Never was the answer.
And yet, I couldn't see myself putting on an act for Tessy.
I mean, she saw more than others, but I was still held back, withdrawn.
“I like this,” she whispered, her eyes searching mine.
“I do too. It was a nice lunch.”
“Thank you for it. You didn't have to.”
“No, but I wanted to.” I rested my arms on the table, giving her my full attention, feeling something within that was foreign, but not unwanted. “I have a confession, Tessy.”
“And what is that, Joshua?”
“I'm really glad you won the bidding last night. For the first time in forever, I'm really looking forward to not just good food, but good conversation and great company. So, yeah, I'm happy it was you.”
Chapter 5
Tessy
Ibrushed my hair back, nervous to the extreme.
Why?
Because this was Joshua.
This was our date.
I wasn't expecting anything, but that didn't stop the butterflies from flying around like crazy in my stomach. This is the man I had a crush on for years.
This was also my boss.
I mean, I know he didn't think of it that way, but I did.
Oh great, was I going to become one of those statistics of a female who sleeps with her boss?
Granted, I wasn't doing it to better myself. Or to trap him.
And what the hell was I even going on about because it's not like he saw me that way.
“Tessy,” he said as he yanked open the door and drew me into a hug, like I hadn't just seen him a few hours ago. “I'm not the world's best cook, but mom made me learn this dish so I could impress my future wife.”
I just about melted at those words. Not that I thought I had a chance in hell, but just the thought that he wanted a wife was sweet.
He would make someone so happy one day.
“Whatever it is smells amazing.”
“Stuffed chicken with some asparagus and a salad. Oh, and rolls. Along with some wine.”
“Joshua, you didn't have to do all of this for me.”
“You bet your ass I did, Tessy. You paid for a date and you're getting one. Just because it's at my house doesn't mean I can't go all out for it.”
“Well…I…,” I stuttered, only to stop. He wasn't lying. I paid a shit ton of money for this, and he did need to own it. But I still would have been okay with hot dogs or something.
“That's what I thought. Now come on.”
