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“Enough. And I’m buying. I asked, and I’m
buying. You got that?”
    “But you paid for the coffee this morning,” she protested.
    Brady slid her a mocking look. “Sugar, I can afford to buy
you a three-dollar cup of coffee and still buy dinner. I told you, I
asked you out on this date, and I’m paying.”
    She winced inwardly at his use of the word “date” and
wondered exactly what he was expecting out of the night. Leah had been taught
to be tactful, though, so she assented. “All right, but I’ll make you a deal.
You have to let me reciprocate sometime.”
    “Deal. We’re here.” He handed a bill to the driver and
helped her out of the cab.
    Looking up, she saw they were standing in front of one of
New York’s best steak and seafood houses. “You actually got a reservation
here?”
    “Yep. Apparently using your name helped. Who knew?” He threw
a thousand-watt smile her way and she didn’t know whether to laugh or scream.
    Instead of doing either, she tucked her hand back into his
arm and tugged him forward. “I’m starving.”
    “Now, you’ve gotta promise me you’re not gonna order some
dinky salad and call it dinner.”
    A laugh escaped Leah before she could help it. “This is a
great restaurant. I promise to eat more than a salad.”
    “That’s my girl.” As he said it, he covered her hand with
his free one and squeezed, beaming down at her, and she felt another rush of
heat course through her. At this rate she’d make Brady her dessert. After
ushering her into the restaurant, he spoke to the hostess, who seated them in a
cozy booth overlooking a large dining room. Brady handed her the wine list.
“Pick something. You undoubtedly know more about wine than I do.”
    “I really don’t know much about alcohol beyond the standard
things like ordering Dom Perignon if you want champagne. I don’t drink much,”
she answered, shrugging.
    “Not even wine?”
    “Not really.”
    He tilted his head to the side. “Why not?”
    “A figure skater only has a finite number of calories they
can take in during the course of a day. I don’t waste them on things like
alcohol. I usually drink water.”
    “A finite number of calories? But you must burn off a lot of
them training, don’t you?”
    “Yes,” Leah acknowledged, “but I’m still careful about what
I eat. If I gain weight my balance gets thrown off for my jumps and spins. It’s
hard to maintain equilibrium when you’re constantly fighting with your
balance.”
    “Yeah, I can understand that.”
    “You can?” Leah couldn’t believe he’d let it go so easily.
Most guys hounded her about how one glass of wine wouldn’t kill her, how she
needed to lighten up, etcetera.
    “Of course I can. Balance is essential for what I do too.
You get bucked off the bull in a heartbeat if you’re not balanced. Water it
is.”
    “You don’t have to drink water,” Leah protested. “Really.
Have a glass of wine or a beer. Drink whatever you want to. It doesn’t bother
me.”
    “It would bother me . Let’s look at the menus.”
    The waiter approached and told them about the evening’s
specials. After hearing them, both immediately ordered one. They were left
alone once again and Brady turned to her. “So tell me about yourself.”
    “Not much to tell,” Leah replied. “I was born and raised in
Stamford. My parents were already forty when I was born. I wasn’t planned.
Their lives were established, and a child didn’t fit into their grand scheme.
My dad worked in Manhattan as a stockbroker and my mom was one of those types
who hung out at the country club and played tennis and bridge with her friends
whose husbands were also in the city working during the day. I was raised by a
nanny, mostly, and sent to private schools.”
    She recited her life story almost as if it hadn’t happened
to her. Through time she’d pushed all those feelings of hurt and rejection far
down into her soul—it was the only way she could survive. “I started