“I just…I’ve really enjoyed today.”
“Me too.” She smiled, eyes crinkling behind her glasses.
Their meals arrived, and they fell back into easy conversation as they ate. Ruby spun each bite of pasta around her fork, twirling it round and round before popping it in her mouth. How was it possible for every single thing about her to be so lovely and captivating and sexy?
“So, what’s involved in overseeing a new hotel location being built?” she asked between bites. “Is it a project management kind of job, or are you involved with the building itself?”
“A little of both,” he told her. “My background is in architecture, although as I’m sure you can imagine, the hotel has strict brand standards to follow.”
“Architecture.” Her eyes met his. “Is that what you enjoy most, then?”
The question he’d been asking himself for years now. “Perhaps. When I’m between assignments at Exeter, I sometimes take on side projects. In fact, I’m about to design a new house for a friend of mine. I’ll be driving out to visit the property tomorrow.”
“That sounds exciting.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” he told her as he cut a bite of steak.
“I bet,” she said. “It sounds like you get a lot more creative input on your side projects than you do at Exeter.”
“Yes. That’s what I enjoy most about them.”
“Then I’m glad you get the chance to do both.”
After their meals had been cleared away, he took her hand as they walked outside. “We can walk to the theater from here, if you’re up for it.”
“Yes, definitely. I could use a little fresh air and exercise after that meal.” She patted her belly. “Before we sit down for a show.”
“I feel the same way.”
They strolled down the street together, dodging puddles here and there. The air had cooled now that night had fallen. Ruby rubbed her hands up and down her arms, and he silently cursed himself for not suggesting she get a jacket or wrap to go with that dress. It was much warmer in the southern United States than it was here in London, so it probably hadn’t occurred to her that she might need another layer.
“Here.” He shrugged out of his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.
“Thanks.” She hugged it around herself gratefully. “You’re not cold now, are you?”
“Not at all.”
It was only a few blocks to the theater, and soon they were making their way to their seats. Ruby had given back his jacket when they went inside, and consequently, he found himself admiring the way her dress shimmered beneath the low lighting of the theater as she walked.
“Wow,” she whispered as she turned to take in her surroundings. “It is so ridiculously gorgeous in here.”
The theater had been built in the eighteenth century and was decked out in classic grandeur, with ornately carved wood and red velvet seats. He’d been here before, but looking at it through Ruby’s eyes helped him to remember how splendid it truly was. Perhaps he ought to take a page from her book and seek this kind of pleasure in his everyday life.
“Do you mind?” Ruby took out her phone, gesturing for him to lean in for a selfie. They posed together for several photos with the stage behind them. She’d been photo-documenting their day, sharing the photos on a hashtag she’d started so her friends and family could keep up with her vacation.
“Would you like me to take one of you?”
“Sure.” She posed against the railing, one leg crossed over the other, with the stage behind her and a radiant smile on her face. He was tempted to ask her to send it to him to remember tonight by, but it was probably better he didn’t. A clean break would make it easier for him to move on with the next chapter of his life in Dubai.
Ruby spent the next few minutes flipping through the playbook, familiarizing herself with the cast and the theater. And then, the lights dimmed.
Ruby was still smilingas they left the theater three hours later. “That was amazing.”
“Maybe you should see another show while you’re in town,” Flynn suggested.
“I just might.” She hooked her arm through his as they walked out onto the street. “I booked my hotel room for three nights. I could do this again tomorrow and the next night if I wanted to.”
“Will you fly home at the end of your three nights in London?”
