“This place looks authentic,” Monroe commented through a genuine smile. “I travel a lot, and I always look for a place I can get a meal that really represents the area. I hate chain restaurants. Top-rated usually means pretentious.”

“Where’s the best place you’ve ever traveled?” Aria asked thoughtfully as they entered the open-air restaurant and sat at a table in the corner. The light overhead was warm, glowing gently trough a sea-glass-green shade. Island music played softly in the background, just enough to set a relaxing mood. If Monroe wasn’t stressed with the idea of possibly losing this deal—or worse, making the deal and finding out it was the wrong choice—he might actually have enjoyed himself. A beautiful woman. A warm night. The promise of delicious food. Everything he usually loved.

“I’ve enjoyed a lot of my travels,” Monroe said, perusing the eclectic menu as he realized he hadn’t eaten all day. “I think the place I enjoyed the most was the Amalfi Coast in Italy. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it ever,” Aria quipped as the waiter approached.

“How are you this evening? My name is Chaz,” he said, pulling a tiny notebook from his apron. “We have a few specials tonight. Our homebrewed ginger beer is made with all local ingredients and pairs perfectly with the jerk chicken and peas. For dessert we have black rum cake with raspberry sauce.”

Monroe watched as Chaz waited patiently for their reply. “What’s the best thing on the menu in your opinion?” he asked, tipping his chin up intently as Chaz thought it over.

“Personally I enjoy oxtail stew, but if you’re not accustomed to the spices you may not care for it. Something less traditional like jerk chicken might be better suited for you.”

“I like to take risks,” Monroe said, pandering to Aria and her little test. “I’d like the stew.”

Aria ordered confidently and then stared at Monroe for a few extra beats. “What?” he asked, sipping on the ginger beer that had been placed in front of them. “You have an interesting look on your face.”

“I think you’ll like the stew,” she said, nervously changing the subject. Part of Monroe wished this was just a date, that there wasn’t a calculated dance happening between them. It had been ages since he’d been out with a woman of substance. It was one thing to attend an event with a statuesque model on his arm, but this had real sparks.

“So there’s an awful lot neither one of us wants to talk about until you decide you trust me. What’s not off limits?”

“Where were you born?” Aria asked, folding her delicate hands together and resting her chin on them.

“Ohio,” Monroe answered, the twinge he always felt when talking about his humble beginnings raging in his stomach. Very few people knew his roots, and Aria certainly wasn’t going to get it out of him over some ginger beer. “That’s about all you’ll get from me.”

“Maine,” Aria replied back with a playful smile, obviously not willing to give more than he had.

“Cold there,” Monroe grunted.

“This is an enthralling conversation,” Aria beamed sarcastically. “I’m buzzing with this verbal dance we’re doing. It’s magical.”

“Like the hokey pokey,” Monroe smiled, drawn into the moment by Aria’s wry smirk.

“Let’s just have our meal,” Aria suggested as the rich smelling food was placed on the table before them.

“Can I bring you anything else?” Chaz asked, his hands tucked behind his back as he waited eagerly to serve them.

“No,” Monroe said, looking over the table with pleasure. “Everything looks perfect.”

“Things tend to look that way when you’re in the company of a stunning woman,” Chaz said, tipping his chin toward Aria who instantly blushed.

“I’d have to agree with you there,” Monroe replied, not skipping a beat. “And she’s more than just a pretty face. Quite the conversationalist too.”

“It’s nice to see you at a table rather than sitting alone at the bar,” Chaz said, looking harmless and endearing as he teased her.

“It’s hard to find anyone worth sitting with,” Aria laughed, looking unaffected by the lighthearted jab about her normal dining habits. “But tonight, we can’t seem to stop chattering about the most interesting things. I’m sure you and your wife know how that is.”

“That’s a good sign.” Chaz grinned. “My wife, Gigi, and I just found out we’re having a baby. I haven’t been able to breathe right since we got the news. I don’t know the first thing about having a baby in the house. Where do you buy those little plastic things to cover the outlets? How do you snap all those little snaps on the outfits?”

Monroe chuckled as Chaz bounced with nerves. “No one has it figured out. All those parents running around looking like they know what they’re doing are only better actors than the rest of them.”

“Thanks,” Chaz sighed loudly. “I’ll let you guys eat your meal, and I’ll check on you in a little bit. Save room for dessert.” He winked knowingly at Aria, who waved him off as though their inside joke was not funny right now.

Aria was studying Monroe’s face clinically and not touching her meal. “I should let you off the hook early,” she asserted. “No need to have you sitting here wondering if this is going anywhere.”

“This?” he said, spiritedly pointing between them and waggling his brows. “Because it sounds like you are desperate for this to be a date. Usually eating alone?”

“I meant my assessment of you,” she corrected sternly, trying to beat back his silly advances. “No use stringing you along and making you wonder how you did.”

“The suspense is killing me.” He took a mouthful of his stew, and his eyes rolled back as the spices teased his taste buds. “This is incredible,” he explained, gesturing with his spoon at the stew. “You have to try this.”

“I’ve had it,” she said, eyeing him. “Aren’t you worried this isn’t going your way?”

“I figure I don’t have much control over that since you haven’t told me how you’re grading this bizarre test of yours. I might as well be myself and enjoy the meal. If nothing else, like Chaz said, I’m in the company of a beautiful woman.”

“You passed,” she groaned, looking almost disappointed. “I’ll tell you what you want to know about the resort.”

“First I have to know how you decided,” he said, grinning widely. “How in the world could you know, in that short amount of time, that I am trustworthy?”

“Trustworthy is the wrong word,” Aria explained. “It’s more about that hesitation good people have when faced with a choice. They hit the inevitable crossroads, and they have to decide which way to go. Some people fly down the path they think is best for them. I’m always looking for the people who have the mechanism in them that at least lets them pause and think of the impact on other people. To hesitate and consider right from wrong.”

“That’s interesting,” Monroe commented, actually impressed at the distinction. “But still, there’s no way you were able to see I possess that level of conscience after just one meal.”

“The test started the second I met you. It does for everyone I meet.”

“Why?” Monroe asked skeptically. “You aren’t in business for yourself. You aren’t running a small country. Why do you have to test everyone you come across? Isn’t that exhausting?”

“Not nearly as exhausting as everything that happens when I don’t do it.” Her eyes darted away and by the time she glanced back at him again, she’d managed to hide any emotion that had flashed across her face.

“I’m glad I passed the test,” Monroe said, trying to quell the tension between them. He raised his glass and clinked it against hers. “To our new arrangement.”

“To the truth coming out,” she added, breathing in deeply and flashing that agony in her eyes again. With painful clarity he knew Aria would be impossible to walk away from. Whatever dragon was tormenting her, he’d slay it.