He finishes chewing. “Excellent. Perfectly done.”

I nod and set my napkin over my red-and-green skirt, then pick up my cutlery and cut into my steak. Red liquid oozes from the meat, and I hold up the piece to inspect it.

“Didn’t you ask for your steak to be cooked medium well?” Andrew asks, surprisingly observant.

I sigh. “Yeah. That’s okay though.”

A line forms between his eyebrows, which I’ve noticed is a sign of his displeasure. I would know—it’s been directed at me several times tonight. “Why would you eat it like that? Just call the server back here and tell them to cook it longer.”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t want to bother her.” I put the piece of meat in my mouth and chew, stifling my reaction to spit it out.

Andrew looks as though he’s barely suppressing an eye roll but goes back to his own meal. The two of us sit there, paying rapt attention to our meals, eating in silence. Awkwardness crawls over my skin like poison ivy.

I hate awkward moments. I mean, I’m sure everyone does, but I think I hate them more than most. One of those childhood wounds people harbor for years or go to therapy for.

I work up the courage to talk. I’d rather deal with his attitude than this uncomfortableness. “So, how long have you been in the US?”

His body stiffens from what I thought was an innocent question.

“I came as soon as I graduated uni in London to attend law school.” He reaches for his drink and takes another sip. I notice it’s getting low and I wonder if he’ll stick around for a second.

“Did you plan on staying after graduation or was your original plan to return to England?” I sip my wine and sit back, not too interested in my meal.

“You’re full of questions, huh?” His lips press in a thin line. “I wasn’t positive, but I had an idea that I might stay.” He wipes his mouth with his napkin and leans back in his chair. “Event planning isn’t an easy business to get into?”

“No, it’s not. And my company isn’t huge—yet.” I smile at him, but his face doesn’t change from his blank expression. “Mostly I do smaller events—birthday parties, anniversary parties, that kind of thing. And I put together my own events… like the one I did today. My dream is to move into doing larger scale events, but I’m still waiting on my big break.”

He finishes his drink, the ice clinking to the empty glass. “And what exactly would a big break entail in the event planning world?” He picks up his fork and buries his head in his dish.