Page 37 of Blind Date with the Boss

‘Yes, yes!’ Michel grinned widely and leapt to his feet. ‘You see, Logan. This wonderful woman, she understands. And I was watching from the kitchen, you know.’ He tapped the side of his arrogant French nose with a long forefinger and grinned. ‘We all know that this was no business dinner.’

If Michel saw Logan’s gritted teeth and clenched jaw, he made no sign, but perhaps the chef knew he’d played this to the hilt and that it was time to depart. Taking Sally’s hand, he kissed it once more, gave Logan a parting salute, then abruptly returned to his kitchen.

‘Bit over the top, wasn’t he?’ Logan muttered when they were alone once more.

‘I guess he’s allowed to be when he produces such fabulous food.’

‘I thought you might have been embarrassed that yet another person latched onto the wrong idea about us. It’s annoying when we’ve both been clear from the start that this wasn’t a date.’

?She didn’t meet his gaze, gave a small shrug. ‘I don’t think we’ve done anything or said anything tonight that crossed the line between a business arrangement and a date, do you?’

‘No, no, of course not.’

Eyes still lowered, Sally fiddled with her napkin on her lap.

Anxious that the evening didn’t end on a bad note, Logan tried to make amends. ‘It’s all a game with Michel. He’s French and he’s a hopeless romantic. He likes to think his little restaurant can turn total strangers into lovers at one sitting.’

Sally offered a tiny smile. ‘Don’t worry. I was joking about being carried away. I know very well that it takes more than a dinner date for two people to fall in love.’

Logan was sure that this comment should have given him comfort, but was dismayed that he felt even worse.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

OUTSIDE the restaurant, a chilling breeze whipped at Sally’s hair and she wished she felt happier after such a magical evening. She’d adored every moment of Logan’s company, and she’d watched him relax, had seen the way his gorgeous smile lingered more and more often, had seen the glow in his eyes when he’d looked at her.

It had seemed such a fitting sequel to earlier this evening, when Logan had taken her to meet Hattie and he’d shown her the softer side she’d always suspected. Better still, he hadn’t tried to hide his pleasure that his grandmother liked Sally. And now it appeared that he wasn’t in a serious relationship with another woman.

Barriers had been tumbling left and right, and at some deeply intuitive level, Sally had sensed that this evening had been special for both of them. No matter how loudly they tried to deny it, strong threads of attraction had been drawing them closer and closer.

But at the end, with the chef’s arrival, the delicate balance had been upset. It was as if she’d been weaving a wonderful fiction, but had been suddenly forced to face bald facts.Wake up, Sally Finch! Tonight has been a fairy tale. The boss and his front desk girl are not going to have a meaningful romance.

Now, as the lights of the restaurant narrowed to yellow dots in the distance, the truth of her situation became plainerto Sally. She’d finally become relaxed and confident around her boss, but somehow, in the process, she’d forgotten that he was unattainable. She was playing out of her league.

The annoying thing was that deep down shehadknown that. She and Logan were poles apart and a country bumpkin newly arrived in the big smoke could not expect to capture the heart of a high-flying corporate executive. Sydney was overflowing with women who operated on Logan’s wavelength, business and professional women with a great deal more to offer a man than mere chatting and dancing skills.

Sally had no chance of competing. It would take years and years of city life before she developed the finely honed sophistication and fashion know-how of the women who’d been born and bred here.

So what if Logan had been relaxed and happy this evening? Dinner and pleasant conversation did not mean that she and the boss were an item.

Now, as they walked beside the harbour to the parked car, their tense silence seemed to magnify the sounds of the night. Footsteps on paving stones. Waves from the wake of a boat slap-slapping against the harbour’s rock wall. The blast of a ferry’s horn, warning that it was about to leave Circular Quay.

A fresh burst of wind gusted across the inky water making Sally shiver.

‘You’re cold,’ Logan said. ‘Here, have my coat.’ Gallantly, he ignored her protests that it wasn’t far to the car and he slipped his jacket around her shoulders.

‘Thanks,’ she whispered and a high voltage thrill zapped through her when the silky lining settled intimately over her shoulders. The silk was warm from Logan’s body heat and the very thought thathishunky torso had been inside this garment robbed her breath and made her head spin.

Running footsteps erupted on the pavement behind them and Logan, immediately alert, kept his arm protectively around her. But their pursuers turned out to be a group of young people, running and laughing to catch the last ferry. Logan’s arm remained there and Sally thought there was every chance her knees might give way before they reached the car.

‘Keep the jacket on,’ he said as he opened the car door for her.

She looked up and her breathing faltered when she saw his face in the faint moonlight.

This isn’t a date. He’s out of my league.

Nevertheless, the emotion shimmering in Logan’s eyes stole Sally’s breath. A shadow fell as he dipped his head closer and she knew that he was going to kiss her.

Her senses reached out to him. Instinctively, she lifted her lips just a fraction…

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