Hey, y'all! I'm not going to waste much of your time today, we're just jumping right into things. However, I did want to say that I love, love, LOVE reading y'all's reviews and seeing that you like the story! It seriously means so much. Since y'all are liking this so much, I've decided to give you 2 chapters today! Enjoy the first of the two!
Arriving at the restaurant, Mercedes had to blink a few times to make sure she was seeing it right. This looked much fancier than something Sam would've picked out. And not only has he been here before, but he's come so much that he wants her to enjoy it too? If she was honest, she didn't think it looked like his type of place. Maybe he had changed more than she had in the last five years.
Sam opened the door for her like a bellman and motioned his hand like one, "M'Lady."
Mercedes chuckled and nodded towards him as she walked in, "M'Lord." She gasped upon getting a view of the entire restaurant, "Oh, wow."
The restaurant was fancier than any place she would frequent. At least in Ohio anyway. The overhead lights were dimmed ever so slightly with extra light provided by the lit oil lamps at occupied tables. The tables, each of them already beautifully set, were draped in white tablecloths, and there was soft jazz music that was just audible over a bustling steakhouse on a Friday night. Plus, there was a deliciously savory aroma that she smelled before she even walked through the door. She found herself getting hungrier by the second.
They didn't have to wait long for one of the hostesses to come up to them, "Ms. Jones, hi." She said, slightly starstruck, "Thank you so much for joining us this evening. Is it just you two?"
"It is, yes."
"Ok, wonderful. Where would you like to sit? Table, booth, or patio?'
"Actually, I'm here with him." She corrected the hostess as she pointed to the man beside her. "So," She looked over at him. "Sam?"
Sam rubbed his hands together as he thought for a moment, "Do you have any patio seats left?"
The hostess nodded, "We certainly do, right this way."
As the couple followed her through the restaurant, Mercedes silently waved and smiled at the few people who acknowledged her. They were led to a table on the patio that was further from the others. There were no tablecloths, but it was just as nice with the sounds of the waves of the lake crashing not too far from them. Once they were seated, she apologized to Sam.
"Hey, don't even worry about it," He smiled. "Like you said, it's all love. Plus, I know I'm not out with just anyone. I'm okay with it."
Mercedes thanked him and gave him props for the restaurant choice, "This place is incredible, Sam. How did you find it?"
"Let's see," He started. "My dad came here once on a trip with some of his business buddies and he recommended it to me. Then, I came and I loved it. And now, Will and I come up here every couple of months to keep in touch outside of work. It's one of my favorite restaurants."
"I can see why. We haven't even eaten anything yet and I'm already in love with it."
Their waiter for the night, Jack, promptly walked over to them and took their drink orders. They both ordered sweet tea.
Mercedes was about to change the subject as she picked up the menu, only to be stopped by Sam's hand on hers, "What?"
"Don't even worry about ordering." He said confidently. "I've got a special recommendation of mine picked out just for you. You do still eat meat, right? You're not one of those reformed vegan celebs who substitute everything with cauliflower?"
Mercedes threw her head back as she laughed, "Absolutely not. Are you kidding me?"
Sam threw his hands up in defense, "Hey, I'm just making sure."
"Come on, now. You know I love chicken wings too much for that."
"They make those out of cauliflower too."
"I know," She nodded. "I've tried them and they're disgusting."
They continued to talk and laugh until their waiter came to take their order.
"Alright, dude. I've got this. So, she will have the ribeye, medium, with the roasted asparagus and the garlic grilled potatoes. And I will have the sliced filet mignon with the onions and all that good stuff with the brown butter roasted veggies. Did I go too fast or?" Sam realized his potential misstep amidst his excitement.
The waiter shook his head, "No, no. I've got all of that. How would you like the filet mignon?"
"Well done. I hate the pink stuff. Oh, and could she also get a glass of your sweetest Zinfandel?"
Jack confirmed the order and walked away. Mercedes was stunned, "I'm not even gonna ask how you have put that suggestion together because it was very elaborate and very well suited to my tastes. I have no idea how you would remember or know any of that."
"I have my ways," Sam shrugged. "You just wait until you taste the wine. It'll drive you insane with how good it is."
As they waited for their food to come, they caught up a little more.
"So how're things at McKinley? Glee Club? Internationals?" Mercedes gleamed. "That must be exciting."
"Oh, yeah, you have no idea," Sam smiled wide. "Now that we actually have the money to send them, they're pumped. I mean, we're there at the school in rehearsals every other day."
Mercedes shot him a look of astonishment, "Wow. Every other day? Mr. Schue would've had to hold our phones for ransom to get us in the auditorium at any point during the summer. I can't imagine how you just get them there, what, three times a week?"
"I know, right?" Sam shook his head. "What it is is they're so dedicated. I've never seen kids so pumped to sing and dance. Plus, we've won Nationals for four years in a row, so I think they're ready for a bigger challenge."
Mercedes smiled at him as she listened intently. It was so wonderful hearing him talk about the things he was passionate about, "I can tell you really enjoy this, Sam. And that you really love these kids. I guess, after 5 years, I'd hope you love it," She joked. "But it's really cool hearing you talk about it."
Sam agreed, "I really do. When Will first asked me to coach them and the three other clubs, I was excited but had no idea whether or not I was really ready, but I fell in love with those kids, seriously. It's like having a glee family, but I don't have to leave them and the family just gets bigger and bigger every year," He explained. "I feel like I'm really living out my life's purpose." He took a sip of his tea, "So, what about you? What's next for the sensational Ms. Mercedes Jones? I mean, what could be next after four GRAMMYs and a sold-out world tour?"
"Oh, my goodness," Mercedes cupped her face with her hands as she felt it get hot. "I still can't believe it when people say that, you know." At the 2019 GRAMMYs, she'd won Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Record of the Year. Plus, after working with Beyonce, she was unable to get her on her album but the performer had a song practically waiting on her. They did a song together that ended up winning Best R&B Performance. It was still surreal.
"Imagine being one of your best friends watching you win from his house in Ohio," Sam laughed. "It gets even more unbelievable."
"Honestly, though, I don't think anything's next right now," Mercedes looked out at the water before looking back at Sam. "I've just been working myself to the bone for five straight years. I want to take a break, you know? Get away from the city and spend some time back home. You know we don't have any cornfields in L.A.?"
"What?" Sam leaned his head back in disbelief.
"Nope." Mercedes shook her head. "Not any worth seeing, anyway. And I'm an Ohioan. Cornfields are like… my ultimate source of power. I grow weaker every day I go without seeing one." She joked and laughed. "So, yeah, I'm gonna be taking some time off. Plus, I've got to start working on my second album, which my label is already pressing me to get done. Between that and my manager trying to set me up for press non-stop, I'm going to at least be spending the next couple of months away from the industry and all that craziness."
"A couple of months?" Sam asked. "You know, I know you said you were on a break and taking some time off, and I 100% agree with and support that," He put his hands out in defense. "But it would be amazing if you could come and see the glee kids. Maybe tweak their performances or something? No pressure or anything."
Mercedes looked at her friend like he was crazy, "Are you kidding me? Of course, I'll come. I'd love to."
"For real? That's awesome. They'll be so pumped. They love you. And you don't even have to make it a whole thing; you can come to one of our rehearsals before school starts when there aren't a ton of kids on campus. It'll be great."
"It sounds exciting. I can't wait!"
They were still talking about the glee clubs when Jack came back with the wine and began pouring a glass, "I hope this meets your expectations, Ms. Jones."
"Well, I'm not exactly sure what to expect," Mercedes chuckled. "But I'm sure it'll be great. Thanks, Jack."
As Jack left, Sam pulled out his phone and aimed it at Mercedes.
Noticing this, Mercedes rolled her eyes, "If you videotape me trying this wine for the first time, I'm stealing your keys and you're walking back to Lima." She swirled the wine around slightly, deciding to save him from watching her do a full-blown wine tasting.
"Oh, no," Sam waved her off. "You're gonna be glad I did this, trust me. You're about to have your life revolutionized."
"Sam."
"Just taste it," He encouraged, albeit impatiently. "Then you'll see. You're gonna wanna remember this."
Mercedes shook her head, "This boy." She said to herself as she brought the glass to her lips, taking a sip while staring dead at him.
Sam ignored her staring and grinned hard as he watched on, waiting for her reaction.
After a brief moment, Mercedes closed her eyes, "Oh, my God." She whispered.
"It's amazing," Sam whispered back.
Mercedes continued whispering as she took another swig, "It's so amazing."
"I told you. Your life will never be the same."
"This is so good I'm going to ignore how corny you're being right now." Mercedes said lowly as she took yet another sip. After Sam laughed and put his phone down, she continued, "I'm also going to ignore that you brought me to this nice fancy ass restaurant when I'm dressed like this."
"Why? You look great." Sam asked.
"No, you look great," Mercedes quipped. "You're wearing chinos. I'm in a denim jumpsuit."
"You're wearing heels. Aren't women just naturally dressed up when they're wearing heels?"
She resisted the urge to chuckle, "No, Sam, we're not. You could've at least let me change before we came here."
"It wouldn't matter. You could come in here wearing a t-shirt and jeans with your hair in a bun and everyone in here would still be playing catch up with how incredible you look." He said matter-of-factly.
Mercedes felt like the wind was knocked out of her. She had actually forgotten about her mission for a moment. But now he was flirting with her again. How was she supposed to turn that down?
Sam was once again hot on her scent. He leaned in a little, "Hey, you know you can tell me anything, right?" He whispered.
"What?" She frowned.
"You called me up out of the blue and said you wanted to talk. Now, you keep acting weird, you're staring off into the distance, and I've been watching your gears turning and working overtime since I picked you up from the airport. I'm just saying," He leaned back to his original position. "If there's something troubling you or something wrong, I'm here for you."
Screw it. Mercedes thought. Screw the signs and the omens and everything else. Now or never. "Okay," She took a deep breath. "Sam, I wanted to talk to you about—"
"Alright, everyone. I hope we're hungry."
"Holy crap, you've got to be kidding me," Mercedes said a little too loudly. When she noticed Jack and Sam looking at her, she feigned excitement, "You've… got to be kidding me about how good this food smells!" She smiled way too hard, "And I'm more than just hungry, Jack. I am starving."
Jack served their food and told them he would be back to check on them soon. Before Sam even picked up his utensils, he directed his attention back to Mercedes, who was already about to dig in. "Hey, wait," He stopped her. "Trust me, the food will still be piping hot for a few more minutes. Go ahead with what you were saying."
Mercedes swallowed her courage for the umpteenth time that night, "It's just that I was worried about tomorrow." She shrugged, "There's going to be all these feelings. These 'Finn' feelings. And you know how I feel about those. So I just wanted to talk to you for a bit to help ease some of the worries since outside of you, my most trusted confidants are his ex-girlfriend, step-brother, and step-brother-in-law. That's all. But," She picked herself up, "You swooped in and saved the day and we've been having a great time and I'm not as anxious about it anymore. Plus, I'm about to eat what looks like the greatest steak I've ever had in my entire life." She chuckled. "I'm good now."
Sam nodded, "Alright, well, as long as that's all it is. Let's dig in."
Mercedes let out a breath before taking a larger than life gulp of wine and beginning to eat her food. It wasn't a total lie. She had actually been slightly worried about tomorrow. She hadn't been back to Lima in over two years and McKinley in three. But at this point, she was beginning to feel defeated. She had tried to express her feelings and somehow been interrupted. Every. Single. Time. It was getting old.
Yeah, Mercedes. It really is getting old *eye roll*. I have to admit y'all. Even when writing this, I was getting irritated at my good sis, even though I was the one writing it! But the next chapter is the end of our first night adventure, so we'll get to see for once and for all if Mercedes has the gusto to do what needs to be done. It's already up (or at least it should be), so go on and check it out if you'd like! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
