"Dinner?" I repeated, praying I had misheard.

"Yes." Vincent crossed his arms, his expression calm and unreadable. "Dinner. Tonight."

My mind raced into a frantic calculation I didn't want to make. A single fancy place could devour my rent. Dessert could cost two months' worth of electricity. Wine? I couldn't even begin to imagine the damage. I watched the bill balloon into a guilty conscience that would haunt me for weeks.

"I... of course, sir," I managed to say, forcing a professional smile t