Page 106 of Fairy Tale Lies
“Oh, something disparaging. Along the lines of, ‘he probably thinks a grand date is visiting a honky-tonk or a place with plastic menus.’”
They looked at the table’s laminated menus propped between the salt and pepper shakers and laughed.
“Sorry.” He shrugged.
She glanced at her half-empty plate. “You should be. It’s your fault I’m addicted to these chili-cheese fries. You never should’ve let me try them. If I keep eating like this, I’m going to gain a hundred pounds.”
He ogled her and leered playfully. “And you’ll still be the sexiest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.” He cleared his throat and picked at his napkin. “However, if you’re tired of plastic menus, there’s a new French restaurant that recently opened. Will told me the food’s excellent, but they’re only open in the evening.”
This was the first time he mentioned a dinner date, and it took her by surprise. She wavered, having no idea why. Jacob owned her heart.
“Don’t answer me now,” he said quickly as if fearing her rejection. “I’ll try to convince you when I get back.”
Melancholy crept into Greta’s veins, and the dinner invite fell from her mind. “Where are you going?”
“Mackinac Island. I have a new client. She wants me to repair the insides of a 1910 Bechstein grand piano. It obviously can’t come to me. I need to go there. See if I’m capable of the repairs, or if I’ll need to subcontract the job.” He caught the attention of the waitress and motioned for the check. “Anyway, I’m leaving tomorrow morning. I shouldn’t be gone more than a couple days.”
“Spring is a nice time to visit,” Greta replied lamely, not sure what else to say. She didn’t want him to go, yet he owed her nothing.
“Well, I’ll be working. I won’t have much time to enjoy the island.” He accepted the bill and thanked the waitress, glancing at his watch. “Are you ready to go?”
She nodded, trying to hide her disappointment. They made their way to the checkout counter.
The news was unexpected. The work trip would be the first time he skipped their lunch date since he suggested it. With his shop, clients came to him instead of the other way around.
However, what bothered her more than she’d like to admit was his indifference toward missing their lunch dates. Sure, his lackadaisical attitude was her fault. She’d asked him to keep it simple, and he had. She couldn’t start pouting now.
Greta followed him to his truck, and they drove a couple of blocks to her building. To her utter disappointment, he skipped his signature sinful kisses. The ones that start feather-light then nosedived straight into erotic delight. Instead, he settled for brushing his lips lightly against hers.
Her mouth pulled in a slight frown at the chaste kiss, and his gaze danced over her, amusement sparkling in his eyes. His mirth spurred her on, and she kissed him with all the passion she’d been holding back.
“Hmm…I should play coy more often,” he growled against her lips.
“We’re going to miss a couple of lunch dates. I don’t want you to forget me.”
“Amnesia couldn’t make me forget you.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Seven days had passed.
Seven long days since Jacob left for Mackinac Island.
He was able to fix the piano and had remained on the island to repair it. To make matters worse, cell reception was terrible where he stayed, and they’d talked no more than a handful of times. When they did, he sounded distracted, offering only vague reassurances about his absence.
Finally, two days ago, she received a text from him saying he planned on arriving home on Friday.
Today is Friday. And nothing. No call. No visit. Nothing.
She worried his delay wasn’t his workload, but her. Maybe time away had made him realize she wasn’t worth the effort.
When he hadn’t called her by noon, she phoned his work and was delighted to find Macy replaced. The new office assistant was a young college kid named Erik Boyne. However, her good mood didn’t last.
Erik informed her Jacob was back. He’d stopped by the office in the morning, straight from the airport, to give him the Mackinac paperwork. After checking on some new projects, Jacob had gone home. That had been hours ago, and she wondered why he hadn’t called her.
The uncertainty was killing her.
Had she been foolish to hold him at arm’s length? She didn’t even know why she’d done it because her heart would never be with another man.
