“Okay. Thanks.”
Bea left to get the food, and Charmaine sat watching Brad with her stomach churning. Should she go over and say hello? But what if he wanted some privacy? He looked to be working—she shouldn’t interrupt him. She could talk to him the next time she saw him, when he wasn’t busy.
He looked up and caught her eye. A broad smile crept across his face. He picked up the laptop and headed her way.
“Hi, Chaz. Good to see you. Can I join you?”
She nodded.
He sat and closed his laptop. “Sorry I haven’t called.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I’m sure you’ve been busy.”
“No, that’s not it… Ihavebeen busy, but actually I dropped my phone in the ocean. I was out on one of my yachts, and it slipped out of my pocket. It was as if everything was moving in slow motion, but I couldn’t get to it fast enough, and plop, into the water it went.” He laughed. “It wasn’t funny at the time, but I can joke about it now.”
“Wow, I’m sorry. That’s so annoying.” At least he had a good excuse for not calling her. Suddenly she felt much better about the whole thing.
“Very annoying. Especially since I lost all my numbers. But they’re backed up in the cloud or something, so they assure me that when I pick up my new phone this afternoon, it’ll have all the numbers restored on it. I’ll finally be able to call you and ask you on that date.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” she said shyly.
Bea set Charmaine’s salad plate on the table, along with her smoothie. “Here you go. Enjoy!” She offered Brad a wink.
“You’re eating?” Brad asked. “I should order something too and we can eat together. It can be our pre-date. Is that okay? Or am I stepping on your plans?” He arched an eyebrow.
“It’s a great idea,” she said. “I have no plans. I was going to eat alone and now I don’t have to.”
He grinned. “Perfect. I’ll be right back.”
She watched him jog over to the counter and order food from Bea. He laughed with his sister over something on the menu. His brown hair was wavy and thick. His tan was dark in contrast to his white T-shirt.
What was she doing? He was exactly the kind of man who had never paid her any attention before. And for the life of her, she couldn’t understand why he’d asked her out. They were polar opposites. How could it possibly work out between the two of them?
He strode back to the table and sat across from her.
“How’s your week been?” He asked.
She set her fork down. She should wait for his meal to arrive. “It’s been fine. How about you?”
“Please, go ahead and eat. Mine will be here soon, but you must be hungry. I don’t want to hold you up.”
“I don’t mind,” she said, as her stomach grumbled.
“I insist. I can talk while you eat.”
And so he did. He talked about himself, his family, his childhood on the island. How much he loved snorkelling and soccer. And she got to know him, slowly but surely, seeing the man behind the attractive facade.
His food arrived and he sliced off a piece of chicken parmesan, popping it into his mouth with a sigh. “Bea’s parmi is the best.”
“It must’ve been great to have a sister like her. I’ve always wanted a sister.”
“You only have a brother. Right?” Bradford asked.
She nodded. “He’s staying with me at the moment.”
“What’s his name again?”
“Sean,” she replied.
