Page 20 of Second Chance at Love (Chance At Love Duet 1)

“And you are too rich and too arrogant,” I shot back.

“You don’t eat enough,” he retorted back.

“How would you know?” I replied. “You’ve only seen me eat twice.”

“What do you like to eat?” he asked. “Besides salads.”

I returned his look. “Anything really. I like desserts too much,” I said smiling. “My middle daughter inherited that gene.”

“So, you have three daughters?” he asked but he knew since he’d brought it all up during my second interview.

“Yep,” I answered. I was kicking myself for opening the door to my personal life.

“You always wanted kids?” he asked.

I think back to my late husband, and the rough road we had since the moment we said our vows. “Hmmm… I guess,” I answered vaguely.

“How old are they?”

I looked at him and he just had a mild interest on his face. Sensing my hesitance, he added, “If you don’t feel comfortable talking about that, you can choose a different subject.”

“Well, since you were digging up everything on me, you probably already know… Sienna is sixteen, Saoirse is five, and Sierra is two,” I answered. Then in an attempt to move the topic away from me, I asked, “Do you have any children?”

He looked at me in surprise. “No, I don’t have any children.”

“Hmmm… you seem surprised?” I picked up my water, sipping on it. I guess it calmed my nerves. “Not sure if you have children?”

“I guess I thought everyone knew everything about me. Hence, I was surprised by your question.”

I looked at him with interest, studying him.

“I guess I could search you on Google, but then what fun would that be,” I said teasingly. “Besides, I hate reading articles about people.”

He laughed, and for a second, I was mesmerized by his smile. It made him look twenty years younger. Just in time, our waiter came back with our food.

I took my utensils and cut through my salad and chicken, making it manageable to bite into. I’d never had such a delicious salad, this place made it superb.

“This place has the best salad,” I raved. “This dressing is awesome. And usually I am not much for dressings.”

Kristoff smiled. “You should try the steak.”

“Are you offering?” I was teasing him now again. “You better be careful. You’ll be left without your food.”

He cut a small piece and his fork drifted across the table to me with it. His eyes were intent on me, and I leaned forward with my mouth open, letting him put the steak piece in my mouth. I closed my eyes for a second, and a moan escaped me. I chewed with delight, my taste buds enjoying the food.

After I swallowed, I smiled at him. “That is very good.”

“Want another bite?” He smiled at me with those green sparkling eyes.

“No thank you,” I replied, smiling. “I better finish my food. You don’t happen to want a bite of my salad?”

“I’m good. But thanks for the offer.”

After that, we finished our meal fairly quickly. We walked out together, and the fresh air along with the wind on my skin felt good. His hand was again on my lower back, and I tried to ignore how hot it made me feel. I wanted to get through the next two months, and then get a job in a safer department. I couldn’t afford any kind of relationship right now.

“Is your car in the garage?” he asked. I nodded. “I’ll walk you to it then.”

“You don’t have to… really, I can manage.”

His arm came possessively around me, and I knew there was nothing I could say to change his mind. We walked together quietly into the garage, and I pointed to my white Pilot.

“That’s me,” I stated as I pulled out my keys to unlock the door. He opened the door promptly and helped me in. His driver and car were a few parking spots away, and as I drove away, I could see him looking after me in the rearview mirror.

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