Page 28 of Blue Gold

Claudia hummed while looking around. “It sure looks that way… what a shame.” Her eyes then returned to me. “But seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a beautiful man before, Daniel. I work with models every day, but that guy? Wow.” She leaned back in her chair and shook her head. “His eyes, nose, jaw, lips… He has it all: symmetry, perfect skin, height, distinctive facial features.” She snorted. “He’s every photographer’s dream, and I assure you that if I cast him in one of my shows, he’ll be a star overnight, honey.”

I knew that. And that was one out of the many reasons why I didn’t want her to meet Elliot. With Claudia’s help, he could start his modeling career today, which was something I wished to avoid. Why? Because just like she said, he’d be an overnight sensation, meaning the whole world would admire him and not just me. I knew this was an extremely selfish whim, but the idea of Elliot becoming famous and admired by other men annoyed me. It awakened emotions I wanted nothing to do with, jealousy so strong and palpable it burned through me like fire. Yet, despite those childish urges, it wasn’t my decision to make. If Elliot wished to be a model, who was I to stop him? And to be honest, I was surprised no one had scouted him until now. The city was loaded with scouts, but to my relief, Elliot slipped under their radar. Or so he had, until five minutes ago.

“Do you think he’ll be interested?” Claudia asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Still looking at where Elliot disappeared into, she spoke. “In modeling. Do you think he’ll be interested in it?”

I locked my jaw, every muscle in my face tensing at her question.

“He has the looks for it, but if I’m honest, I think he’s too sensitive for that world.”

Claudia turned to look at me, her brows pulled close. “Too sensitive?”

A soft smile pulled on my lips just thinking about Elliot and his gentle soul—a guy who loved getting lost in the blueness of the sky.

“Everything is new to him here, and he’s so easily affected. In fact, just now, when you commented about his accent and age, he didn’t like it.” Noticing my wife’s expression, I frowned. “What?”

“You make it sound like you know him,” she said, and I realized I might have shared too much.

“We’ve had a few conversations when I came here before, and that’s the picture I got of him. We hardly know each other.”

“And yet, you care about him getting hurt.”

I tensed in my seat. “Why do you say that?”

She chuckled. “I’m just surprised my cold husband finally grew a heart.”

So that’s what this was all about.

“Cold?” I challenged her with a raised brow.

Reaching for her glass of water, she took a sip. “We all know you have an iceberg for a heart, Daniel. It’s why your father loves you. ’Cause you’re a cold bastard.”

I might have been a bit strict and calculated, but cold? Was that the impression I gave people?

“Don’t worry, I love you the way you are. Besides, I think Maya turned you softer,” Claudia went on, unaware she’d already lost me because now I wondered if Elliot found me cold.

Just then, he returned to the table with our entrées, and whatever he brought with him smelled absolutely divine. Claudia’s face nearly glowed as he placed a colorful plate of ratatouille in front of her, and my mouth drooled just looking at the dish.

“What did you say it was called?” I asked Elliot, in French, when he placed a bowl of rich stew in front of me.

“Bouillabaisse.” He pushed it closer to me. “It is fish,” he explained in English before turning to look at my wife. “Eat.”

He didn’t have to ask twice, and I quickly reached for my spoon. As always, I was amazed by the taste of his food, which was medicine to my soul. If I were a cold man, then Elliot, without a doubt, was the exact opposite. He was warm and loving, and somehow, all of that was transferred into the food he cooked. With my eyes closed, I took another bite, savoring every drop as if it were the last thing I’d ever taste. It was an experience like no other, and I wondered how one person could be this talented.

“My God, this is so good!” My wife practically cheered with her mouth still full. It was cute, to be fair, and she covered her chewing with a napkin before praising Elliot more. “This is delicious, darling. You must give me the recipe.”

Elliot chuckled. “Recipe? Is l’amour.”

My heart nearly burst in my chest because his eyes met mine just as he spoke that word—amour—and I had to cough to clear my throat.

But looking back at him, I noticed the slight annoyance on his face. Did I make him angry in a way?

Claudia’s cell phone rang, and she pulled it out of her purse.

“Oh, I have to take this,” she said before flipping it open and getting up to take the call outside. By doing so, she left me completely alone with Elliot.