His carefully sculpted eyebrows rose. “You and Jordan are not together, then?”
“No. We’re best friends, more like brother and sister than anything.”
He studied her. “Then if two consenting adults choose to eat together, who can have a problem with that?”
She swallowed. She certainly hoped he didn’t mean “consenting” in the way most people did these days. “Just to be clear, I’m not consenting to anything more than a meal.”
He chuckled. “Oh, I do like how you say things like that.”
Indignation flared. “Are you patronising me?”
“I think the term you’re looking for is enjoying the company of a pretty, intelligent lady. Who is prettyandintelligent, just so we’re clear.”
Heat rose in her face. How long had it been since a man had described her as such? Jordan might’ve said something similar recently, but words from a friend didn’t land the same as they did from this charming man.
Not that she was going to be fooled by his charm. Just because she might appreciate his words, it didn’t mean she believed them.
Their meals were delivered, and she soon relaxed even more. That might’ve been the result of the wine and cider he ordered, then insisted she drink, but the evening was taking on a delightfully fuzzy kind of feel, her thoughts a little blurry at the edges.
“So, speaking of pretty and intelligent, I wonder if I could ask for your professional opinion.”
She sipped her cider. “About?”
“What kind of woman do you think would suit me?” He smiled, but with little of the arrogance she’d come to expect from their previous interactions. “That sounds a little off-putting, doesn’t it? Perhaps a better question to ask is what kind of woman do you think I would suit?”
She studied him, wondering how best to answer. “You mean apart from a model?”
“So quick to let fly with the arrows,” he murmured.
Oops. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but come on. It’s true, isn’t it? You were with Allessandra last year, weren’t you?”
His eyes glinted. “I see you’ve done your homework.”
She shrugged. “You certainly wouldn’t be the first millionaire to have a model on your arm.”
He leaned forward. “I’m not interested in what she looks like but in who she is. There’s no point me getting involved with a woman with whom I can’t share an intelligent conversation.”
She nodded. “It’s important to have things in common, like shared interests and values and a sense of humour.”
“Exactly. And the ability to converse easily.” His lips twitched. “A little like we’ve done today.”
Her heart fluttered, and for a second she wondered what it would be like if Eric actually did mean that. If he was interested in her like Jordan seemed to believe. To imagine dining here, like she was one of the regulars who the waiters knew by name.
She smiled. As if. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“Ridiculous? I think the word you’re looking for is obliging.”
Well, he certainly hadn’t made things hard today. “I appreciate the fact you proved to be a lot more easygoing than I had imagined. Thank you. It’s gone a lot better than I expected.”
He chuckled. “I don’t know if I should be offended by that comment or not.”
“Probably best not to.”
He matched her smile, and she held his gaze. This wasn’t so bad as she’d imagined.
She was feeling mellow, and EJ was so rarely mellow that it was nice to sink into this sense of relaxation. To imagine that she and Eric were equals. That this was her normal.
By the time they’d finished off their specials and she’d eaten dessert, she was feeling very comfortable indeed.
