“I’m ordering for you,” he announced.
“I feel soPretty Womanall of a sudden.”
He rolled his eyes but chuckled. “You’ll like it. Trust me.”
He flagged down the server. “Two sausage and brie crepes with caramelized onions. Two coffees. Black for me—” He looked at me. “How do you take yours?”
“However it comes fastest.”
“Same for him, but can you bringcream, Splenda, sugar, and a couple of different flavorings?”
My brows rose.
He shrugged. “I thought you might like options. Besides, this lets me see what you like in your coffee.”
“Confident,” I observed. “And inquisitive. Interesting combination.”
“It’s a lawyer thing.”
I supposed that did fit.
“As for the crepe, it’s my regular, and it’s incredible. You’ll thank me.” He was smiling, looking more relaxed than I’d seen him since we’d met a few weeks ago.
“Aren’t you a bold one?”
“Wait and see.”
The coffee arrived first—steaming, rich, smelling like heaven in a cup. I took a sip and nearly groaned. “Okay, fine. You weren’t lying about the coffee.”
“Told you.” Chase wrapped both hands around his mug. “So, we should do the whole getting-to-know-you thing since we sort of skipped that part last night.”
“We did do a lot of skipping . . . and getting to know parts of each other,” I said, raising my mug in salute.
“We did.” He blushed. “So, Finn O’Brien, tell me about you. I could listen to you read an encyclopedia all day in that accent.”
Now it was my turn for a proper eye roll.
“Let’s see. Born and raised in Dublin until I was sixteen.” I took another sip. “My da works in insurance—boring stuff, he always says. Mum’s a primary school teacher. I’ve got two older sisters who still live there. They think I’m insane for moving to the States.”
“They’re probably right, given our political climate,” he said as he glanced down at the table. “Why’d you move?”
“Da got a job opportunity in Tampa. Better pay, better weather, all that. He thought it would be temporary—maybe a year or two—but we never went back.” I shrugged. “I hated it at first. Everything was so different.”
“Different how?”
“For one thing, it’s hot as hell. Dear God, the heat is awful.”
Chase chuckled. “You get used to it.”
“No, ya don’t,” I said, though my eyes were smiling. “Then there’s the people and the complete lack of proper tea. There’s not a Tampan around who knows how to brew a good pot.”
“Tea over coffee? Got it.”
“Oh, no. I love tea, but coffee is a gift from the gods.” I thought a moment, briefly reliving my early struggles adapting to my new country. “It took a fewyears, but I guess Tampa grew on me. It’s home now, weird as that sounds.”
“Tampa has a way of doing that.” Chase was smiling, but there was something thoughtful in his expression. “What about your parents? Are they still here?”
“Yeah. Over in Seminole Heights. They love it. Da’s retired now, spends all his time working on his boat. Mum still teaches part-time.” I paused. “What about you? Where’s home?”
