Page 27 of It Had to be You

Alex couldn’t help but feel his heart tumbling in his chest. "You know I wouldn’t mind, if it means we get to be together."

He could see the blush high in her cheeks as she turned and headed for some of the stalls across the courtyard.

When Tatum was a few feet from the table, she looked up from the armload of dishes she was carrying. Alexander was sitting at the table, but he was in the middle of a conversation with a young man, probably in his teens. The two looked like they were both invested in the conversation and when the young man nodded and held out his hand, Alexander took it and gave it a solid shake before he placed a couple of bills in his hand. He was alone by the time she reached the table.

She smiled as Alexander got to his feet and helped her set the containers down on the table.

"Such a gentleman."

He laughed as he walked around the table to hold her chair. The wrought iron chairs were fairly heavy, but he smiled as he helped her. "It’s only fair, since you brought the food."

With a flourish, she produced a spoon for him. "I don’t think you’re going to want me to feed you ice cream with my fingers."

They both shared a laugh.

"That would be a little strange. Messy too." She gave a quick explanation of the different plates, but she was hoping that Alexander didn’t hear the excitement in her voice. Dancing was a tough, regimented life, but she made sure to indulge when she could. And these dessert delights had been something she was looking forward to since she’d seen the itinerary for the cruise. "I’ve never had the chance to enjoy a lot of desserts as soon as I went into the competition circuit. So, this is a dream come true," she looked down at the bowl with a longing sigh, "platanos maduros."

"Plantains?"

She grinned and used her spoon to carve a piece off a larger section. "Caramelized… isn’t that the most amazing word?Caramelizedsweet plantains and vanilla ice cream."

Tatum was almost silent as she finished off a few pieces of the dessert but stopped when she realized she’d emptied more than half the serving on her own. Holding it out to share, she was kind of hoping he would turn her down. "Try some?"

He shook his head. "You finish it."

Magical words, but she didn’t want to seem selfish. And maybe Alexander could see the indecision in her expression.

"Would it help if I said I can’t drink milk?"

She beamed at him and scooped up a piece of the plantain and some of the ice cream and stopped with it a fraction of an inch from her lips. "You’re lying to me, aren’t you?"

He laughed and she could tell it was spontaneous even though the look in his eyes said he saw right through her. "Yeah. Yes. I’m fine if you eat the rest of it. I’m not going to try to take it away from you. Especially seeing how happy it makes you. Why would I want to interrupt your dessert?"

She took another spoonful into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed the bite in moments. "You’re a

king among men." Sitting back in her chair she sighed. "I’m so glad you came with me today, Alexander."

"Alex, please."

She nodded. "Alex. I admit it’s lovely to be able to eat and not worry about the next competition."

She saw his curious look and answered the question in his eyes.

"I’m retiring from competitions. I’ve competed for years and years. Competed so long that I don’t even remember the last time I was ‘at home’ for more than a week or two before the next tour or trip. And I really do want to have a home. A place to settle."

"Are you going to take some time off, or do you have plans already in place?"

"After retirement?" She smiled. "I have a few offers of jobs. Teaching. There are a few schools that want me to start as soon as I’m ready."

He set down his spoon and placed his napkin on the tabletop. "Are you ready to start?"

"I think so." She scooped up another spoonful of the ice cream and enjoyed the cold chill of it on her tongue. When she was done, she looked up at him. "I have an old friend who wants to sublet a room in her New York apartment to me. It’s a good place to start. A few of the studios that want me are there so I have options." She managed to eat the rest of the ice cream on the spoon and met his eyes across the table. "You’re in publishing, right?" After he nodded, she added her second question. "Where do you live?"

He leaned forward, setting his arms on the edge of the table. "New York."

She smothered any sounds of surprise with the last, big, bite of her dessert and took the time to mull over the revelation while she could.

Alex didn’t have to wait.

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