“What?”
“You might like to have dinner or something?”
“Are you asking me out?”
“Well…you’re here, and I’m here, and it’s almost dinner time…”
I couldn’t help a laugh. He was something else. “Talon, I would love to have dinner with you. Where do you want to go?”
“Follow me.” And then he smiled.
My heart nearly burst right there. The man had a beautiful smile. I just wished I could see it more often.
We walked a couple of blocks to the greenbelt area. A path of bricks led about a quarter mile into the park under a big shaded oak tree. A red-and-white checkered cloth had been set out along with a picnic basket and a bottle of wine. My breath caught, and I silently thanked God that I had worn pants instead of a skirt to work this morning.
“Did you do all this?” I asked.
“Well, no. Felicia made the food. I just brought it here and set it out.”
Tears emerged from my eyes. Talon Steel was a man of many facets, and I liked almost every single one of them.
To keep him from further embarrassment, I walked forward. “What’s for dinner?”
“Good ol’ country food. Felicia’s famous fried chicken, potato salad, and fresh fruit salad.”
I laughed. “No Steel beef?”
“Steaks don’t make for an easy picnic, unless we grill them here, but grills aren’t allowed in the city park.”
Talon opened the basket and pulled out a corkscrew. He deftly opened the bottle of red wine and poured two glasses, handing one to me. He looked at me for a moment, and I almost thought he was going to propose a toast of some sort, but he didn’t. He simply took a sip, so I followed suit.
Then he opened the basket and pulled out a couple of plates.
“Here, let me help you.” I pulled out the container of fried chicken and opened it. “I like thighs. What do you like?”
“Thighs? Really? You mean you’re not a chicken breast girl? The leaner cut?”
“Do I look like I try to be supermodel thin? I may be Brooke Bailey’s daughter, but my figure comes from my father’s side. Besides, once it’s battered and fried, the leaner cuts really don’t matter.”
He laughed. A happy laugh. “I actually do like the breast, but not because I’m worried about my weight.”
I scanned his beautifully sculpted body. Nope, he sure didn’t need to worry about his weight. I placed a breast on his plate and a thigh on mine. He scooped some potato salad and fruit on my plate. I smiled and thanked him. We began eating, and we didn’t talk much, but oddly, the silence didn’t seem awkward. I laughed when he dropped a piece of potato salad on his shirt. I wiped it up with my napkin. For a few fleeting moments, we were almost like a couple, and I wanted to enjoy it. Appreciate it.
My feelings for Talon had grown deep. I wasn’t ready to say I loved him, and I knew he didn’t love me, but some of the emotion I was feeling went beyond anything I’d ever felt with Colin, someone I’d supposedly been in love with. Something infected Talon, and I wished I knew what it was so I could help him. Since I couldn’t, I wanted to just enjoy this simple meal with him. Maybe he was enjoying it too, and maybe we’d have another one sometime.
“Do you want another piece of chicken?” I asked when I saw he had finished his breast.
He nodded. “Yeah, let me try the other thigh, unless you want it.”
I shook my head. “Nope, it’s yours. If I want more, I can have a drumstick. I’m pretty easy to please.” I cursed myself the moment after the words left my lips. I didn’t need him to take that the wrong way.
But he went right on eating, sipping his wine, spearing a strawberry or a chunk of pineapple with his fork. He seemed…comfortable, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen him comfortable.
I finished my thigh and decided I didn’t need a drumstick after all. I was getting full. “Felicia is a great cook. I’ve really enjoyed my meals since I’ve been here.”
“She’s the best.”
“Did you know Marj would like to go to culinary school?”
He shook his head. “Really? She is a good little cook, that’s for sure.”
“I’m surprised she doesn’t cook more often.”
“She’s not used to working hard. She’s so much younger than the rest of us, and she was the baby and very spoiled. So she just lets Felicia do most of it.”
I nodded. I loved Marjorie dearly, but she was a bit spoiled. Four years of living with her as a roommate in college had taught me that. “Maybe I can get her to cook more often. I’ll tell her how much I enjoy her cooking. In fact, why don’t you, Jonah, and Ryan tell her, too? It might mean more coming from her brothers.”
“Jade…”
I looked up. His eyes had darkened. I had the feeling we were done talking about Marj’s cooking.
“Yeah?”
“I don’t want to…”
“What?”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
I cupped his cheek. “Do I look hurt to you?”
“You’re good at that, aren’t you?”