Page 5 of Passion and Deception

“That looks delicious,” she told him, then led the way towards the cashier. They set their trays down on the sliding countertop, and by the time the cashier rang up her sandwich and sides, Maggie had her credit card out. “His pizza as well,” she told the cashier.

He took a breath to protest, but Maggie just smiled up at him over her shoulder. “Women’s equality, remember?” Her only response was a grimace but Maggie just laughed.

The café was busy, but she noticed that most of the diners were finished. Some were lingering at their table, chatting, while others were cleaning up and taking their empty trays to the trash bins. So it was relatively easy to find a table in the corner. Maggie noticed that Ramit looked around as if concerned about something, but she didn’t know what. The café wasn’t obnoxiously busy. It was a weekday, after all. If they’d come here on Saturday or Sunday, the place would have been packed.

“Is this okay?” she asked, glancing at him over her shoulder as she gestured to the empty table.

“Of course,” he replied, then waited until she sat down before choosing his own chair. “This is…a different experience for me.”

Maggie handed him a cookie and a bag of chips. “I didn’t think you saw them when you were deciding on what to eat so I grabbed some for you.”

He stared at the offering as if he’d never seen a bag of chips before.

Maggie wondered if he had. It seemed impossible that someone hadn’t ever enjoyed potato chips in his lifetime, but she wasn’t going to embarrass him by asking.

“The pizza is good. Wise choice,” she told him, gesturing to his slice of pizza as she unwrapped her sandwich.

“Will you tell me more about yourself?” he asked as he fumbled with the slice of pizza.

Maggie laughed softly. “There’s not much to know,” she told him as she adjusted the bread on her sandwich, tearing off chunks because it was so thick. “I’m an only child. I work as a waitress at a place outside the city. I live alone. No pets or kids.” She lifted her sandwich. “What about you?”

He might not have money for lunch, but the guy was an expert at eating pizza. He folded the wobbly slice in half, like a real Italian, and took a big bite.

When he put the pizza slice down, he said, “My life isn’t particularly interesting. I work a lot. My downtime is spent appeasing obnoxious people that I don’t particularly respect. I have a few hobbies, but not enough time to enjoy them.”

“What are your hobbies?” she prompted, assuming that he worked several jobs. No judgment. Lots of people worked extra jobs to pay the rent.

“Nothing special,” he replied. “How did you learn so much about art? From school?”

She shook her head. “I’m taking college classes at the community college, but I’m a long way from getting my business degree,” she admitted. “I barely graduated high school.” She twisted her mouth into a grim line. “My parents weren’t overly enthusiastic about education when I was in school. So helping me get to class wasn’t a high priority.”

Hiding from my father’s fists was a much higher priority, she thought to herself.

“How many classes are you taking?” he asked.

She told him about her classes and they discussed business for the next hour. Maggie was fascinated by the man’s extensive knowledge about…everything! She had to reevaluate his financial status. There was no way a man with that much knowledge about business was struggling.

But what was his story? She chuckled at something he said about the quirks of the business world, then he told her a story about a guy who had failed miserably at his effort to open a diner.

“That’s not true!” she gasped, covering her mouth as she laughed.

“Completely true,” he promised, lifting both of his hands as if giving an oath.

They talked until the café closed down for the afternoon. It seemed like one moment, they were surrounded by art lovers grabbing a meal and the next, most of the tables were empty except for a few men sitting a few tables away.

She glanced at the time on her cell phone and gasped. “I didn’t realize how late it was,” she told him with a sigh. “I’d better head home. It’s going to be a mess with the commuter traffic.” But she lingered, not wanting to leave Ramit. He was handsome, intriguing, and…the whole package! They stood up and he took their trash to the bins and set the empty trays down on the stack waiting to be cleaned.

When he turned back to her, Maggie was trying to figure out how to prolong their encounter. But Ramit beat her to the punch, so to speak. “Will you have dinner with me tonight?” he asked.

Maggie’s heart soared with happiness. “Yes!” she gasped, then covered her mouth. “Sorry. Was that too enthusiastic?”

He chuckled and put a hand to her back again as they walked out. “I’m eager for the opportunity to see more of you as well.” He paused. “What is your favorite restaurant?”

Maggie thought about that for a moment, then grinned. “I know the perfect place,” she told him. She pulled out her phone. “What’s your number? I’ll text you the address and we can meet there.”

He hesitated and Maggie’s heart ached. He didn’t have a phone. She waved her hand in the air. “Don’t worry about it. I can write it down for you.” Maggie reached for a napkin in one of the holders set on top of each table.

Before she could dig a pen out of her purse, Ramit stopped her by saying, “Why don’t you give me your home address and I will pick you up?”

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