Page 20 of Drive Me Crazy
There’s that dimple.
“AnthonyDavis may’ve just lost me some money.”
“You gamble?” I ask, surprised.
“Low stakes with my brother and his friends,” she admits with a laugh. “I won the pot last year.”
I let out a low whistle as I check out the score. Ella’s more entertaining than the actual game. Her alarmingly astute and comical commentary reminds me why her podcast was so successful. When she calls a forward on the Lakers the “human equivalent of period cramps,” I nearly fall off the couch with laughter.Who says shit like that?
Once the game is over, I crack my knuckles and gear up to ask a question I may quickly regret. “Are you busy tomorrow night?”
I cough to hide how awkward I feel. I don’t think I’ve ever asked a woman to hang out with me unless I know we’ll be making each other come.Get a grip, mate.
“I have a date with Elliot Stabler.” She sucks in air between her lips as if debating something. “But I can cancel if you have something better in mind.”
How does she have a date with someone in Monaco? When did she meet them? Why do I even care?
“No need to cancel,” I respond gruffly.
Ella looks at me with fascination. “Do you watch any TV or are you Patrick Star?”
When I don’t answer, she covers her face with her hands. “Patrick Star is fromSpongebob Squarepants,” she explains as if that means absolutely anything. “Spongebob lives in a pineapple under the sea and Patrick’s his best friend. He lives under a rock, which clearly you do too.”
“Have you been doing drugs or something?”
“C’mon, you’re a nineties baby!” She laughs and shakes her head. “You should know this stuff. It’s a Nickelodeon cartoon, Blake.”
It’snot one Millie or Finn have ever watched. What a weird children’s show.
“Elliot Stabler is fromLaw & Order: SVU. Well, he actually has his own spin-off now, but I digress.” Ella flashes a cheeky smile. “Moral of the story is yes, I’m around.”
I hate the immediate relief that floods my body. “Cool. Do you like fish?”
“I’ve never conversed with any personally, but I’ve heard they’re very lovely creatures.”
My head drops into my hands to cover a chuckle. “I was going to have my chef grill some halibut if you wanted to do dinner. Maybe at like seven-ish?”
“Count me in!” she says, her eyes lighting up. “Do you want to pick me up?”
I snort in response. “Sure, Ella. I can pick you up.”
MY CHEF KNOWS damn well this isn’t a date, but that doesn’t stop her from going all out. We’re eating on the terrace, the table has tealight candles on it, and we’re being served a four-course meal. Ella’s surprisingly in an outfit that shows off her curves rather than hides them. When I comment she looks nice, her face turns bright pink and she shifts in her seat. For someone who has confidence, she doesn’t do well with compliments. Chef Nicola winks at me as she pours us each a glass of my favorite 1997 Merlot.
Ella takes a small sip before nodding in appreciation. “I don’t know if I can ever go back to Trader Joe’s two-buck chuck after this stuff.”
“What’s that?”
“Trader Joe’s is a grocery store chain,” she explains. “It’s the best, and they have this wine that they sell for two dollars. They call it two-buck chuck.”
“Two quid for wine? That sounds … really horrible.”
Sheshrugs, unbothered. “In comparison to this, yes.”
Nicola brings out mini croque monsieurs as an appetizer and we both dig right in.
“So, why’d you eat here tonight?” Ella asks, leaning back in her seat. “No late-night meetings or dinners with friends?”
“I live here.” The scowl I’m used to wearing reappears. “Are you going to spend all of dinner interviewing me?”
