He chuckled and still kept hold of my hand as he led me into the kitchen. His skin was warm and I didn’t want him to let me go. “Pretty much anything you can imagine. I had Angela pick up a few bottles today.”
When I walked in, Angela looked up from the dinner plates and smiled. Her eyes twinkled and I could instantly tell she was a genuine woman; I couldn’t help but smile back. She was exactly as Jack had described her: in her sixties, with short, white hair, and a small, plump body. “Good evening, Bristol. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Angela Parks.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Angela.”
“Likewise, my dear.” She finished putting the food on the plates and set them on the table. There were candles in the center, the crystal glasses sparkling against the light. It was romantic, something no guy had ever done for me.
Angela glanced around the room, clearly happy with the outcome. She walked up to Jack and patted his arm. “Everything is good to go. You have extra food in the fridge for the rest of the week.” A mischievous smile spread across her lips. “However, if you need me to come in and cook more I’d be happy to.”
She winked at him and he laughed. “I’m sure you would.”
“Have a good night, you two,” she said, grinning at us both.
Once she left, Jack pointed at the bottles of wine sitting on the counter. “Take your pick.” I let his hand go and walked over, fetching the Riesling, my favorite. He opened it and poured me a glass. “Thank you for coming to dinner. I hope you don’t do this with any of your other male clients.”
Shrugging, I took a sip of my wine and tried to hold back my smile. “What if I did?” I asked. I didn’t, but I was curious to hear his response.
He moved closer, his gaze lowering to my lips before meeting my eyes. “I’d have to say I’d be jealous. The thought of you being around other men drives me insane.”
I bit my lip, knowing exactly how he felt. I didn’t want to imagine him with other women, looking at him the way he looked at me. “What are you saying?”
Sighing, he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m saying that after tonight I want to see you again…and not as your client.”
My heart stopped and I sucked in a breath. I hadn’t been exclusive with anyone in so long that I almost forgot what it was like. I didn’t know what to say, but my stomach growled in response. Jack chuckled and I joined in.
“Sounds like you’re ready to eat,” he said with a smile.
“Past ready.” I sighed.
“Let’s eat, then. We can talk about everything later. I didn’t mean to come on so strong.”
I waved him off. “You didn’t. You just caught me off guard.” My stomach growled again and I scrambled for something else to say. “My boss is out of town with his wife, so I’m taking on some of her clients while they’re gone. I haven’t had much time to eat lunch this week.”
We walked over to the table and he pulled out my chair. “That’s not good. Do I need to bring you lunch every day?”
I laughed. “Of course not,” I said, thinking he was teasing. But then he sat down with a serious expression on his face. “Seriously?” I asked.
“If you needed me to, I would.” At a loss for words, I just stared at him. A part of me wanted to say yes, but I couldn’t do that. Hearing him say that made my stomach flutter. I hadn’t dated anyone in a while, but I knew none of the men I’d gone out with would have ever offered that. It just added to all the many things I wanted to know about him.
“I’ll be fine. Working all these crazy hours is just temporary.” Lifting my glass, I took a sip of the wine and sighed. The food smelled amazing and looked so elegantly placed on the plate I was afraid to touch it. I was half tempted to take a picture and plaster it all over social media as food porn.
“Does the food look okay?” he asked.
I ate a bite of the chicken and closed my eyes. “Not only does it look good, but it tastes like heaven. When you see Angela again, please tell her she’s amazing.”
He burst out laughing. “She’ll be happy to hear it. I went through five different chefs before I found her.”
“That many? Do you not know how to cook?” I asked curiously.
He shrugged. “I do, but I don’t always have the time. That’s why she just comes a couple days a week and cooks extra so I’ll have leftovers. I also go to the tavern a lot.”
So many people at work liked to hang out at the tavern as well. I’d been there only a couple of times. “That place was great. I’ve been dying to go back. Everyone at the office talks about it all the time.”
“I’ll have to take you there someday,” he offered.
I tried to hide my smile but couldn’t. “As in another date?”
He winked. “Maybe. That’s if you still want to see me after tonight.”
“I don’t know; we’ll see.” We finished eating and I helped him clean the dishes. Angela had done all the pots and pans, so all we had to do were our plates. He didn’t seem to be bothered about cleaning, which I found admirable. At first, I thought Jack would be spoiled, but he’d surprised me. He wasn’t like that at all. I wasn’t brought up with a lot of money, so I was used to the house cleaning. However, with the amount of hours I worked, I might have to consider hiring a maid. It was nice to know I could afford one if I wanted one.
“I might have to see about getting Angela to cook at my place,” I confessed. “Since it’s just me, I don’t ever take the time to cook a nice meal for myself. If I had her come in on the days she’s not with you, she could cook extras and I’d have something for when I got home at night. How much does she charge?”
“Don’t worry about that. I got it covered,” he replied with a wink. Grabbing his keys, he nodded toward the door. “Ready?”
He tried to walk past me, but I caught his arm. “What do you mean, you ‘got it covered’? I don’t want you paying her for me.”
“Why not?” he questioned, a devilish grin spreading across his face.
“Because I can pay her myself. I don’t need anyone doing me any favors.”