The waiter returned, hands behind his back as he inquired courteously if they’d like to place their orders. Jonas asked for the bouillabaisse, and raised questioning eyes to Stephanie.
“I’ll have one of those,” she said, pointing to the tray another waiter was delivering. A huge salad was piled high with fresh pink shrimp. “And one of those.” Her gaze flew across the room to the dessert tray spread thick with a variety of scrumptious, calorie-laden goodies.
“Will that be all?”
“Oh heavens, yes.” She felt guilty enough already. “This is what you get for depriving me of nourishment,” she joked. “I’m a grouch when I get too hungry.”
“I hadn’t noticed.” One side of his mouth lifted in an action that appeared aloofly mocking.
“I guess I owe you an apology for what I said earlier.”
Her soup arrived, and she eagerly dipped her spoon into it, closing her eyes at the heavenly flavor. “Oh, this is absolutely wonderful. Thank you, Jonas.”
His eyes smiled into hers. “You’re quite welcome.”
“I am sorry.”
“My dear Stephanie, I’ve stopped counting the times you’ve let your mouth outdistance your mind.”
Stephanie was so shocked that her spoon was poised halfway between the bowl and her mouth. Jonas joking! Jonas calling her dear! It was almost more than her numbed mind could assimilate.
No sooner had she finished the soup than the salad was delivered. The top was thick with shrimp. “I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.”
“Then you’re relatively easy to please. It was my understanding that women were more interested in diamonds and furs.”
Stephanie eagerly stabbed her fork into a shrimp. “I haven’t eaten one of those in months!”
Jonas arched two thick eyebrows expressively. “So a man could win you over with cheesecake.”
“Tonight he could.” Unable to wait any longer, she ate the fat shrimp and closed her eyes at the scrumptious flavor. When she opened them, she discovered that Jonas was watching her. Tiny laugh lines fanned out from his eyes.
He was so handsome that Stephanie couldn’t take her eyes from him. “Are you wooing me?” It seemed overwhelmingly important that she know where she stood with Jonas.
“I will admit you’re the cheapest date I’ve had in a long time.”
“Is this a date?”
“Think of it more as a token of appreciation for a job well done.”
Stephanie pressed her hand dramatically to her forehead, and her bright blue eyes grew round with feigned shock. “Do my ears deceive me? The Jonas Lockwood of Lockwood Industries finds a woman of value? A relatively young woman at that—one with faults.”
“You won’t have me disagreeing with you there.”
Despite herself, Stephanie laughed. “No, I don’t suppose you would.”
“You did very well today.”
“Thank you.” She felt inexplicably humble.
“Where did you learn to speak French?”
He seemed to want to keep the conversation going, and Stephanie was just as eager to comply. For the first time since meeting the man, she didn’t feel on guard around him.
“My grandmother was a French war bride, and she taught my mother the language as a child. Later, Mom majored in French at the University of Washington. I’ve been bilingual almost from the day I was born.”
“You’re from Washington State?”
“Colville. Ever hear of it?”
“I can’t say that I have.”
“Don’t worry, most people haven’t.”
“I imagine you were the town’s beauty queen.”
“Not me. In fact, I was a tall, skinny kid with buckteeth and knobby knees most of my life. It wasn’t until I was in my late teens and the braces came off that the boys noticed me.”
“I have trouble believing that.”
“It’s true.” She reached for her purse, and took out her billfold. “I carry this picture because people don’t believe me.” She withdrew it from her wallet, and was about to hand it to him when they were interrupted by the waiter.
Seeming annoyed, Jonas looked up and spoke briefly with the other man.
Stephanie’s blue eyes widened with astonishment and surprise. The waiter nodded and stepped away.
“You speak French.”
“Only a little.”
“But well.”
“Thank you.” He dipped his head, accepting her compliment.
A clenching sensation attacked her stomach. “You didn’t really need me at all, did you?”
Chapter Four
“I brought you along as a translator,” Jonas answered simply.
Stephanie lowered her fork to her plate. Her thoughts were churning like water left to boil too long, bubbling and spitting out scalding thoughts she would have preferred to keep in her subconscious. He’d tricked her into accompanying him on this trip—for what reason she could only guess. The meal that had tasted like ambrosia only seconds before felt like a concrete block in the pit of her stomach. “You speak fluent French.”
“My French is adequate,” Jonas countered, reaching for his wineglass.
“It’s as articulate as my own.”