Chapter 85

Setting his menu aside, David launched into the story. "Well, my parents actually took me here for the first time when I was around ten years old..."

Eve listened, enraptured, as he went on to describe how the warm, homey ambiance and mouth-watering aromas had ignited his love affair with Italian cuisine from a young age. How his parents had delighted in introducing him to simple yet sublime pleasures like handmade pasta and crusty bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic.

"...and that's why to this day, I can't get enough of this place," David concluded with a wistful smile. "It reminds me of some of my happiest childhood memories."

Eve reached across to lay her hand over his. "That's such a lovely story, David. Thank you for sharing it with me." She paused, wondering if she should reciprocate with her own fond family memory...but the arrival of their server interrupted her thoughts.

Once they'd plac