Page 43 of Worth the Rush
“And they say romance is a forgotten language,” I mock, and she laughs.
“It’s nice to hear you laugh, Ivy.” She’s blushing.
“Yeah, I’m not really big on laughter,” she says.
“That’s something we’re gonna have to change, Stormcloud. I like the sound of it too much.” My compliment earns me another blush, and I mentally pat myself on the back.
She places my jacket on the couch beside her. “We’ll see,” she hums, then stands up. “I better get back to it. I’m sorry if Iworried you. I’m usually better at keeping my shit together,” she tells me and crosses her arms over her chest. I walk around to the front of my desk and lean back onto my hands against it.
“I already told you once not to apologize, I hope I don’t have to again.” Her eyes spark at that. Ivy likes to put up a fight and, in most cases, I wouldn’t be surprised to find she doesn’t like authority, but I think Ivy Rutherford may like me telling her what to do. “Where are you off to?” I ask.
She clears her throat. “I need to get back out there and help get things settled for the gala. I’ve been missing for over two hours, and I’m sure there were a lot of questions that went unanswered.” She pats her pockets as she talks. “I don’t have my phone. Have you seen it?” she asks me. I shake my head.
“I haven’t seen it. It must still be in your office.”
“Right. Well, thank you again, Alder. I appreciate you stepping in before.” She looks into my eyes, and I know she means it. What she doesn’t know is I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else. There’s a draw to her, one I’m helpless to ignore. I don’t feel like fighting it anymore. She opens her mouth again, probably to say her final goodbye, but I stop her with my question.
“What are you doing for dinner?”
“What?” she asks, smiling but thrown by my question.
“Do you have any plans for dinner?” I ask again.
“I mean, I’ll probably eat one of my frozen dinners while I read my neglected book,” she says.
“I’m hearing you have some serious plans, but can I offer an alternative? Have dinner with me instead.”
“Why?” she asks, and I grin.
“Because you should eat a decent meal, and while I’m not the best cook in my family, I have a few good dishes on themenu, and because I want to spend time with you,” I answer honestly. She bites her lip and looks down at her old-timey-looking shoes. Shoes that I feel like a founding father would have worn. I like them on her.
“What are you going to make me?” I think about her penchant for citrus, and I find it extremely lucky I know how to make a dish with it.
“I was thinking orange chicken and rice.” I shrug, and she nods thoughtfully.
“That could work for me. I like orange chicken,” she admits. I thought she might.
“Is that a yes then?”
“It is, but it’s just a meal, action hero,” she informs me, and I nod.
“Of course…for now.” She rolls her eyes.
“Do you want to ride with me when you’re done here?”
“I may be a little late, and I want to change before,” she explains.
“Sounds good.” I smile, and she smiles back before walking out the door. I contain the urge to fist pump the air. She may not have said it was a date; she actually did say it was just a meal, but she also didn’t say it wasn’t a date. That’s good enough for now.
Ivy’s coming over. To my house. I’ve never had a woman over to my place. Seeing as I’m a thirty-six-year-old man, that may be shocking for someone to hear, but I’ve never had someone I’ve ever been seriously interested in. Or let myself be seriously interested in. As soon as she agreed to dinner, I ran to the store in town to make sure I had all the ingredients for orange chicken. I have made it, but it’s been a while, so I’ve called in reinforcements.
“Okay the rice is simmering, what next?” I say into my empty kitchen.
“Put all your spices in the pot with your orange juice, soy sauce, and vinegar,” Knox tells me. I have him on video call, and the phone is propped against a bowl I turned upside down.
“Okay, then what?”
“Mix the cornstarch and water until it’s a smooth paste.”
