Page 18 of The Billionaire & the Virgin Chef
Dylan
My afternoonat work turns into a long, busy evening and ends a lot later than planned. A quick change at the office is all I can manage if I want to be on time for drinks with Emily. Heading out at seven, with the traffic, I make it to the address with only a minute or two to spare. On finding a parking spot close by, I text Emily to let her know I’m outside and she replies that she’s on her wayout.
But, the second Emily sits in the passenger seat of my LaFerrari Aperta I find out she can’t do drinksanymore.
Orwon’t.
I undo my seatbelt and turn to look at her. She’s wearing a cute wrap top with black slack and has her long blonder hair pinned up. There’s a hint of makeup on her face. From all the signs, she seems dressed to go out with me. So why won’tshe?
“Any reason for the change ofheart?
She looks up at me, clearly apologetic from that shy, sheepish expression in those big blue eyes of hers. “I’m really sorry. It’s nothing personal. I gave it some thought and came to the conclusion that it’s not a good idea to mix business withpleasure.”
“You mean with Diane? Look, I told you earlier. You have absolutely nothing to worryabout.”
“I appreciate that you feel that way. Really, I do. And I hope you can also respect my decision.” She reaches her hand across the center console and rests her hand on mine. The one resting on my knee at the moment. It’s not a handshake. To me, there’s more to it than a parting touch. “No hardfeelings?”
“Poor choice of words,” I confess. My eyes move from her face to where her hand is practically inches from my groin. But she’s blowing me off nicely. I can’t hold it against her. “Sure. I getit.”
“Sorry I made you come all thisway.”
That last comment has me questioning her rationale for bailing on me at the last minute. I mean, she’s dressed to go out, possibly with me. Can this be a kneejerk reaction? Last minute nerves or something? There’s no chance in hell that I’ll reach out to her after this, so I figure I’ll ask what’s really behind her snapdecision.
“Just to satisfy my analytical mind, you have my number still,right?”
She nods. “Yes.Why?”
“Did you change your mind in the last fewminutes?”
“Notreally.”
“Well, if you knew you weren’t up for drinks anymore, why’d you let me come across town to pick you up? A text or phone call would’ve beenfine.”
“You’re right, but someone wise once told me it’s best to look a person in the eye when delivering badnews.”
“I can respect that explanation. You have a lot more courage than a lot of people outthere.”
“Thanks.”
“And are you sure you’re not up for even one drink? A chat at a coffee shop or a walk orsomething?”
“Pretty sure. Why do youask?”
I drop my eyes to my knee where her hand is still curled up into mine. That’s not the body language I’d expect from someone who’s about to end a first date before it evenstarts.
Her smile becomes more playful. Her eyes seem to brighten, even though the only source of light around the car is the streetlight on the other side of the road. “I never said I didn’t want to have drinks. Look, I’m sure you can tell there’s this energy between us…attraction, chemistry, a spark…whatever you want to call it. I meant it when I said it’s not personal. It’s just business. Sorry, I justcan’t.”
“Listen. When’s this shindig you’ll be catering forDiane?”
She catches onto where I’m going with this and giggles a little. “In a few weeks. I’m also scheduled to meet her for lunch in a few days to have her try out the dishes I’ve gotplanned.”
“And it’s a one-timedeal?”
“Yes.”
“That’s fair. How about you work the gig, and give me a shout after it’s alldone.”
“One-time deals can turn into repeat business, you know? But sure. I’ll text yousometime.”
