the last time he’d felt such an instant attraction to a woman.
She blinked at him several times before answering him in the sweetest voice he’d ever heard.
She motioned to one platter. “What I’ve prepared for you here is a drunken sea scallop with a beer-infused bacon cream sauce, a blue crab cake with sun-dried tomato aioli and a spicy lamb meatball with cucumber yogurt sauce.”
“Hmm...” Spencer moaned at the description, and he watched her eyes grow larger in response. “Sounds delicious.” He kept his gaze on hers and neither of them wavered until Ty coughed.
“My wife would like the scallop, and I would love to try the lamb meatball,” Ty said, eyeing Spencer curiously. He could tell when his boy had his eye on a woman. And this woman, whoever she was, had captured his attention.
Raina smiled. “Absolutely.” She handed him a meatball on a small plate, then passed Brielle a small plate with a large scallop on it, but not before sprinkling both with fresh parsley. “Enjoy.”
“I’ll have one of everything,” Spencer said. At her questioning look, he added, “I’m a growing boy.”
Without speaking, she handed him a plate of all her offerings.
“Thank you.” Spencer nodded and reluctantly followed his friends, who’d stepped away from the table to enjoy the first course.
When he joined them several yards away at a small bar-height table, Ty wasted no time calling him out on his instant infatuation. “That was some sexual tension back there,” Ty said, glancing back at the woman behind the table, who was talking to several other guests ready to taste her delicious creations.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Spencer lied.
Brielle laughed as she took a bite of scallop. “You’re a terrible liar, Spencer. We both saw it. No, make that felt the attraction between you two.”
Spencer shrugged. “She’s a beautiful woman. What can I say?” He wanted nothing better than to know what kind of figure was beneath the oversize chef coat she was wearing.
“Get her number,” Ty suggested.
“I can’t.” Spencer shook his head. “She’s working.”
“The night is still young,” Ty responded. “As the evening ends, I’m sure the opportunity will present itself.”
“What do you think, Brielle?” Spencer turned to Ty’s wife.
“She was definitely affected by meeting you,” Brielle said. “I think you have a shot.”
“All right.” Spencer pointed his finger at the two matchmaking culprits. “But if I’m turned down flat, I’ll have no one to blame but you.”
“You won’t,” Ty returned.
Spencer sure hoped not. For some reason, his gut told him that this woman was someone worth knowing.
* * *
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Summer said when she returned with more bacon cream sauce and platters of pork belly. Their second course consisted of pork belly with sweet potato pancake and black pepper shrimp with smoked gouda cheese grits.
Raina pulled Summer away from the tables so no one could hear them. “You will never believe who is here.”
She still couldn’t believe it herself. But she was staring at gorgeous Spencer Davis. The pictures she’d seen online did him little justice. And it wasn’t just his stature. It was everything about him: the big bushy eyebrows, the broad nose, the full succulent lips and the sexy smile. Add his bravado, appealing masculine smell and the way he wore that three-piece suit and she was smitten.
“Is it a celebrity?” Summer looked over her shoulder. Although she couldn’t ask for autographs, she could definitely write about it on their catering blog.
“No,” Raina whispered. “It’s Spencer Davis.”
“Shut the front door!”
Raina shook her head. “I can’t believe he’s here. Over there.” She inclined her head toward the trio standing nearby, munching on food and sipping champagne.
“Oh my Lord!” Summer touched her chest. “Does he know who you are?”
Raina shook her head. “No. I don’t think he’s been served yet by my attorney, but...I never expected this, to meet him in person. Do you see how fine he is?”
Summer leaned back and did a double take. “Mmm...I see your point. He is mighty fine, but what can you do? It’s not like you planned this. We had no idea he’d be here tonight.”
“Like he’s going to believe that when he finds out who I am.” Raina sighed. She couldn’t believe her luck. “He’ll think I was scoping him out.”
“And he’d be wrong,” Summer scolded. “The only reason you’re pursuing this is to find out the truth. Who’s to say he’s even Zoe’s father?”
“But why else would Alexa have a photo of her and Spencer together?”
Summer shrugged. “I don’t know, and we don’t have time to speculate. We have to finish this party. He probably won’t even come this way again. Come on—we have more tables to serve.”
Summer couldn’t have been more wrong, because as the next course was served, Spencer Davis kept coming back to Raina’s table for a taste. And each time Raina became more and more flustered by the attention Spencer was bestowing on her.
If she was serving another person, he would wait patiently until the line dissolved and he could speak with her for a few moments about each course. Any other time, it would have been harmless enough, a little flirtation between adults. But this time was different. This man could potentially be her niece’s father and her attorney was about to serve him with legal documents requesting he submit to a paternity test. Raina highly doubted Spencer Davis would be so enamored with her if he knew what a royal pain she was about to become in his life.
* * *
When Spencer saw a lull at the beautiful woman’s table he decided to make his move. “That pecan bread pudding with whiskey sauce was divine,” he said when he returned to the table.
“Thank you.” The woman smiled at him.
“You’re welcome.” Spencer extended his hand. “Spencer Davis.”
Raina shook Spencer’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Davis. Now, er, if you’ll excuse me, I have to start to clean up.”
Spencer blinked with bafflement. “Are you honestly not going to tell me your name?”
“I don’t mix with patrons,” Raina said. Her answer sounded logical.
Spencer looked around. “The party is wrapping up and after that I won’t be your patron.” He looked into her warm eyes. “I was hoping we could maybe grab a drink later, you know, get to know each other.”
Raina
