Carla’s Prince

Chapter 5

When they got back to the house, Cristoff led Carla to the dining room which was set for two. She looked at him as he pulled out a chair for her.

“I thought this was supposed to be a work thing,” she said as she sat down.

“If I told you what I was actually planning, I don’t think you would have come.” He poured her a glass of wine and uncovered a plate of a grilled steak and salad. The steak’s aroma was simply divine and she could tell that it was tasty before she even dug in. “I had the chef make us grilled steaks for dinner. He has a way with meat that one.”

“Yeah, I can see that much,” she said as she inhaled deeply. “I kind of feel like I am at one of my family reunions.”

“Do you do a lot of grilled steak?” he asked as he walked to the other side of the table and sat down.

“Grilled steak and collard greens are a black family’s bread and butter. The only thing missing here is some mashed potatoes,” she said and he smiled.

“I could have some mashed potatoes made up for you,” he said and she shook her head.

“Don’t bother. This is perfect,” she said as she looked around. There was a larger table a few feet away. The kind of table that you would expect to find in a big family house or something of the sort.

“Good because I would have to call the chef back.”

“You mean he is not here?” she asked and he shook his head.

“The only people here are the security people. I wanted us to be all alone.”

“So, this…all this was all about just dinner?” she asked and he nodded.

“We have been meeting too much at Chez Marie and the truth is that now that you know how I feel about you, I would rather up my game.”

She raised an eyebrow over the other.

“Up your game?”

He nodded as he looked at her.

“I sent you a carefully worded email telling you how I felt and explaining why I find it hard to keep my hands to myself any time I am around you,” he started, making her cheeks a little flushed. “An email you never replied to, if I might add.”

She reached for her wine and took a sip.

“I was a little surprised by your email and after all, I did reply to your texts.”

He reached for his own wine.

“Yes, you did.”

“Does upping your game have anything to do with you being the server for our dinner?” she asked.

“Well, honestly, I like doing things myself and I hardly ever get anything done back at home or when I am in polite company…present company excluded, obviously.”

She smiled and looked at the large table before she turned her attention to him.

“So, I am sorry but I have to ask…what is going on with the table over there?” she asked.

“That is the table I usually eat at,” he answered.

“You and which party?” she asked, laughing.

“I know, I know. It is huge. It came with the house but I wanted something more intimate for tonight. So, I had this small table brought in and set up for us,” he explained. “It is more intimate after all.”

“Yeah, it is and I appreciate it,” she said as she took a bite of the steak. “Wow…this is simply heavenly,” she said as she cut off another piece. “I don’t understand why you would ever go to a restaurant if you have someone in your house cooking like this.”

Cristoff smiled and took a bite of his own food.

“Glad you like it.”

She took another bite of her food and looked at him. She could not help but feel like something was wrong. He had been acting weird since they came back from the orchard. It was almost like he was dealing with something but he was too proud to say anything to her. She took another bite and reached for her wine. Apart from the soft music playing in the background, everything was a little too quiet. Maybe even eerily quiet.

“Is everything okay?” she asked when she finally found her voice.

“Is there a reason everything wouldn’t be?”

She shrugged.

“You are…you look like you have a lot on your mind.”

“I’m supposed to someday take over an entire government, Carla, of course I have a lot on my mind,” he retorted.

Carla raised an eyebrow over the other. She was not so sure if she had just heard him being rude or if she was imagining things.

“What was that about? Why are you being so extra right now?”

He shook his head.

“What is that supposed to mean? Extra…what?”

“Well, you were rude to me for no apparent reason.”

“It was not without reason. You, Carla Gibson, are wearing my family’s heirloom earrings.”

Carla frowned and shook her head.

“What?” she asked as she touched her earrings. “What are you talking about?”

“The red garnet and silver earrings you have on…they are one of a kind. They were custom made for my grandmother years ago.”

She shook her head again.

“What?”

“She gave them to me to give to the girl I would make my queen,” he went on.

“Cristoff…I didn’t…I don’t know what to say…”

“How about you tell me where you bought them, huh? You seem to have been in cahoots with the thief I hired you to find.”

Carla felt as if he had just punched her in the gut. He was still looking at her, more like staring daggers actually. She did not know why he seemed to be accusing her.

“What do you mean in cahoots…” She bit her lower lip when her words trailed off. She was beginning to understand what was going on. The earrings she was wearing, the earrings Brenda had gifted her so lovingly and generously, were part of the stolen property from Cristoff’s house. She took a long deep breath as she tried to blink back the tears in her eyes but it was just not working. She looked up and slowly took off the earrings before she placed them on the table.

“I didn’t know…I didn’t know when I got them,” she started in a soft voice before he spoke up, interrupting her.

“Do you always buy your stuff from a corner street without any concern as to the authenticity of where they came from?”

His tone had changed and his look had also grown cold. She could feel her heart racing and with every passing minute, she could feel herself getting more and more uncomfortable. The tear she had been fighting so hard to fight rolled down her left cheek and she gently brushed it off before rolling up her napkin and pushing her chair back. She got up and looked at him across the table for a few minutes before she began walking out of the dining room.

“Carla, where are you going?” Cristoff asked without getting up.

“Home,” Carla called back angrily. She did not have her jacket or even know where it was but she did not really care at that moment. All she wanted was to get out of there and get herself as far from Cristoff she could possibly get.

“We’re not done here.”

She stopped and turned to look at him.

“You’re damn right we are,” she said angrily before she began to walk down the hall. At that moment, Cristoff realized what he had done wrong. He exhaled loudly as he began walking after her. He was at that moment regretting every word he had said in the last few minutes. The way she had looked at him when he accused her of being an accessory to the person or people he was trying to get…

He had hurt her, badly.