Page 27 of Blue Gold

Still not looking away from Elliot, I watched how he forced his lips into a small smile before walking toward us, his eyes moving from me to my wife.

“We would like a table for two, please,” Claudia said to my beautiful prince, who still seemed stunned by her presence.

“Hein?” His eyes then widened. “Oui, bien sûr. Euh, yes, a table for—” He held two fingers in front of him, and she nodded.

“Yes, please,” Claudia chirped.

Elliot quickly escorted us to our table, then offered us the menus after we took our seats. Claudia wasted no time before taking the menu from him, while I lingered for another moment. With his eyes locked with mine, I cleared my throat to catch Claudia’s attention.

“This is Elliot,” I said, voice calm.

Claudia looked up from her menu.

Feeling hot under her stare, I loosened my tie. “He’s the chef of this place.”

“That’s nice.” She turned to look at Elliot, who smiled at her. “My husband told me he comes here very often. I sure hope he isn’t a bother to you.”

Seeing Elliot’s growing confusion, I quickly translated Claudia’s words to him.

“God, do I love it when you speak French,” Claudia said after I was done, then glanced back at Elliot. “Good thing we have him, right?” She smiled while pointing at me.

“I am sorry. My English pas bon… No good.”

“Oh, honey, with a face like yours, nobody cares about what you have to say.” My wife rested her chin on her palm while studying Elliot with intensity. “Please tell me you’re a model?”

Elliot’s cheeks turned redder as he looked down at the floor.

“She’s a fashion producer,” I explained in French so he wouldn’t think my wife had just hit on him. “You don’t need to be embarrassed, Elliot.”

He looked up only to glance at me briefly before turning to Claudia.

“I am not model, just cook.” He pointed over his shoulder at the kitchen. “Work here, all day.”

“My God… That accent of yours,” Claudia gasped. “You’re so French!”

Well, of course. He is from France.

“Claudia, could we please just order⁠—”

“Hush now, Daniel. I’m charmed.” Her eyes traveled back to Elliot as if she’d never seen such beauty before.

And while I agreed that Elliot’s features were, by far, striking, it still annoyed me that she also found an interest in him.

“How old are you, honey?”

“Dix-neuf.”

Claudia turned to me, and I sighed. “Nineteen.”

“Oh my, you’re a baby,” she cheered with a big smile on her red lips, unaware of what her words just did to me.

Elliot truly was young. But one glance at him was more than enough to let me know he didn’t enjoy this exchange of words, and I could understand why. Assuming he was often treated as just a pretty face, especially after moving to a country where he couldn’t speak the language, it was no wonder he wore such a sour expression at the moment. By only acknowledging his appearance, people reduced him to an object. A beautiful object, yes, but an object nonetheless.

What bothered me even more was the redness in his eyes, as if he’d been crying. Filled with worry, I snapped Claudia out of her ongoing mumbling and hurried her to order. Thankfully, she followed along, and after consulting with Elliot about his favorite dishes, he took our orders and went back to the kitchen.

“Is he both the waiter and the chef?” she asked as soon as he was gone.

“On low-traffic days, yes. Unfortunately, this place doesn’t do so well.”