Page 2 of The Charming Checklist
“You’re welcome.” He shrugged. “Figured you could do the shopping.”
“I love shopping!”
Again, with all the enthusiasm. The joy. She might not realize that some of the people on the receiving end of charity didn’t find their situation particularly joyous. He understood this better than most.
Max stood, not finishing the rest of his drink. “I’m out of here.”
He’d made reservations for his date with Grace Fitzpatrick at Le Oranguan,the expensive and swanky restaurant on the rooftop of The Lookout, the only hotel in Charming. He’d come prepared for a G-rated evening with a woman he wanted to get to know better. If Max wanted sex, he could find that easily enough. But for the past year, he’d been in training to be someone’s husband. Therefore, he’d deprived himself of the casual companionship of women. It was time to get serious. Go deep.
At least on paper, he and Grace were a perfect match. She was a graduate of Columbia University in New York, summa cum laude, currently in Texas working on her doctorate in mathematics. Thirty-two, and never married, she enjoyed cooking, her favorite color was blue and she wanted four children. Max preferred the color black, he enjoyed eating more so than cooking, but he also wanted four children. He wanted each of those four children to have the best start in life, with two educated and highly professional parents who could give them the best of everything.
Max had taken care of his half. He was educated, successful and a long way from the picking fields of Watsonville. The fact that some women found him good-looking, but a little emotionally stunted, was of no concern to him now. He’d work on that, since he had literally everything else to offer a woman.
Tonight he expected an evening full of stimulating topics and discussion. He wanted an interesting and sophisticated woman who would challenge him intellectually. The picture Grace posted was a flattering one but looks weren’t as important long-term. She hit every one of his requirements out of the ballpark when it came to background and education. Now he needed to learn more about her personality. Her beauty should be more than skin-deep.
Oh, he wasn’t a snob, not him, but he simply didn’t want his children to work as hard as he had. And if he were going to eventually grow the Salty Dog Bar & Grill into a chain restaurant, as he hoped, it would be nice to have a wife who would be comfortable in high society and throwing a first-class dinner party for his colleagues by having all the right contacts.
He’d determined not to get deeply involved or connected to anyone until everything else was lined up perfectly. Until he found someone who he could spend the rest of his life with. He could not and would not be derailed from his goal. Max arrived early so he could scope out the area and make sure their table location was perfect. He also preferred to sit with no one to his back, but that was a holdover from his navy SEAL days, and his only real quirk.
“Right this way Mr. Del Toro,” the maître d’ said, and then waving to the table, “Is everything to your satisfaction?”
He gave the table a quick perusal and glanced at his nautical wristwatch. “Yes, perfect, thank you. My date will be arriving shortly.”
“I’ll send her right over.”
This shouldn’t take long. Max figured if the first date was a good connection, as he hoped, they wouldn’t have to linger over dinner. No need to be tempted to get physical too fast if there was a serious attraction. He’d just schedule another date, this time on the beach, so he could see how she handled a little sand and surf.
Grace waltzed in right on time, as beautiful as her photo, and he unkinked his shoulders. Cole made Max think that maybe someone else might show up. But this was the same woman in the photo. Tall, brunette, slender. They would make beautiful children.
He rose to greet her and offered his hand. “I’m Max.”
“You’re just like your photo!” She went hand to chest and gently sat when he pulled out her chair. “You have no idea how many of these dates I’ve been on, andnoone looks like their photo.”
“That’s a shame. Why would anyone waste their time like that? It’s completely illogical.” He sat and snapped his menu shut. “Should we order?”
“Nothing for me,” she said. “I don’t eat.”
“You don’t eat.”
Now, that was a lie. If she didn’t eat, she’d be dead by now. Max supposed that was a ridiculous way to avoid chewing in front of him and she lost points for that.
“Not after six,” she added.
“I’m sorry, you should have said something.”
“Well, you know what? I’ll have a green salad.”
Max ordered for both of them and was pleasantly surprised at the flow of conversation. He asked questions about her work and she answered them without hesitation. Best of all, the entire time she remained cool and collected. Smooth. Her personality and temperament were even and subdued. Hard to rattle her, he had to assume. Very nice. He could listen to her talk for hours, which he realized he would have to do if they were eventually married. Yeah. This could work.
She reached for his hand. “Max, you don’t talk much, but I think this is going well. Do you agree?”
“I agree. We should schedule another time to meet.”
As an added bonus, he didn’t find himself having to restrain any physical impulses with this woman. This would make it easier to get to know each other. Of course, if the physical attraction didn’t work itself out later, that could be a problem. But he refused to think about that now. There was no reason he shouldn’t be attracted to Grace, who was a beautiful woman.
“Would you excuse me a minute?”
She was gone longer than Max would have thought likely for the restroom, and he began to wonder if she’d walked out on him. It would be the first time it had ever happened to him. Usually he walked out first, when emotions got too heated and complicated. But even if it had been over a decade since he’d felt the shame of not being good enough, a sliver of alarm rolled through him. This was not what he’d signed up for.
