“That’s okay,” he said cheerfully, already mentally crossing it off his list. “I also dream about being a pirate.”
“Just for the record, you do mean shiver me timbers and not playing for Pittsburgh?”
His eyes flew wide in reproach. “As far as baseball goes, I only dream about being a King.”
“The rest of the king stuff come with the territory?”
“Amanda, I wish you wouldn’t use my being famous as a strike against me. I swear to God, I’m a regular guy.”
There ain’t nothing regular about you, guy, she thought.
They drove the rest of the way to his secret destination while listening to his iPod rotation. He had a good balance of ballads and beats. Some of it was surprising. He liked a lot of old-school music. Scenery that looked familiar ended with Chase turning his car into the Cold Creek’s nearly deserted parking lot. She instantly recognized Eric’s old Chevy Blazer.
Eric had a set of keys to the restaurant and was supposed to be in a wet suit somewhere off the coast of Belmar. Chase pulled his car haphazardly into a parking space and cut the engine. She turned back to him, but he was already out of his door and dashing over to her side to open hers. He reached in for her hand to help her out.
“You want me to cook for you?” she asked, thoroughly puzzled and taking his hand.
Chase smiled and shook his head, his dazzling green eyes bright. “Absolutely not, but I did want to make sure you had the best dinner in town.”
He didn’t let go of her hand and instead began leading her toward the front of the building. He had gotten physical so quickly, but she didn’t try to pull away. Resistance seemed futile and her hand in his felt uncomfortably reassuring—he really was an oxymoron in motion. When they got to the front of the building it was no surprise when he finally let go of her hand and reached for the door, pulling it open for her to enter.
Confirming her suspicions, Eric was at his usual spot behind the bar. Sitting at the bar was Freddy, another one of the Cold Creek’s waiters. Both were fully dressed in uniform and broke into sly, knowing smiles. Fantastic and familiar smells wafted from the kitchen, and Amanda didn’t have to go in there to find Phillip, her chef, and Pam, his assistant. Both were peeking out through the round windows of the kitchen’s in and out doors. They watched Amanda and Chase enter, enjoyed the moment, and then went back to put the finishing touches on the meal that was being prepared.
“You surprised?” Chase asked.
“An understatement,” Amanda replied.
The lighting was dim and romantic. Music played softly in the background, Earth, Wind & Fire. Chase’s corner booth was set, complete with additional candles, and he led her to it. A bottle of Dom Pérignon White Gold Jeroboam chilled in a bucket next to the table. As they sat down, Eric joined them to open it. With a resounding pop, the seventeen-thousand-dollar bottle of bubbly became worthless and he poured it neatly into two crystal flutes, refusing to spoil the ambiance by looking his boss in the eye and giving her the opportunity to reprimand him. He quickly left while Chase picked up his champagne glass and extended it in her direction.
“Here’s to our first date,” he toasted.
She lifted her glass and touched it against his with a gentle clink. She took a sip.
“How did you manage to pull this off?” she finally asked.
He released a single chuckle and shook his head slowly. “Amanda, I’ve been planning this for weeks. You really don’t understand, do you?”
What was to understand? A handsome man with too much money was pulling out all the stops to get what he wanted, even if it meant taking over her restaurant and getting her own employees to conspire against her. If she had given in to his advances that first night, they wouldn’t even be sitting here. She didn’t feel flattered and she didn’t feel special. What she felt was manipulated and duped, which were pretty much the same feelings she had from the moment she first picked up the phone and Alan Shaw was on the other end. More Earth, Wind & Fire started playing—this time “Love Music.” Tears started to burn her eyelids and she reached for her glass in an effort to hide them. She took another sip.
Chase watched the emotions play across her face. Damn it. He had pushed too hard, come on too strong. All he wanted to do was impress her, and he’d ended up completely overwhelming her. He kept getting his signals mixed. A minute ago she seemed flirty and at least open to him. He rose from the table.
“I’m going to go and check on how dinner is coming along. Do you mind if I go into your kitchen?” he asked, trying to give her some sense of control back.
Amanda shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.
“Do I need a hairnet or something?” he asked, trying to lighten the moment.
A giggle bubbled out of her and she shook her head again, grateful that he was willing to give her a breather. As soon as he disappeared behind the kitchen door, motioning Freddy to follow him, she turned her attention to Eric, who was watching the whole scene take place from behind the bar. She crooked her finger at him, beckoning him over.
“Just who do you work for, anyway?” She got right to the point, aware she didn’t have much time before Chase returned.
Eric took a deep breath and released it before giving her what sounded like a well-rehearsed speech. “Amanda, you are hands-down the best boss I’ve ever had. You’re an amazing lady that I’m proud to work for. But sometimes you don’t know how to get out of your own way, especially when it comes to matters of the heart.”
“Well, I did ask.” She sighed. Eric hadn’t answered her as an employee, but as a friend. And as both, his words held merit. She didn’t see the point in trying to argue with him. Besides, he wouldn’t understand. She wasn’t really cynical about love; she just knew she wasn’t the hitting-the-jackpot type.
“This isn’t some creep who just wants to get into your knickers. Why don’t you do yourself a favor and just enjoy all your favorite foods and a nice evening with a man who went the extra mile to show he’s interested? You can worry about his being Chase Walker tomorrow.”
“By then, it could be too late,” she said sadly. But she knew it was already too late. To keep from falling victim to vibrant green eyes, a million-dollar smile, and his all-consuming magnetism.
“You know, the best waves to ride come from the roughest seas. Risk it.”
Eric didn’t wait for her to respond. He turned and went to resume his post behind the bar and began to wipe it down, even though they both knew it was already clean.
“You’re too young to be so smart,” she called out to him.
Eric looked up briefly from his chore, giving her a grin and a nod. Chase came out of the kitchen and tentatively resumed his seat.
“Can we start over?” Amanda smiled at him from across the table and he visibly relaxed.
“Hey, that’s my line.” He laughed, then said earnestly, “You don’t even need to ask. I’m sorry if I came on like gangbusters. I really thought this was a good idea, with you being so leery and all. I wanted to take you someplace familiar where you’d be comfortable.”
“It was a very sweet gesture,” she told him honestly, even if it was a little too sweet.