‘No, honestly, I’d love to have you cook moussaka for me.’
‘Great, how about this coming Saturday?’ she heard him say, followed by, ‘No, that’s crazy, far too short notice.’ He waved his hand at her. ‘Besides you’re bound to have a hundred other things on.’
‘Yes, I’ve a Ruby Wedding booked but I won’t need to be there in person. My deputy’s covering the event. I did tell her she could call if she needed me though, but I think that’s highly unlikely. If you’re happy with that arrangement then great, I’m available.’
‘Fantastic.’ He blew out a breath as he ran a hand through his hair. Cat caught the delighted expression on his face. ‘We could meet in The Smugglers for a drink first.’
‘Great idea.’ Cat nodded. It appeared their evening was beginning to come together quite nicely.Whoa!The nagging voice of reason interrupted.What sort of crazy are you getting yourself into?
Not crazy, came Cat’s silent rebuke as she justified her actions.Okay he’s attractive … very attractive, but it’s a drink and a meal, that’s all. Okay?
Chapter Ten
Jordan was aware of a girl leaning on his car as he reached his parking space. He had been in Truro for his friend Daniel Bolitho’s birthday lunch at Tabbs Restaurant. Just a small taster to get them in the mood for the evening to come, Daniel had said as he settled the rather hefty bill on his father’s credit card. He frowned as he drew closer then stopped to take a proper look at her. Dark, almost black hair, and long legs which disappeared under a short red sundress; she was very pretty. There was something about her, too; something familiar, and yet he knew she wasn’t one of the girls from his crowd. Her clothes were cheap and she lacked that shiny expensive look they all had. And then it hit him. She was one of the waitresses from Tarwin House. He’d seen her the other day when he and Chantelle had dropped in for lunch. But what the hell was she doing here, posing on the bonnet of his Merc?
Continuing his way towards her, he pulled his keys from his jeans’ pocket and pressed the tab to unlock the door. The girl heard the click. Her eyes opened as she saw him and she pushed herself away from the car and smiled. It was a familiar smile, as if she knew him well.
‘Well,’ he grinned as he reached her, ‘what are you doing?’
‘Oh, I was wondering whether you might like to take me for a ride,’ she said, running her fingers lovingly over the bonnet. ‘This is a beautiful car and it’s such a lovely day, I thought well, maybe …’
She left the invitation hanging. Jordan smirked. It was such a pathetic attempt at chatting him up it made him laugh. This was a waitress, for goodness’ sake. Oh, she was pretty all right, but he didn’t slum it where women were concerned. He only spent time with girls from his own world and she definitely wasn’t one of those.
‘Nice try,’ he said as he slid behind the wheel and slammed the door, ‘but not today, honey.’
A week later he ran into her again: literally. She stepped in front of his car, head down, talking on her phone, oblivious of anything but the caller, until it was almost too late. Jordan hit the horn and she gave a startled shriek, dropping her mobile and the bag she was carrying. He pulled into the kerb, got out and strode over to where she crouched at the side of the road, collecting up the scattered contents of her handbag.
‘What the hell did you think you were doing?’ He glared down at her. ‘I could have killed you.’
‘I am sorry.’ She looked up at him, at the same time trying to collect the items, which were strewn over the road. ‘I wasn’t thinking.’ She straightened up, deep blue eyes locking on his.
It was at that moment Jordan realised how stunning she was. He’d never gone for sultry brunettes with foreign accents before, blondes had always been his preference, but now he was close to her something stirred, tempting him. Lately, Chantelle had been a complete pain, always moaning. He treated his women well, even though they were short-term relationships. But what he couldn’t put up with was self-absorbed girls. The ones who freaked out over a chipped nail or complained the menu in the restaurant he’d taken them to didn’t have anything they could possibly eat without piling on the pounds. What would this girl be like, he wondered? Certainly she had been quite forward the last time they’d met. Leaning on his car, inviting herself for a ride. She was still wearing dreadful clothes, too; a cheap badly fitting dress in green and black and some weird looking shoes. But that shouldn’t be a problem, he’d take her out, buy her some nice things. Yes, the more he looked at her the more he could see how it would work. A summer fling to lift him out of the doldrums and maybe provoke his mother a little. Him dating a waitress? Yes, she would definitely go mental. Andas for the girl, well they’d have fun, she’d gain herself a decent wardrobe and after a few weeks of sexual fireworks they’d go their separate ways. The more he thought about it, the more it appealed, especially when he thought of his mother’s reaction.
He cleared his throat. ‘Look I’m sorry, okay?’ he replied gruffly. ‘Can I give you a lift?’
‘A lift?’ Her sad expression disappeared and was instantly replaced by a shy smile as she slipped her bag over her arm and pocketed her mobile. ‘Oh that would be wonderful.’
‘I’m Jordan,’ he said as they crossed to where he had left the car, ‘and you are?’
‘Marika,’ She gave him a dazzling smile. ‘My name is Marika.’
‘This looks wonderful,’ Cat said gazing at the plate of moussaka Luke had just put in front of her.
‘Help yourself,’ he replied, seating himself opposite and moving the salad bowl across the table.
‘Mmm, this is different, what is it?’ Cat studied the contents of the bowl. ‘I smell mint.’
‘It’s a parsley and mint salad with tomato and cucumber.’ He watched her fill her plate. ‘Why are you smiling?’
‘Because,’ she said, pushing the bowl back towards him, ‘I had no idea being a basic cook meant you could put together this sort of thing.’
‘It’s salad, Cat,’ he said with a grin as he helped himself. ‘No big deal.’
‘Yes, but not just basic salad. That’s lettuce, tomato and cucumber. This is slightly different. When we were in the kitchen earlier I didn’t see any cookery books.’ She picked up her knife and fork and cut into her moussaka. ‘Sure you didn’t have some help with this?’
Luke sat back, folded his arms and stared at her.
‘Sorry, that was rude of me.’ Cat felt warmth creeping into her cheeks. First she’d enjoyed a couple of drinks in The Smugglers, which he had insisted on paying for. Now she was here with a plate of tasty food in front of her. Food he’d spent time preparing, and she was giving him the third degree. How bad mannered was that?
