The food is simple and inexpensive. It’s also delicious. But I could eat three meals there for thirty-six dollars and still get change back.
“The cheese will be worth it,” I tell her.
“Thirty-six-dollarcheese?” she asks.
I laugh. “They’ll bring crackers too.”
She shakes her head. “Bruce is going to roll his eyes so hard he’ll get a headache.”
“Nora.” I wait until she looks up at me. “Get whatever you want. And I mean that. Get two things if you want to try them. We can take the extras with us and let Bruce try them too.”
She starts to respond, I’m sure with a protest, but I reach out and hook her index finger with mine. “Please,” I say. “I can absolutely afford it, and I want to treat you. Seeing how much you’re already enjoying this makes me happy.”
She opens her mouth, then shuts it. A few emotions flit over her face and Ihaveto know what she’s thinking.
I wiggle her finger with mine. “What?”
“I was just…” She shakes her head. “It’s silly.”
“So what? What were you thinking just now?”
“Just that…” She swallows. “I know what you mean. When you said that watching me enjoy this makes you happy. That’s how I feel about all the events and things I put together. I love watching other people try new things or do something that makes them really happy. And I realized that…I haven’t had someone do that for me in a long time.” She bites her bottom lip, then continues. “It’s not that Ineedthat. I enjoy the events and clubs I organize too, but itisfun having someone else have the knowledge and all the details put together and I can just enjoy it.” She shakes her head. “I know it’s just dinner. I know that sounds silly.”
Someone has sucked a bunch of oxygen out of this room.
Nora can even be delighted by a meal.
She puts together festivals and events and clubs for other people all the time. She’s working to bring an entirely new form of hockey—one that most people, including the players, don’treally understand—to the town to entertain everyone. She wants people to have fun and be delighted.
And all it takes to light her up is to shell out a stupid amount of money for cheese.
Jesus. She’s…unexpected. And I want to spend all my time figuring out other ways to make her eyes brighten and her smile widen.
I pull in some of the remaining air and say, “Nora, I think that’s the best thing I’ve heard in averylong time and it makes me want to buy you four grande cheese plates.”
She laughs. “I like cheese.A lot. But that’s probably overkill. I really might let you buy me two desserts, though.”
Fuck, I’ll buy this whole damned restaurant.
Enzo returns with our wines, and the cheese plate, and Nora’s eyes widen and yes, light up, when she sees the beautiful presentation of the variety of cheese, crackers, honey, grapes, and dried cherries and apricots.
My chest warms even as a knot tightens much lower in my gut.
I want her.
And I’ve known her for two days.
CHAPTER 12
ALEX
We placeour orders for entrees, Nora going with Enzo’s recommendation of the ravioli, and then we’re alone with our cheese.
She dives right in with enthusiasm I love. She also moans and gasps about the different flavors and combinations, and I’m shifting on my chair within minutes.
“So what aboutyourparents?” she asks after she’s tried every type of cheese once.
“What do you mean?”
