‘Just dandy,’ he muttered through gritted teeth.
‘Not a fan of group activities?’
He could flirt and respond with something along the lines of ‘I prefer one-on-one activities with you’, but the next round of questions was about to start and he didn’t want to start something he couldn’t finish, like that foolish kiss on her palm in the car. Cruz had no idea how far he would’ve pushed things with El if Kyle hadn’t interrupted them. He wanted her with a ferocity that confounded. Some of the women he’d been with in the past had been beautiful, but there was something about El that attracted him on a deeper level.
Despite her banter and boldness, he sensed a vulnerability that tugged on his heartstrings. An oddity, because Cruz never allowed emotion to taint any relationship. ‘No muss, no fuss’ encapsulated his dating history and he’d like to keep it that way.
Not that he had any intention of dating El, but one sizzling night … he could definitely handle that.
‘Hey.’ She tapped his hand again to get his attention. ‘What’s going on? Do you want to leave?’
‘I’d love to, but we’d never hear the end of it from our illustrious team.’ He jerked his head to the group at the bar and rolled his eyes. ‘Their hopes of winning will take a serious hit if we leave.’
‘I’d like to stay.’ Her soft smile slayed him as much as her bright eyes. ‘They’re an interesting bunch.’
‘They were pains in the arse at school and they haven’t changed.’
‘They’re funny. Floyd reminds me of a teddy bear, Lance is his goofy sidekick and Bindi has depth.’
Interesting that El had summed up Floyd Robertson, Lance Thomson and Bindi Hazelwood accurately. They weren’t bad people and Cruz had to admit they’d welcomed him like a long-lost best buddy, even though they’d had fleeting interactions at high school.
‘Maybe you could use their help with setting up the restaurant on the farm? Tap into their local knowledge, seeing as you’ve been away so long.’
Annoyance made him fold his arms. ‘You told them about the restaurant?’
‘Of course not.’ El rolled her eyes. ‘But Bindi’s returned to Rosevale Grove recently and said a few things that made me realise it’s tough being back in this town. And considering you’re feeling the same way, I thought it might be nice to include old friends in your new project.’
Cruz didn’t have any friends, but he appreciated El’s kindness in trying to help people she’d only just met. ‘Sounds like Bindi opened up to you.’
‘Is that so hard to believe? I’m a nice person.’ She patted her chest, and desire washed over him at the thought of how much he’d like to do the same.
‘Never said you weren’t,’ he muttered, a part of him wondering if his snark came from a sliver of jealousy that he’d gone to school with these people, yet they’d never warmed to him as much as they had to El in only a few hours.
‘There’s something wrong.’ Her eyes narrowed as she studied him. ‘You’ve been extra grumpy since dinner.’
‘You’d be grouchy too if the chicken parma you’d been looking forward to was the biggest let-down of all time.’
The corners of her delectable mouth twitched. ‘Parmisare always a risk. You should’ve stuck to the roast of the day, like I did. Even an average chef can’t stuff up lamb and veggies.’
‘So you’re a foodie now?’
‘I am. But I’m not a foodsnob, like you.’ She tilted her nose in the air, mocking him and he barked out a laugh.
‘Chefs usually know what they’re talking about, especially when it comes to the classics like a goodparma.’
‘Are we seriously back to the parma-versus-parmi debate?’
‘Why did the chicken cross the road?’
Confusion clouded her eyes for a moment. ‘Huh?’
‘To avoid becoming a parma.’
She groaned. ‘Did you just make that up?’
‘Yes.’
‘Stick to your day job.’
