Chapter 53

Lila’s POV

My apartment felt strangely quiet as I got ready for my date with Jake Ramirez. Usually I liked the quiet it helped me think plan organize. But tonight it just felt empty.

A part of me the logical part still wondered why I was doing this. Jake was everything I usually avoided too charming too easygoing too much like a disruption to my perfectly ordered life.

Yet as I smoothed down my black dress a faint flutter of something not quite nerves not quite dread but a fizz of anticipation stirred inside me.

He arrived exactly on time. I’d asked to meet at the restaurant but he had insisted on picking me up. “A gentlemanly gesture, Dubois,” he had texted. “Even for the most self-sufficient of women.”

I had to admit seeing him wait by the curb looking sharp in a tailored suit a confident smile on his face a small part of me felt a flicker of something warm.

“Right on time Ramirez,” I stated getting into his car. “Impressive.”

He ch