Page 53 of Worth Loving
“It’s healthier and quicker to cook too.”
“That’s right. More cost efficient on top of it.”
She smiled and tilted her head. “I didn’t think you’d know those things. Do you manage the restaurant too? I guess I just thought you did the bar.”
He had to watch himself now. Letting out too much information at once.
“The whole business. Front and back, behind the bar.”
“Wow, so I’m really lucky I’ve seen you at the bar. I bet you have to do work in an office too?”
“I try to get some of it done at home but it’s not always the case. A lot of times it’s before we open in the morning.”
“Interesting. Guess you have to have a lot more knowledge than just mixology.”
“You do,” he said, bumping his shoulder into hers.
He didn’t want to say much else and let them be led to their booth, took their seats and were handed the drink menus, then the food menus.
“Doesn’t look as if they’ve got Chicken Cock here.” He laughed. “I can still see your face when you came in. You lookedready to murder someone. With your fiery red hair, it just made me think it was the perfect drink for you.”
“I’ll be happy if I never do another shot again.”
“Some people love it. I think it’s just a quick way to get the liquor in them to give them courage or dull their pain.”
She tilted her head. “That’s about right. I guess I needed a bit of both that night.”
He frowned at her. “Courage for what? Dulling the pain, or getting rid of the annoyance of your horrible date I can understand. But why would you need courage?”
She seemed to hesitate. As if she didn’t want to answer, but finally said, “The courage to talk to you.” The way she was batting her eyelashes told him she was joking.
They placed their drink and food orders.
He didn’t want to rush the night, but he was glad she understood that he had Jonah to get home to.
Conversation flowed well with them. It always seemed to when he never had that with another woman.
“You look like the wheels are turning in your head. Want to share?” he asked.
“Just thinking. You’re so easy to talk to. I don’t normally get that from men. Or not men I’ve been around, which is work and we talk about work. But you’re so knowledgeable. Is it from listening to people at work all the time?”
He didn’t think he was bragging about how smart he was.
Never that.
But sometimes it was hard to not talk or answer when things came up and he knew the facts.
Too bad if it surprised people.
There were plenty of people out there who were bullshitters, but he wasn’t one of them. And he sure the hell never wanted to come off that way either.
Though plenty had thought it and he’d shrug it off knowing he might never see them again anyway.
“That could be part of it I’m sure. I like to read and when you read you learn a lot that way too.”
“That’s true. So I won’t tell you about the latest Jeffrey Deaver book.”
“Don’t,” he said, pointing his finger at her. “I saw it on your table. I’ll be starting it soon.”
