Chapter Five
While we waited for our food, there was no lack of conversation. Jack was unlike his son and liked to talk.
“So, darlin’,” Jack turned his attention toward me, “Nick tells me you work for the matchmaking service he’s got himself all tangled up in. What is it you all do there?”
I took a sip of water out of my goblet and set it down. “We use a blend of technology and human observation to help connect people in a meaningful way.”
“Are you observing me now?” Jack flirted with me.
“Yes.” I leaned in and played along.
“And what is your conclusion?”
“You’re trouble.”
Jack tapped my nose. “You’re right.”
Nick cleared his throat.
Jack leaned back and grinned at his son. “You’re here to observe Nick, then?”
“In a matter of speaking, I suppose.”
“What do you think of him?”
Both of Nick’s eyebrows skyrocketed up.
“I’m not allowed to discuss our clients.”
Nick shot me a thoughtful look.
“He’s practically an employee, doing advertisements for you,” Jack pressed.
“Be that as it may, he’s still a client.” One who I’d signed my life away for. The NDA his lawyer sent over for me to sign made me afraid to even call him a client in front of his family, but since Nick had already told them, I hoped I was staying within the lines.
Jack clapped his hands together. “If you can’t talk about him professionally, at least tell us why you aren’t a fan of his work.”
I was right. Jack was trouble. I rubbed the exposed part of my chest. “Did I say that?” I reached for my water.
Skye was giggling to my right while her father was waiting for my reply.
Jack’s eyes danced to a devious tune. “I think you did.”
Nick was laser focused on me.
I met his stare. “What was the name of your character again?”
“Talon Fox,” Skye giggled some more. “Dumbest name ever.”
“Yes, and so broody,” I added.
Skye smacked her dad’s arm playfully. “I told you, Daddy.”
Nick surprised me and caught his daughter’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
The father-daughter pair were obviously comfortable with one another. The affection he showed Skye gave me some pause. It was genuine.
Skye faced me. “It’s so embarrassing to watch that show.”
She made me laugh. “What do you like to watch?”
“Mostly YouTube, but I love the home design show, This is My Place. Oliver Ren is the hottest. I want to be like him and host my own show someday.”
“I love that show too.” The show’s basis was to go in and pick one room for a deserving person and make it over, making it their “place.” “Do you remember the show last year where he made a headboard out of old hardback books?”
“I loved that episode. He did it for that retired librarian who donated all the money she won in the lottery to the library,” Skye responded.
I placed my hand across my heart. “That was so sweet. I was so inspired by it, I made the same headboard.”
“Ooo. I’d love to see that.”
“Me too,” Jack said seductively. He really was trouble.
“You know my dad produces that show?” Skye informed me. “And I got to meet Oliver.”
“I didn’t know that,” I glanced quickly at Nick, who looked between Skye and me with interest, before I asked, “Is Oliver Ren as good looking in person?”
“Even better,” Skye sighed, “but he has a girlfriend.”
“He’s too old for you and off limits.” Nick sounded like a dad.
Skye waved her hand at her dad. “In ten years when I’m twenty-five and he’s thirty-five, no one will care. And the last woman you dated was young enough to be my sister.”
Tension arose like a tidal wave, as did the scarlet tint in Nick’s cheeks.
All her dad had to say was, “Skye,” and she said not another word on the subject.
The arrival of food was good timing. After a few bites, the delicious food worked its magic like only good food could. The mood at the table shifted back to being more lighthearted. Jack was back to asking me more questions.
“Are you from around here?”
I swallowed and nodded. “Mostly, yes. I grew up in Durbin Hills but attended college in Pennsylvania and then Iowa.”
“What did you study?”
Nick obviously didn’t tell him what my role was at Binary Search. Interesting.
“For my undergrad I received a degree in sociology. Then I earned a masters and a doctorate in psychology.”
“I didn’t know we were in the presence of a doctor. Nick, you never mentioned it.”
Nick wiped his mouth with his napkin. He too had ordered the spinach and cheese crepes. “I didn’t know.”
“Should we call you Dr. Morgan?” Jack teased.
“No.” I smiled. “I don’t usually advertise it in the office. I want people to feel comfortable around me. The only time I ever use that title is Monday nights when I volunteer at one of the counseling clinics near my place. The people there are my only true patients now.”
“Smart, beautiful, and generous.” Jack was liberal with compliments.
I tried to take the compliments for what they were. Even tried to absorb them. Since Douglas, I was wary of them. Douglas had laid them on thick when we first met, and I bought into it. But by the end he made me feel like the most worthless person who had ever lived. I still had to fight against those feelings. And I was always afraid that when someone complimented me, it wasn’t genuine, or they had ulterior motives. I didn’t want to feel that way. It was tiring, to be honest.
“I don’t know about that. I only want to give back where I can.”
Jack beamed at me. “How someone hasn’t snatched you up yet, I can’t fathom.”
Someone had snatched me, devoured me, then spit me out. “I do my best to make that difficult.” The ease to which I owned that surprised me.
“I like a challenge, darlin’.” I don’t think he was teasing.
“Dad,” Nick’s voice warned.
“Ah, let your old man have some fun.” Jack stood up and held his hand out to me. “Take a spin with me.”
A few couples who had too much to drink had started an impromptu dance in the corner. I had enjoyed watching them on and off. One couple were spectacular swing dancers. I looked at Jack’s hand and reminded myself I wanted to have more fun in my life. My hand landed in his. “I would be honored.”
He pulled me up and close to him. “The honor is all mine.”
If only he were younger. Though my mom was right, I would probably find some reason we couldn’t be together. For now, though, I would enjoy the moment with the distinguished gentleman.
Just in Time by Dean Martin was playing over the restaurant’s sound system.
Jack led me to the corner and held me close, but in a gentlemanly manner. He was tall like his son, and even in my heels I had to tilt my head up to look at him. He made me wonder how such a carefree man had raised such a brooding son.
Jack’s eyes sparkled before he leaned in to whisper in my ear. “If I were a younger man, I would be asking for your number right about now.”
“If you were a younger man, I would be giving it to you.”
His playful laugh rang in my ear. “I do enjoy vexing my son. And this is doing the trick quite nicely. Don’t you think?”
We both looked his way and, sure enough, his eyes were shooting daggers at his dad.
“He needs to lighten up a bit. But that said,” Jack’s tone took a more serious turn, “I don’t know what in the world he is doing using a dating service. Maybe he’s tired of all the piranhas in Hollywood. Or he’s finally realized how horrible his taste in women is. Skye’s mother, and I use the term lightly, has put them both through the wringer, so I’m begging you for Skye’s sake to make sure he’s matched with someone who won’t hurt him or her.”
I wanted to ask what had happened, but it wasn’t my place. “I promise.” For his daughter’s sake I would do my best. The question was, would Nick hurt whoever I set him up with?
Relief washed over Jack’s face. “Are you available for him?”
“No.” I had to keep the shock of horror off my face at such a notion. “Employees aren’t allowed to date clients.”
“Too bad.” Jack swung me out, making my dress twirl. We both laughed as he pulled me back in. “You are enchanting, darlin’. You remind me of my Barbara.”
No one had ever called me enchanting before. I wanted to believe him. I almost ached to. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Don’t be. We lived five lifetimes together. I only wish the same for my son. For you too.”
“Thank you, Jack.”
“For what?”
“For reminding me what this is like and giving me some hope.”
He pulled me closer and we swayed together. “Anytime, darlin’.”
As if the evening hadn’t already been so unexpected, Nick and Skye joined us on the dance floor. I leaned on Jack’s shoulder and watched father and daughter. Skye talked and talked, and her dad listened as he held her tenderly. It was as if I could see in his eyes that he wished the moment would never end. If I ever did marry, I hoped my husband would dance with our daughter like Nick danced with his. And, as always, I wondered if my baby would have been a little girl. She would have been nine now. I could picture her standing on her father’s feet, dancing and dancing. Well, not her father’s, he was awful, but I planned to do so much better the next go around.
Amid my contemplation Nick’s eyes locked with my own. They made me pause. His eyes asked the same thing I was thinking, Who are you?
I left with more questions about him than answers.
I had no idea what type of woman to pair him with. I didn’t even get to ask him one question. Confusion swirled in my brain. I was having a hard time reconciling the man in my office and his egregious questionnaire, to the man who treated his daughter like a princess. Mind you, he hardly said a word to me or anyone else. Perhaps I should pair him with someone who didn’t mind carrying the conversation, but even a person like that wanted some reciprocation.
I said my goodbyes to Jack and Skye, each giving me a hug. Nick hung in the back, not saying a thing. But while I was walking to my car, I was stopped by the sound of the man with nothing to say.
“Kate.”
Startled, I stopped in the middle of the parking lot, but didn’t turn around.
It didn’t take long before Nick was close behind me. “Kate,” he repeated.
I turned slowly. I was caught off guard by how near he was and how easy it was to think that never had a pair of jeans looked so good. I’d been trying hard all night not to allow myself to have thoughts about how physically appealing he was, especially when he danced with his daughter, but some of my barriers had failed and suddenly my mind was consumed with how attractive he was. I closed my eyes and took a breath hoping that would help. When I opened them, he was still there and looking as beautiful as he did before. His eyes looked good in the soft glow of twilight. Stop it, Kate.
“Did I forget something?” I stuttered.
“You seemed to forget this was a date.”
I stepped back. “Client dates aren’t real dates.”
“Regardless, you still owe me one.”
My breathing was becoming shallower by the second. “I have to research who to pair you with tomorrow so I can connect you with someone on Friday. There isn’t any time,” I rationalized.
“Do you eat breakfast?”
I nodded, finding it easier than speaking.
“Name a place and time tomorrow and I’ll meet you there.”
“I don’t think—”
“I expect to get the full experience.” He spoke with an air of authority I wasn’t used to.
“Fine. There’s a café near my place. I can text you the address. It will have to be early.”
“Like I said, name the time.”
“Does seven work?”
“I’ll try and be on time.” He paused as if he was waiting for me to offer him some advice. When I didn’t, his lip upturned the slightest fraction. “Don’t forget to text me. See you tomorrow, Kate.” Without another word, he turned around and strutted back to the restaurant.
I stood there astonished at the turn of events. The least of which was I didn’t know he could talk so much. The greatest being how fast he made my heart beat. I should probably get that checked out.