Page 9 of Love Beyond the Illusion
I zip my necklace back and forth, the sound only buzzing inside my ears. I’m suddenly more nervous than I expected to be. “Yes, um, a glass of wine would be great. I like chardonnay.”
Jack waves the server over. “I know what to get you.”
When she appears at our table, Jack orders a glass of wine by a name I know I’ve heard before, but my mind glosses over it. I’m distracted by the feeling of familiarity between us.I know I haven’t met him before.
“I’m sure you’ll like it. It’s slightly buttery but still has those same elements that you'd find in a crisp, classic chardonnay,” he explains. This man knows his wine.
“Do you drink a lot of vino?” I arch an eyebrow.
“You could say that,” he says playfully. “So, you’re a flight attendant?”
I continue to avoid his controlled gaze while trying to keep myself together. “I am. How did you know?”
The server brings over my glass. Pinching the stem, I gulp in a heavy drink of liquid courage.Damn, I’m nervous.
“Mason’s girlfriend mentioned you were supposed to fly out last night, and I know she’s a flight attendant,” he says. “I assumed you were too.” Hearing him say that Bailey is Mason’s girlfriend is still a trip because she hasn’t dated anyone since I’ve known her. Then, going from completely hating Mason to that romantic mess she turns into every time someone brings him up is surreal.
“Yeah, we met in flight attendant school and our two other close friends. You may have met them at the wedding. They were bridesmaids as well.”
Jack crosses his arms on top of the table. “I don’t remember them.”
“But you remember me?”
“I do.” He takes a drink. There’s an awkward silence between us before he speaks. “You guys are flying home to Phoenix tonight?”
I set my glass on the table. “We are. We’ve been gone for the last two days.”
“I bet that’s a cool experience to travel so often.”
I smile, thinking about the freedom I get from Roxy and how lonely it can be. “It is. I’ve definitely gotten to know people from all over, which is pretty awesome.”
Jack’s eyebrow raises from over the rim of his wineglass as he takes a sip. “Like men in different states?” He smirks.He’s flirting with me.
“Not often.” I rub my lips together, biting back a smile again.
“Someone who looks like you and whose energy is as infectious as yours, I find that hard to believe.”
I melt under his unapologetic flattery. My cheeks reddening, I take another sip. “Are you trying to make me blush already?”
“I’m not trying to. But if I am, I wouldn’t be mad about it,” he replies.
I laugh nervously, tearing my paper napkin into shreds on the table.
“I’m kind of hurt you don’t remember me from the wedding.” He twists the stem of his glass.
“I don’t, I’m sorry. I guess you didn’t make much of an impression.” I tease.
His eyes pin me from across the table. “That’s fine. You can be sure I’m not going to let that happen again.”
I pull my mouth to one side. “Are you flirting with me?”
He rests back in his chair while folding his arms across his chest. “Absolutely not. I don’t flirt with women I’ve never met.”
“I thought you said we’ve already met?” I challenge him, finishing off the glass. Before the rim leaves my lips, he is already gesturing to our server to bring us another.
“We have. But you said we hadn’t, which means we’re still strangers,” he says, picking up one of the two drinks that were placed in front of us.
“Fair enough.” I sit straighter in my chair, feeling more confident after the two glasses of wine.
