She looked away from his penetrating gaze, feeling herself taken in by his charm. He had a way about him, something that seemed to melt her resistance. His scent, clean and masculine, threatened to overwhelm her. Her inner voice reminded her of good sense, while her stomach reminded her of how much she loved sushi.
“I know you’re probably really busy, so you don’t have to stay long. But I’d hate for the food to go to waste.”
Her stomach growled again, louder this time. She looked his way, hoping he hadn’t heard it.
His grin told her he had.
Hunger won out over logic, in more ways than one. She drew a deep breath. “I’ll stay.”
“Great. Food should be here soon.” He gestured to the circular table and four chairs occupying a corner of the room. “Care to sit down?”
She watched him slide out a chair and stand behind it. When she sat down, he pushed her chair up to the table before taking the seat across from her.
“Still a gentleman, I see.” The remark slipped out before she could stop it.
“Always.” He fixed her with a knowing gaze.
The sound of the glass door opening stopped any further chatter. He stood. “Must be the delivery guy. I’ll get it.”
She sat alone, trying to get her mind right. A few moments later, he returned with the plastic bag. The scent of the food made her stomach grumble again, but she was grateful to have something to distract her from Chris’s distinctive aroma.
As he set the large paper bag of food on the table, she pulled out her travel-sized hand sanitizer. After doing her hands, she offered it to him.
“Thanks.” He used it, then passed the bottle back to her and started setting the food out.
At first, they ate in silence, and she devoured three California rolls. Swallowing a bite, she looked up and saw his gaze resting on her face. “Um, sorry. I was pretty hungry.”
He shrugged. “No biggie. Tell me, how are things at Ellicott’s?”
That brought a smile to her face. “Great. I’ve recently started to carry some clothes and accessories by a new designer. Her name is Bea Phillips, and her items are selling as soon as I can get them in.”
Taking a swig from his bottled water, he asked, “So, what kinds of things does she design?”
“Mainly dresses, but she also makes jewelry and handbags.” She forked up some of her jasmine rice.
“I’m glad to hear business is booming. Back in the day, you would always talk about owning your own boutique.” He tucked his empty plastic tray back into the paper bag. “I knew you’d do it one day.”
“I’m surprised you remember the things we talked about back then,” she said absently. “In a lot of ways, that all seems like ancient history.” Or at least that’s what she told herself. She’d been heartbroken when they parted ways, but he didn’t know that, and she intended to keep it that way. Besides, she’d done well for herself, both personally and professionally. She’d managed to get the store established and off the ground. And rather than close herself off to romantic relationships, she’d had a string of steady boyfriends, all from prominent social circles. No one could say she’d gone into hiding after Chris left.
“You’d be surprised by all the things I remember.” He smiled as he tipped the water bottle and drained the remaining contents.
Hearing what he’d said, and thinking of the implications of that, made her quickly change the subject. “I don’t know if Vaughn talks about our sisters much, but they’re both married with kids now.”
He nodded. “I know. Vaughn talks about Brianne and Emily on occasion. I know he loves being an uncle.”
She thought back to the conversations they’d had years ago about her dreams. What he didn’t know was how she’d dreamed of being a mother and wife in addition to running her store. Back then, she’d thought she could have it all. Reality had shown her something different. “I’m the only girl in the family to strike out on her own to conquer the business world.”
“Nothing wrong with that, especially when you’re successful at what you do.” He gestured to her near-empty tray. “Are you done?”
She nodded, tucking her trash into the paper bag.
He left the table to throw all the garbage away, then returned to his seat across from her. Stretching, he said, “Yeah. Growing up an only child made me want a big family of my own. Things didn’t exactly go as planned, but I have Jack and Jojo now, and I couldn’t be more grateful for them.”
She felt her heart constrict in her chest at his words. His marriage to his ex-wife had come right on the heels of their breakup, effectively dashing her hopes of reconciliation between them. And now, despite the utter failure of the marriage, he’d still gotten one thing she wanted just as much as she wanted success in business: children. Still, she hid her feelings behind a practiced smile. “How are the kids? They’re teenagers now, aren’t they? I hear that’s an adventure.”
“Yeah, they’re thirteen now. They’re a handful, for sure. I get them every other weekend.”
“What are kids really like at this age?”
“They’re still kids, but they think of themselves as adults, so that’s hard to navigate.” He straightened in his chair. “There are times when I feel torn between work and doing things with them, and sometimes they have their own plans and don’t want to be stuck with me.” He shrugged. “I just do my best, take it one day at a time. They know I love them, and that’s the most important thing.”
She nodded, keeping the smile plastered on her face. Inside, she mused that if she and Chris had gotten married, their children would be about Jack and Jojo’s age. She didn’t dare open her mouth, lest her thoughts become words.
He smiled again then. “I’m really glad you came by, Eliza. It’s so good to see you again.”
She averted her eyes from his arresting handsomeness, only made more appealing by his expression. Was he flirting with her? Her feminine instincts told her he was. Why would he do that now, after all these years apart?
The man he used to be was long gone, as was the young, idealistic girl she’d once been. What she saw before her now was a divorced workaholic who’d walked away from her when he had the chance to make things official.
As far as she was concerned, there was nothing left for her and Chris.
Chris was enjoying spending time with Eliza. It had been ages since he’d seen her, and having her grace him with her beautiful presence again lit the dark corners of his heart. She seemed a little guarded, and he supposed he understood that, after the abrupt ending of their relationship. Still, he couldn’t deny the feelings this woman elicited in him. He’d thought of her often over the years, and had always known he was still attracted to her. Being in the same room with her now showed him just how strong his feelings still were.
She’s
