I chew my food and swallow. “I went back to the hotel, had some dinner in my room, put in a couple hours of work, took a shower, and called it a night. Nothing exciting.”
“Gotta love the small-town life, huh?”
“Did you ever get the finalized menu?”
She nods. “I got it yesterday.”
“Mind if I come by after breakfast and check it out?”
“Sure. I have everything in a folder so you can just flip through it and see everything all in one place.”
“Perfect. How’s your oatmeal?” I ask, noticing the way she’s stirring it more than eating it.
She wrinkles her nose. “I don’t like oatmeal.”
“Why’d you order it then?”
She shrugs. “I panicked. You came out of nowhere and startled me.”
I laugh and offer her the other half of my breakfast sandwich, which she takes without complaint. Together, we sit and eat and enjoy our coffee while talking and watching all the customers come in and out of the busy bakery. When we finish, we drive our cars around the block to her office. I park directly behind her and follow her to the door. I wait while she unlocks it. Inside, she drops her purse onto the desk and rifles around for the folder.
“Ahh, here it is,” she says, pulling it out of her desk drawer and handing it over.
I take the folder and open it up, finding a detailed list of everything she ordered along with pictures, invitations, and menu. I glance over the menu and see that the guests will have their choice of chicken, steak, or fish, just like I asked for. Waiters will serve the guests along a buffet-style table. There’s sides, salads, and desserts. Everything looks great, so I close the folder and look up at her. “So, how about that date?”
Destiny laughs. “You’re persistent, I’ll give you that.”
“Yes, I am.”
She lets out a long breath, crosses her arms over her chest, then juts out her hip. “What would this date entail?”
“I can’t give away all the surprises.”
“Something like dinner, drinks, maybe some dancing?”
“Something like that.”
“Fine, but I have conditions.”
I smile. “Let’s hear them.”
“Nothing fancy. You can’t fly me away in your private jet to get pizza in Italy.”
I laugh. “Okay. What else?”
“We can’t leave town.”
I nod.
“No suit. Casual or nothing.”
“Fine,” I agree. “I’ll pick you up at your place around seven?”
“Fine,” she agrees with a nod of her head.
“Fine,” I throw back with a smile as I open the door and step out.
Does she really think I’d fly her to Italy in my private jet just to get pizza? If we went that far to eat, it would be something way better than pizza. It dawns on me that I’ve only packed suits. I’m here on business. First on the list today will be getting some casual clothes. Truth be told, I’ve been missing them anyway.
