted to swim in the pool. I left my house around ten after eleven and drove over to Tessa’s condo. She was waiting for me and came down immediately. She was wearing a tight pair of jeans and a white tank top. She had her hair pulled back in a ponytail and had white sneakers on. I opened the passenger door and Tessa slid into the seat.

We drove across town to the Colonial Trace gated subdivision. This was an exclusive gated community which had homes well worth over one million dollars. Tessa had mentioned that her father was the hospital administrator and her mother a bank vice-president.

Tessa guided me through the subdivision until we pulled up in front of a huge two-story home on a large lot. There were several cars in the driveway, so I parked in front on the home on the street. I walked around and let Tessa out and followed her up the walkway to the front door.