Page 31 of Challenged By You
“I didn’t say that.” I lift my head and frown at her.
Her smile turns wicked. “I know. Baptiste did.”
“Arghhh!” I flop back. I immediately take a drink.
Snagging her own drink back, Elle waves it as she makes her point. “The thing is, T, he would have just walked away and gone on to write his reviews without a care if what you said didn’t matter—if you didn’t matter. So, tell me why you’re not giving this a chance? I know he almost kissed you earlier. As much as I love him, I almost wanted to squash Chris.”
“Maybe I don’t deserve to have a relationship.” Before Elle can clonk me on the head with her now empty glass, I remind her, “I have to put Chris and Annie first. Always.”
“And somehow, in the millions of whacked-out guys in this city, I think you managed to find one who understands that,” Elle retorts. “Look at the receipt, really read it. And I don’t just mean the amount.”
Plucking the receipt from where it’s drifted between us, I scan it from the top where I see the dishes Jonas, Elle, and I put a hurting on earlier. Then I pause because beneath the words Orange Chicken, it says,No seasoning. No onions. No sauce. No peppers. No pineapple. Children prep.And my heart takes complete control over my mind.
Without a word to Elle, I reach up and grab my cell phone off the shelf. Finding the text Jonas sent to me, I press Audio and hold the phone up to my ear. It rings once, twice. Then, his voice comes through. “Is everything okay, Trina? The kids?”
“You realize you’re coming perilously close to going over budget for your food budget? Aren’t you lucky we get paid tomorrow?” Elle groans next to me while Jonas laughs in my ear.
“I knew there was something I forgot to do. Busted,” he says mildly. But his voice doesn’t sound the least bit upset. Instead, I hear the clickety-clack of his fingers moving across a keyboard.
“Writing up your review?” I hold out my cup to Elle, who rolls her eyes but hops off the couch to go get us more wine.
“Yep. Do I need to ding them for not making the kids’ food right?”
“No, it was perfect. Almost everything about tonight was.”
He clears his throat. “Almost?”
My lips curve into a wide smile. “Any plans for tomorrow?”
“Not a damn thing that can’t be rearranged. What did you have in mind?”
“I thought you might want to join us at the farmer’s market—me and the kids. Not Elle. It’s one of their favorite places to go. I mean, Elle loves it too, but it would just be the three of us. Well, the four of us if you come. Come along, that is.” Gah, I must sound like I’m asking my high school crush out by the way Elle’s making big winky faces and giving me a double thumbs-up from the entry to the kitchen. Flicking her off, I pick at an imaginary spot on my bedspread.
“Are you by chance asking me to go out on a date, Trina? With you and your kids?” Jonas asks me seriously.
“Well…I mean…that is…”
“Because it sounds like fun.”
“Oh, thank God.” The words burst out of me.
“Trina?”
“Yes, Jonas?”
“Do I get to tell you all bets are off when we’re on a date?”
“What do you mean?”
“It means one of these days I want to be able to be able to take you out and not worry if you’re more concerned about the menu or the man across from you at the table.” His voice is serious.
My breathing becomes shallow. “Give me time. Trust is difficult.”
“After what you shared tonight, I understand.”
I twirl a lock of loose hair around my finger as Elle plops back down on the daybed. “So, how does eleven sound?”
“It sounds perfect. Is Elle still there?”
