Bran ordered salmon with creamed spinach and no dessert. The server departed and we gazed at each other. Was he going to judge me for eating dessert?
Hmmm. I didn’t care if he did. If he had trouble with a woman enjoying dessert, he could bugger off.
"I've never done this before," he said, shrugging awkwardly. "Is there a particular conversational path you'd prefer to follow?"
I choked on my drink, trying not to laugh. I could get to like his bluntness. The formality of his speech was interesting as well as his accent. I was, at a minimum, intrigued. Not a bad start.
"We could simply talk about ourselves.” I sucked in a deep breath and rattled off a few facts. “I like shopping. I have a collection of handbags.” I had to stop and think about myself honestly, because shopping was all I could think of. “I also enjoy swimming and traveling. I'm pretty busy, I'll be up front about that. But I’m more than willing to make time to explore options.”
Bran studied me. His eyes were amazing—a lovely gray green with brows and lashes dark enough to define them, but still fair. That hair might actually be real.
"I enjoy practicing martial arts,” he said. ”As well as hiking and camping, and enjoying silence."
I raised my brows. "Really?" I let the word frost a little bit. Was he insinuating that I talked too much?
His expression shifted from solemn to quizzical. "The silence with the dawn, or when you're in a vast place. I enjoy conversation as well."
Oh. Not tactful, but again I could feel fundamental honesty. And after many of my previous dates, I could get behind that. There was something refreshing about it, that he was so calm and at ease, enough to be honest with me.
“If we were sitting here two years from now, what would have happened in your life for you to say things are going well?”
Ethan had answered with his pitch for me to invest.
Bran smiled. “Finding a stable relationship and a new place to live. I’ve got a large family, and they’re waiting on my opinion of the area.”
“You’re close to your family?” It was just me and Cassie now. Our parents had passed away a long time ago. I still missed them.
“Sometimes. When I don’t want to strangle them.”
I laughed.
“And you?” he asked.
A sip of wine later, I responded. “The same for the first part. Possibly exploring new aspects of my career. I think I need a change. Your profile said you enjoy the arts?”
His turn to sip. “Yes, very much. I work in management, but I prefer to create and see other’s creations.”
I reached for the bread as he did, and our hands brushed. Electricity chased up my arm. We definitely had chemistry in that department. “Have you ever had a showing?”
“No, there’s never been time.” He shrugged. “There’s a saying about duty being heavy as a mountain.” He ducked his head. “That about sums it up.”
Well, that got grim fast. The food arrived to save the conversation.
“What food is your guilty pleasure?” he asked.
“Ice cream. And coffee drinks. You?”
“Lamb. Anything fried.” His smile was infectious. “Though I’ve never had breaded fried lamb.”
When my crème brûlée arrived, I savored it, licking the spoon. His eyes darkened as he watched, and I hid a smile.
“Why didn’t you order dessert?” I dabbed my lips with the napkin.
“I wasn’t familiar with any of them, and I can be picky about flavors. Most things taste too sweet to me.” He smiled. “It’s good to watch you enjoy yourself though.”
Oh, that voice…and the look in his eyes, pure male, made me lower my lashes as I smiled in return.
As we paid, I asked, "Would you like to exchange phone numbers?"
