there. âChocolate is in a class of its own.â
He laughed, and something inside her shifted. No shifting! She had to remain on her guard around this man. Heâd called her beautiful and something in her world had tilted. She had no intention of letting that happen again.
âYou made my sister very happy today. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.â
It was the last thing sheâd expected him to say. âI... I was just doing my job.â
âIt was more than that, and we both know it.â
She didnât want it to be more. This was just a job like any other. âNaturally Carla is excited. I enjoyed discussing her plans with her.â
To her surprise, she realised she was speaking nothing less than the truth.
Their order was set in front of them. When the waitress left Dylan broke off a piece of cupcake, generously topped with frosting, and held it out to her. âWould you like a taste?â
Unbidden, hunger roared through her. For the briefest of moments she was tempted to open her mouth and let him feed her the morsel. Her throat dried and her stomach churned. On the table, her hands clenched to fists.
She choked out a, âNo, thank you,â before busying herself with her tea.
Why now ? Why should a man have such an effect on her now ? In the last ten months sheâd been asked out on dates...the occasional volunteer had tried to flirt with her...but nothing had pierced her armour.
None of them looked like Dylan Fairweather .
True. But was she really so shallow that someoneâs looks could have such an impact?
When she glanced back up she saw Gordon Coulter, glaring at her from the caféâs doorway. Had he seen Dylan offer her the bite of cake? Great. Just great.
She shuffled her mantel of professionalism back around her. âNow, you better tell me what it is you promised Carla youâd sort out. It sounded ominous.â
He popped the piece of cake into his mouth and closed his eyes in bliss as he chewed. âYou have no idea what youâre missing.â
And she needed to keep it that way.
She tried to stop her gaze lingering on his mouth.
His eyes sprang open, alive with mischief. âI bet you love honey sandwiches made with the softest of fresh white bread.â
She had to bite her inner lip to stop herself from laughing. âHoney makes my teeth ache.â
The man was irrepressible, and it occurred to her that it wasnât his startling looks that spoke to her but his childish sense of fun.
âHa! But I nearly succeeded in making you laugh again.â
She didnât laugh, but she did smile. It was impossible not to.
Mia didnât do fun. Maybe that was a mistake too. Maybe she needed to let a little fun into her life and then someone like Dylan wouldnât rock her foundations so roundly.
He made as if to punch the air in victory. âYou should do that more often. Itâs not good for you to be so serious all the time.â
His words made her pull back. She knew he was only teasing, but he had no idea what was good for her.
She pulled her notepad from her pocket and flipped it open to a new page. âWill you please tell me what it is you promised Carla youâd take care of?â
He surveyed her as he took a huge bite of cake. She tried not to fidget under that oddly penetrating gaze.
âDonât you ever let your hair down just a little?â
âThis is my job. And thisââ she gestured around ââis my place of employment. I have a responsibility to my employer to not âlet my hair downâ on the job.â She tapped her pen against the notepad. âI think itâs probably worth mentioning that you arenât my employerâs only wedding account either.â
She spoke gently, but hoped he sensed the thread of steel beneath her words. There also were cages that needed cleaning, animals that needed feeding and logbooks to fill out. They werenât all