She grinned, relaxing. “I was hungry andeverythingsounded good, so I decided to order a little bit of everything and sample it all.”
He set the bags down and then reached into his pocket, pulling out a wad of bills and three plastic cards.
“Drake asked me to drop these off for you.”
“Yeah,” she murmured, avoiding looking at the cash and cards he slid across the island.
Instead, she ignored them and began opening the bags as the tantalizing aroma rose, making her stomach growl in anticipation.
“Have you eaten yet?” she asked impulsively.
He looked perplexed. “No.”
“Well, as you can see, I have more than enough food for one. Would you like to join me for lunch? Or do you have other pressing matters to tend to?”
When he remained silent, looking as though he had no idea what to say to her invitation, she mentally groaned because damn it, she was forever blurting out stuff and clearly Silas was a busy man. All Drake’s men were, and she didn’t want Silas to now feel obligated to eat with her for fear of hurting her feelings.
“It’s okay if you have to run,” she said hastily. “You certainly won’t hurt my feelings. I wouldn’t want you to miss something important because you were appeasing me.”
“Not at all,” he said in a solemn voice. “I happen to love Asian food, so if you don’t mind sharing, I’d be honored to have lunch with you.”
She gave him a delighted smile and then took two plates from the cabinets along with utensils and serving spoons from the drawer. Theytook seats on the stools at the island, and she and Silas unpacked all the containers and the bags that held the appetizers.
“Ah, a woman after my own heart,” Silas said with an exaggerated sigh. “All my favorites. Teriyaki chicken skewers, crab rangoon, egg rolls and that’s only for starters. I can’t wait to see what entrées you ordered.”
“Pork lo mein, spicy, General Tso’s chicken with fried rice, Mongolian beef, kung pao beef, orange chicken and double pan-fried noodles, spicy of course. Oh, and pad see ew. As you can see, it’s not strictly Chinese. There’s some Thai dishes mixed in, so we get the best of both worlds.”
“I’ll take some of everything,” Silas said.
Evangeline laughed. “So will I. It’s the reason I ordered a bit of everything. When in doubt, go for it all.”
“I wholeheartedly agree.”
They filled their plates to the point of overflowing and then dug in with relish. Silas appeared to enjoy his every bit as much as Evangeline enjoyed hers. It was absolute heaven. It had been months since she’d splurged on her favorite takeout, and she felt decadently indulged where just weeks before she would have felt enormously guilty over such an extravagance.
“These are the best egg rolls,” Evangeline said, nearly moaning with delight. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a better one. I need to have this restaurant on speed dial. I have a feeling I’ll be ordering takeout at least once a week.”
“You act as though this is a luxury,” Silas observed, watching her intently.
She ducked her head and flushed, embarrassment tightening her cheeks.
“My apologies,” Silas said in a quiet voice. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
She shook her head. “I’m being ridiculously sensitive. But you’re right. It is—or rather was—a luxury. One that I couldn’t often afford. I work, or rather worked, long hours to make as much money as possible so I could send it home to my parents, who desperately need all the financial support they can get. I kept back only what was absolutely necessary to pay rent, utilities and groceries. Eating out, even takeout, was an extravagance I simply couldn’t afford. I just couldn’t justify it when my parents’ need is so great. So I bought off-brand groceries and cooked for the most part because not eating out meant more money I could send to my parents each week. So yes. You could say this is next to heaven and I plan to stuff myself so full that I’ll likely be sick afterward, but at the moment I just don’t care.”
Silas’s expression was thunderous and his jaw bulged as he clamped it shut. He looked as though he were exerting great effort not to let loose a torrent of obscenities, surprising since he was so well spoken and not as rough around the edges as some of Drake’s other men.
After a moment, when he’d visibly regained control of his composure, the tension eased.
“If you’re game, then I vote we have a weekly lunch date. I’ll bring takeout, whatever you have a taste for that week, and we’ll have lunch together. Sound good?”
She sent him a dazzling smile, unknowing of the effect it had on the closed-off, hardened man and the fact that something inside him softened when he thought himself incapable of experiencing such feelings. He’d been dead-on when he’d told Evangeline that she was special. In fact, she was one of a kind, and the fact that she had no clue made her all the more genuine. What might his childhood have been like if he’d had someone like Evangeline to shine light into the darkness of his unending despair?
“I’d love that,” she said, her excitement not at all concealed.
“Deal, then,” he said. “Just let me know a day when you’re free andDrake doesn’t have plans for you and you intend to stay in for the day, and I’ll come over and bring the food.”
She frowned. “But you can’t just drop everything on a whim and come have lunch at the drop of the hat.”
