“Would that be so bad?”
“It’s your money,” she quipped, shrugging.
“Do you like Italian? Pizza? Sushi?”
“I like all types of food. Surprise me.”
Rose walked off, heading back to the office, intent on finishing the arduous task. She heard him chuckle to himself before getting on the phone. She was getting closer and closer to finishing – then it would simply be breaking down the boxes and getting the debris out of the office.
Besides, a nice dinner with a handsome guy might extraordinarily wonderful to experience considering she’d never dated before.
8
Rose was humming to herself as she finished tidying up, trying to keep from grinning like a complete loon. She was going to be having dinner with the most gorgeous guy she’d ever met. Part of her still wanted to run for the hills, but another part was more fascinated by the way he seemed to act around her. She was drawn to him like a moth to a flame – she just wanted to make sure she didn’t get her wings singed!
Jarrett was putting on the charm and she was a bit overwhelmed by his sheer presence. He was intense – it was like watching a lightning storm or a volcano. Elemental, beautiful, and dangerous. What happened if he got upset again or lost his temper? Why wasn’t he already dating someone or married? Was he just masking the insufferable part of his personality to get what he wanted?
Putting the last book on the shelf, she stood back and smiled to herself. This truly was a lovely office. The entire condo was breathtaking, and there was so much potential that seemed to go wasted. If she lived here, she’d have a garden outside and spend as much time as possible in the sun overlooking the city. Maybe instead she would hide away in the window nook – complete with a tufted cushion for comfort – like a lazy kitten.
Her stomach gave a loud rumble just then and she heard it in the silence of the room. She slapped her hand over her midsection as if it would muffle it and glanced down at her watch. She’d been in here for almost the entire three hours that she budgeted. She was relieved that she’d already seen Mrs. Baker earlier in the morning since her plans had suddenly changed for the evening.
She was having dinner with Jarrett Ariet – her client.
Stepping silently out of the office, she slid the shelf over slightly to allow her to enter the hallway unheard. As she walked into the main part of the condo, she stopped and held her breath.
Jarrett was in the process of lighting a candle that sat in the middle of the dining room table, when he looked up guiltily. He blew out the match the moment he saw her. The table was set with paper plates and plastic utensils. Several containers of Chinese food sat nearby, as well as a bouquet of flowers. The pink gift bag sat on the seat cushion of one of the chairs – waiting for her. He gave her a lop-sided smile and she could have sworn there was a flush of embarrassment to his cheeks.
“Do you like Chinese food?”
“Very much so,” she replied and felt her heart flutter wildly at the thought that he was possibly trying to impress her. “What is all of this?”
“You said you would have dinner with me. Did you change your mind? Is this too much?” he asked, his expression suddenly stony but she caught the glimpse of rejection in his eyes.
“Not at all – it’s flattering.”
Walking over to the table, she moved the pink bag and took a seat nervously. Watching him, he pulled out another match and tried to relight the candle again, this time succeeding. Reaching for a tiny remote, he pushed a button and dimmed the overhead lighting before taking his own seat.
“I was just getting ready to come check on you.”
“Did you want to see the office first?”
“No,” he admitted honestly, surprising her that he declined to check on her work. “The food is hot and the company is lovely – I’d rather be right here than anywhere else in the world.”
Rose had just taken a sip of water when she realized what he’d said. Instantly it went down the wrong pipe and she began to cough. Jarrett shot to his feet and came over to pat her on the back, but she was able to manage a strangled “I’m okay,” out of her mouth.
There was no doubt in her mind anymore – the man was interested in her. Her self-esteem had always been low, finding fault with everything she ever wore or how she looked. That was part of the reason she liked the library; she could hide. The maid uniforms gave her a chance to blend in with everyone else and become unseen. She realized now what made her so uncomfortable with Jarrett Ariet… he was truly looking at her- and liked what he saw.
Mind. Blown.
“Why are you doing this?” Rose whispered incredulously, still struggling with the water going down the wrong way – or so she imagined. She was more surprised that this was all happening.
“I think you are beautiful and I want to get to know you,” he admitted freely and then pointed at one of the containers. “Kung Pow or Hunan Shrimp?”
When she didn’t answer, he began casually serving a little bit of each onto the paper plate in front of her. Rose studied is face trying to see if there was some sort of subterfuge or hidden agenda to all of this.
“Is it so hard to believe, Rose?” he asked quietly, not looking at her but rather concentrating on opening another container and putting several scoops of food onto her plate. He set a fortune cookie in front of both of them, before meeting her eyes.
“Yes,” she admitted honestly. “You are… you- and I am… just me.”
“Well, Just Me,” Jarrett teased lightly, putting the utensils down on his plate to keep from dirtying the table. He rested his chin on his fist and looked at her. His own plate was empty and glancing down, she saw hers was loaded with enough food to feed a small army.
“When a guy finds a girl incredibly attractive usually he invites her to dinner or a movie. You’ve been on dates before – what do you like to do?”
“Let’s eat while the food is hot,” she said quickly, feeling her face heat up with embarrassment. She didn’t want to tell him that this was the first time she’d really been chased after. Sure, she met with friends – but it was casual, and nothing like this.
“We can talk and eat,” he suggested. Rose could feel his eyes on her as she picked up her fork. She didn’t even pay attention to whatever she speared with her utensil; rather it was more of a matter of quickly plugging her rebel mouth. She didn’t want to start blurting out all sorts of stupidity nor did she want to reveal that she’d never been on a date or kissed. Shoving a shrimp in her mouth, she covered it with a napkin and mumbled to him.
“You go first.”
Picking up the plastic serving spoon that the Chinese restaurant had provided, he casually started to fill his plate. The candle flame flickered in the silence and Rose was aware that she could hear herself chewing. Slowing down and feeling herself relax a bit – she finished her bite as he began talking.
“Well, I grew up in a home and put myself through college by moving furniture for a company. I saw how it was run and realized that I could do better, switching my degree plan from Psychology to Marketing. I have always had a knack for reading people and body language. That’s why I know that you are still nervous to be sitting here with me… and part of the reason I am trying to make this as unassuming as you need it to be,” Jarrett said easily, glanced up at her with a wry smile.
“I think I need a beer – would you like one?”
“I don’t drink.”
“I shouldn’t, but it helps relax me and calm my nerves.”
“Why are you nervous?”
“Because I’m afraid I am going to blow my chance to date you by opening my mouth and saying the wrong thing.”
“How about we just start over from scratch?”
“That’s what I’m trying to do,” he admitted, jumping up from his seat and grabbing two bottles from the fridge. Popping the cap on both of them, he handed one to her. “To new beginnings,” he quickly said and tapped the neck of his bottle against hers. He took a
sip and grimaced lightly as he sat back down. Rose also took a sip, and wrinkled her nose as the horrible, pungent bitter taste hit her tongue.
“Yeah – it’s pretty terrible. Isn’t it?”
“Horrendous,” she agreed and smiled shyly at him. “Let’s forget the beer, and the anxiety that is eating at both of us. How do we get past it and move on? Maybe I should just go and we can try this again some other time?”
“Sometimes it’s just best to rip off the Band-Aid.”
“Fine – let’s both share something that is making us horribly nervous so it’s just out there, and then we can talk about it or figure it out,” she suggested, taking another sip of the bitter beer. “Nope, that isn’t for me.”
“Who is going to go first?”
“I think we should at the same time so there is no judgement, no going first and no taking it back. Let’s count to three and blurt it out on three.”
“On three – not after we say three,” Jarrett hedged.
“Yes. On three,” she agreed firmly. “Ready? One… two…” Rose took a deep breath and shut her eyes nervously so she couldn’t see him.
“I’ve never dated anyone.”
“I want to kiss you.”
Rose gasped and held her breath at his words. Peeking open one eye, she saw his face and his heated look. Neither one said a word; instead Jarret got up from his seat and walked around the table over to her. He held out his hand and instinctively, Rose put her hand in his. He tugged lightly, encouraging her to stand up and pulled her into his arms.
Staring up into his dark eyes, she could hear drumming in the background and realized it was her own heartbeat. His starched dress shirt had a small string on the collar and she unthinkingly went to pull it off. He caught her hand and lay it on the back of his neck. She could feel his warmth, and it felt so incredibly intimate to touch his skin with her fingertips.
“You are dating me,” Jarrett whispered just seconds before his lips touched hers. The featherlight touch of his mouth made her knees weak. When he’d been close to her before, she’d anticipated him being aggressive with her or being a rough kisser like in the movies or romance books. Instead, this was bittersweet and just what her soul needed. He wasn’t possessive or domineering, he was incredibly tender.
A moment later, he broke the kiss and she could feel his ragged breath on her lips a mere second before his forehead rested against hers. Rose opened her eyes only slightly and saw that he was looking at her, his deep brown eyes raking over her face for any hesitation or measuring to see if it affected her the same way.
“Wow,” he admitted. “That was better than anything I could have imagined.” His hand reached up to delicately stroke her cheek, and her eyes drifted shut of their own accord as she leaned in to his hand.
“You’ve imagined this?” she asked softly, feeling her face flush. His answer was to simply kiss her again. This time when he broke the kiss, he stepped back out of her arms and rubbed his neck nervously. Rose saw that his hand trembled and she was moved by the subtle nuance and what it meant. He was really affected- just as she had been.
“I could do that all night but I think that would really mess things up between us,” he said honestly with a wry smile. “Let’s have dinner and talk about where I am taking you for our second date.”
9
The next few weeks flew by in a whirlwind. Rose felt like she was always away from home and felt almost guilty that Jarrett kept hiring her. He would call the office, make an appointment and request her each time. Her boss, Melanie, had a strict policy of fraternizing with the clients- to which she reiterated after the fourth appointment.
“Melanie, I am cleaning- I promise.”
And she was!
She would go over, pick up his mess, and then they would go out together- afterwards. Jarrett was more wonderful than she could have ever imagined. He was kind, courteous, and outrageously protective of her. One night, they were at the movies and she’d fallen asleep. Instead of getting upset that she was missing out or that she was bored… he simply wrapped his arm around her, and covered her with his jacket, so she could rest.
He understood what it was like to be driven and appreciated that she was a workaholic. Secretly, Rose wanted to get ahead financially and make sure that she and her mother had a cushion in case of emergencies. They never discussed money because Rose knew Jarrett had to be loaded. She wanted to like him for who he was, and hoped that was the case for him as well.
The condo was downtown, centrally located and well maintained. She never saw his neighbor coming or going – which must make it extremely quiet and lonely for him at times. Her home was a tiny old home in a neighborhood. There were always cars driving by, dogs barking, or children playing.
They were different as night and day. They ran in different circles, worked in different fields, and lived in opposite parts of the city – yet when they were together, everything, and all of their differences seemed to fade away.
Tonight, he was taking her to an art festival nearby. The festival was something she’d always wanted to go to but with her mother’s hip- walking that much wasn’t possible, nor did she want to go alone. She’d seen commercials of the different arts on display, face painting, and food vendors. He’d shown her the ad and immediately got tickets for them when she admitted wanting to see it. Jarrett was just like that – he would watch her for any signs and simply make it happen.
He’d seen her that first night reading a book, and all the hard work she’d put into straightening the shelves, buying her a kindle. While she still treasured holding a book in her hand, there was something amazing about being able to hold a tiny tablet that held (so far!) eighteen books at once. In fact, Jarret had been thrilled when she’d thrown her arms around his neck, kissing him on the cheek, as he was taking a selfie of the two of them. That was her wallpaper on her Kindle, her cell phone… and his cell phone.
As her mind was wandering off, she felt him pull her into a hug from behind as his arms crept around her waist. He dropped a light kiss on her ear that made her sigh happily.
“Are you ready to head to the festival?”
Nodding, Rose smiled happily and turned to see him dressed casually as well. She’d worn jeans and a t-shirt this morning for her cleaning assignment instead of her uniform. Using a vacation day from the library had given her the freedom to schedule herself for a morning shift with him. Jarrett stood there in blue jeans, a simple t-shirt, and had a baseball cap covering his dark hair.
“I think I like this look on you,” she said affectionately, yanking his ball cap off his head and putting it on her own. He growled lightly, picking her up and putting her over his shoulder easily. The cap fell to the floor, making her laugh, and she playfully slapped at his leg. He quickly sat her down in the recliner and got a strange look on his face, suddenly stopping in his tracks.
“What’s wrong?” she asked anxiously.
“After the festival, I need to run to the store. Will you come with me?”
“Yes, is everything alright?”
“I just need to correct something that I just realized.”
“Do you need to go now? We can go there first and then head over to the festival… or we can skip it all together if you need to get something picked up.”
“My sweet Rose, I’m taking you to the festival and plan on plying you with cotton candy all day long,” he said tenderly, taking her hands and pulling her from the recliner. He kissed the tip of her nose and put the baseball cap back on her head.
“Keep it,” he said huskily. “I don’t want you getting sunburned.”
Arriving at the festival thirty minutes later, Rose was shocked by the amount of tents and carts littering the streets. The roads were blocked off causing them to park quite a way off. There were pinwheels, streamers, and flags everywhere. The scent of cinnamon roasted nuts and popcorn was heavy in the air.
As they stopped and looked at each booth, she saw several carvings as well as clothin
g items. Jarrett bought a carving board that she’d picked up to admire its beauty. The board was made with a variety of woods, giving it different shades and colors in a checkerboard pattern. It seemed almost a shame to cut things up on it. He also picked up a carved salt & pepper shaker set for the kitchen.
They came upon one booth that had face painting, to which she had a pink heart painted on her cheek. She’d whispered to the vendor to put Jarrett’s initials inside the heart for her. To her surprise, Jarrett immediately took a seat and asked the man to do the same on him… with her initials inside his own painted heart. He walked around proudly with that pink heart on his cheek, and Rose could not have been more head-over-heels in love with him. Several ladies looked at her and smiled knowingly. He didn’t say it, but the thought was there between them.
Sharing a cone that held cotton candy, she picked off a large fluff and fed it to him as she spotted several fountains that had been set up for sale. Grabbing his hand, they walked over and one immediately caught her eye. There was a concrete fountain with a large book on a pedestal with its pages open. The water was drawn upwards inside of the pedestal and dripped over the edges of the book, creating a waterfall effect that landed in the basin.
“You like that?”
“I bet you like that one better,” she teased, pointing at a statue that was practically indecent.
“Only if it’s you under that waterfall,” he breathed, leaning down to whisper in her ear. Rose flushed and turned her head to bury it in his t-shirt, embarrassed by his words. Jarrett wrapped his arms around her in a hug as if to shield her from the world.
“Do you deliver?” he asked the man who was sitting in a chair nearby.
“Jarrett, no. Most of this stuff is completely overpriced,” she whispered in a hushed voice looking up at him. Part of her itched to trace his strong jawline that was covered by whiskers. She adored his well-kept beard and the way it tickled her when he kissed her.
Conversely Matched Page 5
