Chapter 19 - Perfect Is Overrated

Nathan and Paige drove back from the beach, both still damp from a full day in the ocean. Nathan had spent the afternoon teaching her how to surf, and now the car smelled of saltwater and sunscreen. Paige tried wiping the last bit of stubborn sand off her face with the hem of her t-shirt, stretched over the bikini she still wore. After a few futile swipes, she sighed in surrender.

She glanced over at Nathan, who was just as unsuccessfully trying to shake sand out of his hair. "That was way more fun than I expected," she said, a smile tugging at her lips. "I get now why Ralph's obsessed with taking more lessons. It's exhausting," she added, rubbing her sore shoulder, "but I can't remember the last time I felt so… alive." Her eyes sparkled with an afterglow of excitement.

Nathan, relaxed behind the wheel in his swim trunks and a well-worn t-shirt, gave a knowing nod. "Now you see why I still crawl out of bed at 4 a.m. to hit the waves, even if we've just returned from a case a few hours earlier. There's nothing like it. Just you, your board, and the ocean. It clears your head like nothing else."

Paige sighed, content. Nathan reached for her hand, kissed her knuckles, and let their entwined hands rest on her thigh as they drove toward her condo. "I hope you don't mind, but I made dinner plans," he said. "Since Ralph's sleeping over at Sly's, I thought we could make the most of it."

Paige grinned; she was loathe for the day to end as well."That sounds perfect. I'll freshen up, and then we can swing by the Garage so you can shower and change, too."

"You read my mind."

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?

Nathan winked. "It's a surprise. One of L.A.'s best restaurants, and I've heard it's one you've been dying to try."

"Color me intrigued. I will be ready for our next adventure in record time. Make yourself comfortable. I'll be ready as soon as I can."

"No rush," he said as they pulled into the driveway. "We've got time." Once inside, Nathan picked up one of Ralph's Spy Robots books from the coffee table and made himself comfortable on the sofa. He waved it as Paige turned to make her way to the bedroom. "Don't worry about me, I've got plenty to keep me busy."

Just over an hour later, Paige emerged, her hair in an elegant updo, her makeup flawless, and a short red dress with a full skirt hugging her frame. Strappy silver heels completed the look.

Nathan stood, a low whistle escaping his lips. "You look… amazing," he managed as Paige twirled to give him the full effect of her outfit. "You have set the bar incredibly high. It's a good thing literally no one will be looking at me when we go out tonight."

Paige blushed at the compliment and gestured toward the door. "Let's get going. I'd rather not hold hands until you've washed the beach off."

Nathan laughed. "Well, in that case, we better get moving." He grabbed his keys, and the two headed out.

At the Garage, Nathan held the door for her. "Give me twenty minutes," he said, eyeing her again. "Make that fifteen."

He ducked into the Airstream while Paige wandered into the main workspace. Walter stood by the whiteboard, deep in thought, completely unaware of their arrival. The click of her heels echoed on the concrete, and she touched his shoulder gently.

Walter flinched, blinking as if pulled from another world. "What?" he snapped, but his expression softened as he saw Paige. His eyes took in her appearance, and for a brief moment, something unreadable flickered across his face. "Big date?" he asked, masking his emotion with a casual tone.

"Yeah, we were at the beach all day surfing. Nathan's just getting cleaned up before we leave for dinner. We'll be out of your way in a few minutes."

Walter smiled at her earnestly. "You're never in my way, Paige," he blurted before catching himself. He looked down awkwardly.

Paige looked at him curiously, and Walter shifted back to his usual guarded self. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Nathan's been planning it for days: the perfect tides, perfect weather, reservations at the perfect restaurant. Very romantic, from what I'm told. I don't see the appeal of trying to hydroplane across water on a glorified foam slab, though. And restaurants all seem the same to me unless they serve fermented fish." Walter shrugged.

She smiled, thinking of Nathan. "Yes, Nathan is very romantic. I enjoy spending time with him."

Walter nodded, though his eyes didn't quite match the smile on his lips. "He's a good man. A great match for you. And a strong father figure for Ralph."

Paige wondered at his choice of words. "No one could replace you in Ralph's life. You know that, right?"

"I do," Walter replied, though the words didn't come easily. "But if you and Nathan move forward, it's important that Ralph has someone who cares for him."

"You're always so pragmatic," she said gently. "It's something I've always loved about you." Paige smiled that small, soft smile she reserved exclusively for Walter.

Walter stiffened at her words as they caught him by surprise. Before either of them could react to her slip of the tongue, Paige started, hand flying to her mouth when she realized what she had inadvertently said. "I didn't mean-"

"N-no, of course… of course not. You're with Nathan. That was just... friendship."

Walter turned abruptly to the whiteboard and began scribbling nonsense as Nathan reappeared and kissed Paige on the cheek, completely oblivious to the emotional charge still buzzing between Paige and Walter. "If we leave now, we'll make it to the restaurant with time to spare." Nathan turned to Walter. "You didn't spoil it and tell her where we're going, did you?"

Walter looked incapable of speech, so Paige smoothly cut in. "Nope, as hard as I tried to worm it out of him, Walter wouldn't give up the goods. Now, let's go. We don't want to miss our reservation at this mystery restaurant." She held out her hand, and he took it.

With a smile, Nathan bid farewell to Walter. "I'll be out late tonight, Boss. Don't wait up."

Nathan winked at Paige, who giggled and gave him a playful bump with her hip. "See you tomorrow, Walter," she called. As they left, she looked back once, hoping to catch some sign that the genius was bothered by her leaving with Nathan. But he didn't even look their way, his focus was already locked back on the formula scrawled across the whiteboard.

Paige pushed food around on her plate, barely noticing the spectacular view of the ocean as the sun set. Nathan put his hand over hers, stilling it. She looked up, surprised. She had been lost in thought and had almost forgotten that he was there.

"Are you okay? I thought we had a great day together. You seemed excited to go out to dinner, but ever since we sat down, it's like you've been on a completely different planet. Talk to me. If I can, I'd like to help." Nathan's eyes brimmed with concern and care.

Paige felt like a complete jerk. "I'm fine. I'm sorry. I guess I have been distracted tonight. It's not that dinner hasn't been lovely." Paige cast her mind around for a plausible excuse that didn't have her interaction with Walter an hour and a half ago as the culprit. "It was stopping by the Garage. I saw that mountain of paperwork that I need to get through."

Nathan squeezed her hand, his eyes so understanding. He bought her lie, hook, line, and sinker.

Even though she knew she should shut up while she was ahead, she kept babbling. "With everything going on with the team and the cases piling up, there hasn't been much time for administrative duties, and now I'm behind. But I'm sure you don't want to hear about such mundane problems. I promise to be a better date for the rest of the evening." Paige took a bite of the food in front of her. "This meal is absolutely delicious. I don't think I've ever tasted better."

Nathan gave her a long look, and she wondered if he suspected something had happened between her and Walter while they were alone at the Garage earlier. But then he relaxed into his usual easy smile. The meal continued, and Paige managed to remain focused on the amazing man in front of her instead of letting her thoughts drift off toward the socially awkward genius who no doubt was currently happily ensconced in the depths of his own mind.

At last, the waiter came over to ask the couple if they wanted dessert. Before Paige could say anything. Nathan spoke up. "We'll take the tiramisu in a box. And the bill." Nathan winked at Paige, who looked at him uncertainly. "I don't want all that paperwork hanging over your head for the rest of the weekend. You and I can head over to the Garage for a couple of hours and make it into a manageable mountain for Monday, at any rate."

Paige smiled, "Oh, Nathan, that's so thoughtful! It really would be helpful before the week starts to have the two of us work on it tonight for a little while. Are you sure you don't mind?"

Nathan signed the bill and scooped up the box with the delicate dessert. "I can't think of a better way to top off a day with the amazing and dedicated Paige Dineen."

Paige smiled as the two walked out of the restaurant hand in hand, trying to shake off her uncertainty at what another interaction with Walter might look like. She thought she had put her feelings for Walter behind her. She was dating Nathan, for crying out loud. She shouldn't be thinking about another man while out on a date with a man who was as close to perfection as any human could be. She needed space to shove those feelings back down where they belonged: locked away, ignored, forgotten. It was for the best. Walter had made it abundantly clear for years that nothing was going to happen between them.

Back at the Garage, sitting beside Nathan, Paige did her best to focus on the paperwork, on flirtatious banter, on Nathan, the man she'd chosen. Despite her efforts, just below the surface of how much she enjoyed the temporary Homeland intern and their time together, she couldn't forget about the genius with the 197 IQ, upstairs in his loft, giving them space to finish their date. No matter how much she enjoyed spending time with Nathan, she still felt that familiar attraction to Walter, despite her certainty that he didn't feel the same, not after everything she had done to show him that she had moved on.