Chapter Seven
Bree collapsed on the lounge chair, breathless. Jayce sat down on the other one, and when he stretched out his long legs, his feet hung over the end.
“What would you like for dinner?” he asked, taking off his sunglasses and setting them on the glass table that sat between them.
“The sushi here is fabulous.” She’d been craving tuna all day.
“You eat raw fish?” His tone was coolly disapproving.
“Of course. You don’t?”
“Nope. I prefer a nice juicy steak.”
Bree’s stomach churned. “I don’t eat meat.”
“Another reason we’re not a match.”
She didn’t fail to catch the note of disappointment in his voice as he got to his feet and then strode inside. A minute later he was back carrying two glasses of fruit juice.
He handed her one as he said, “Dinner should be here soon. I ordered you a sushi platter. Is that okay?”
“Perfect. Thanks.” She took a sip of the drink and studied him over the rim of the glass. His windblown hair was sticking up at odd angles all around his head, and his jeans, caked with sand along the hem, were wet all the way up to his thighs. Most men she knew wouldn’t be caught dead looking that way. They would’ve run straight to the bathroom to fix their hair and change their pants. Nothing less than perfection would do for the men she’d dated. Not Jayce though. He didn’t seem the least bit interested in his appearance. Maybe it was because he was secure in his own skin. And why not? He didn’t need hair gel or fancy clothes to improve his appearance.
He walked over to the edge of the deck and rested his elbows on the railing. “I never imagined anywhere could be this beautiful.”
Bree got up and stood next to him. The sky was ablaze with vivid streaks of crimson and the ocean was lined with gold. “I have to agree. I never seem to get enough of this island. And if you want to see something magical, just wait a few minutes. Right after the sun sinks over the horizon, the sky will turn purple and cobalt and then a star-studded black. It’s beyond amazing.”
The way his deep chocolate eyes delved into hers made her wish for a brief second that there might be a possibility of romance between them. The backdrop was perfect for it. But then reality came rushing back to tell her the thought was utterly ridiculous. The last thing she needed was a brief fling. If she’d wanted that, she could’ve found it at home. Luckily, her mind was taken off of such foolishness when the sun disappeared. She pointed up at the gorgeous sky. “Look!”
Jayce followed her gaze with a broad smile. “It is amazing.”
They stood there in silence for a while, until the waiter wheeled in a table covered with a white linen cloth. On it was their meals and a chocolate fondue surrounded by a variety of fruits, including pineapple chunks, strawberries, and banana and kiwi slices.
She could hardly wait to delve into her dinner. As soon as the waiter left, Bree took a seat at the table. However, Jayce went into the kitchen.
“Hurry up. I’m starving,” Bree yelled after him.
A minute later he returned carrying a bottle of ketchup. “Can’t eat without this.”
She grimaced. “You put ketchup on your steak.”
He sat down across from her. “Yep. I put it on pretty much everything.”
“What a way to ruin a good meal.”
He chuckled. “You don’t hear me criticizing the way you eat your food.”
“That’s because there’s nothing unappetizing about it.” Bree dropped some wasabi into a bowl of soy sauce and stirred it.
“What do you call sushi?”
“Delicious,” she said, using chopsticks to pop a piece of spicy tuna roll into her mouth.
Jayce rolled his eyes as he squirted some ketchup on his plate, and then cut into his steak. A thick red juice ran out.
Bree’s stomach revolted, and she quickly covered her mouth to keep from spitting out her food. After forcing herself to swallow, she cried, “It’s rare!”
He shrugged. “So. Yours is raw.”
She sucked in a deep breath, trying to control her nausea. “That’s different.”
He raised his brows at her. “Really?”
“Really.” Bree took a long drink of water and waited for her stomach to settle down before taking another bite, making sure not to look at his plate. “Tell me about your farm?” she asked, setting down the chopsticks.
He leaned back in his chair. “What do you want to know?”
She was baffled by his question. Most guys loved talking about themselves. “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve never been on a farm. How many cows do you have?”
“Three thousand.”
She took a quick breath of utter astonishment. “Three thousand?”
“That’s right.” His eyes suddenly filled with fierce sparkling and he seemed amused by her shock.
“That’s a lot to milk.”
His laugh was rich and infectious, and before she knew it, she was laughing with him. While they ate, he explained the entire milking process, and Bree hated to admit that she was interested in it.
When they were finished with their meals, she said, “I’m stuffed, but not too full for a little chocolate.” Bree dipped a strawberry into the fondue. “How about you?”
“I’ll have a little fruit, but not the chocolate.”
She stared at him in astonishment. “You don’t like chocolate?”
“Nope. Not even a little.”
“Well, that leaves more for me,” she said, dunking a pineapple chunk into the bowl.
“And one more reason we’re not a match.”
She didn’t know if he was trying to be sarcastic, or funny, or something else, but he was starting to annoy her by saying that. Maybe it was because she was exhausted, or perhaps because they weren’t a match. Whatever the reason, she said a quick goodnight and headed up to her room.
A little while later when in bed, she checked her cell phone to see if Dawson had returned her call. No surprise that he hadn’t, and that annoyed her even more, so she called him again. “I know what you’re doing,” she said into the phone. “You’re avoiding me because you don’t want to hear how badly you messed up with my match. But you’re not going to get off that easy. Jayce seems like a nice enough guy, but we have absolutely nothing in common, and the more time I spend with him, the more obvious it becomes. Even if he didn’t live in Nebraska, he wouldn’t be the right guy for me. You’re lucky if I last here the week.”
After venting, she felt a little better and fell asleep as soon as she turned off the light.