‘I mean it, I trust you. I won’t get in the way of you doing what your boss needs you to do,’ he said resolutely, his hands gently sliding down my waist to cup my bum.
My grin was wide as I said, ‘I think you’ll find that pretty unnecessary. Maria is a relatively easy-going boss.’
There it was – the frown of absolutely adorable confusion. ‘I thought – Karun –’
‘Yeah, so I got fired from that place,’ I said lightly.
The look of horror that tracked across Patrick’s face was almost exactly the same one I’d seen on my sister’s. ‘What? Are you OK?’
Warmth suffused me.
Not ‘What did you do?’ or ‘What are you going to do?’ or even ‘How much money do you have saved?’
Nothing practical.
Just a check to see if I was OK.
I love this man.
‘I’m fine. Like, weirdly fine,’ I said with another laugh that eased the concern on his face. ‘I thought I’d be devastated, but … yeah. It’s OK.’
Patrick’s hazel eyes still had a tinge of worry to them. ‘And you’re going to be OK? With rent and everything?’
‘I’ve got a temp job at Maria’s,’ I said softly. ‘All that coffee knowledge is finally coming in handy.’
He smiled then, a true smile that warmed me up, inside and out. But when Patrick spoke again, his voice was … not nervous, but something like it. ‘Look … neither of us expected to meet this way, or date this way –’
‘We certainly did not.’ I grinned, my stomach lurching. ‘Famous celebrity meets failed finance girly.Not a romance you’d expect, am I right?’
‘Jessy,’ he chided gently.
‘Patrick.’ I laughed.
He smiled at me indulgently, before continuing. ‘The contract is up. We’ve fulfilled all the requirements.’
A knot twisted in my throat.
It was. I mean, we had.
‘And now it’s up, I want to take you out. You and me.’ Patrick lifted a hand to caress my cheek. ‘Just us. Not because of a contract, or an app, or a publicity stunt. I don’t want to tell Derek –’
‘Or Laura,’ I said. ‘Or Anna.’
Though how I was going to keep it from them, I didn’t know.
‘Or anyone.’ He nodded. ‘Because I’m pretty sure I really, really like you. Like, I’m falling in love with you.’
I laughed, equally shocked and delighted, as I stared up into the handsome face, all chiselled jaw and honesty. ‘Yeah?’
‘Yep. Before I even knew it, I was in too deep,’ Patrick confessed with a rueful look.
I arched an eyebrow. ‘You know, that’s not a bad lyric.’
‘Jessy, I’m pouring my heart out here –’
‘Good. Because …’ I took a deep breath. ‘Because I have a horrible feeling that I really, really like you too, Patrick. Maybe even love you too – and I want to date you. For reals.’
His laughter shook through me. ‘For reals?’
