Once Upon A Night At Sea Read Online Free PDF Page B

were friends and relatives, but those jobs have generated lots of referrals, and business is pretty steady now.” She dropped her gaze to the menu. “What do you do for a living?”
    Why did he sense a whole lot rode on his answer? “I’m the CFO of a growing company that turns recyclables into repurposed products. We make lawn furniture, decks and playground equipment out of old tires, plastics and other recyclables.”
    “Oh,” she breathed out on a happy sigh.
    Her radiant smile lit him up from the inside out. He arched a brow. “That makes you happy?” he asked.
    Marin nodded. “I thought you were a lawyer because of the way you wanted to march into the coffee shop and demand recompense for the latte incident.” Her eyes met his for a second, then lowered to her menu again. “Not that there’s anything wrong with lawyers, but—”
    “I was only teasing. I just wanted to get you back inside so we could spend more time together.”
    “Really?” Her eyes widened in the most appealing way. “I didn’t get that. I don’t know you at all.”
    “Would you like to?” he asked, staring into her eyes. “Get to know me, I mean.” The waiter returned just as Marin was about to answer. Dammit.
    “Would you like to start with a cocktail?” he asked, setting a basket of bread and a ramekin of butter on the white linen–covered table.
    “We’ll have a bottle of the Chianti, please,” Jason told him. The supercharged moment with Marin had passed. How could he bring things back to that crucial question—the question he hadn’t even known he intended to ask? Come to think of it, he hadn’t known he intended to ask her out for dinner, either. The words had just slipped out as if put there by some unknown compulsion. The waiter nodded and left.
    “Do you have brothers and sisters?” Jason took a breadstick from the basket.
    Marin nodded. “Three older brothers. I’m the baby of the family.”
    “Ah.” The youngest and the only girl. He imagined her older brothers looking after her, protecting their baby sister. He could picture them catching her when she was about to fall off her bike and skin her knees.
    “How about you, Jason? Do you have siblings?”
    “I have an older sister and a younger brother,” he said. “The company I work for is a family business. My grandfather started out in salvage, and we’ve evolved into this new venture. I have cousins who still run the salvage part.”
    “I think it’s great that your company repurposes stuff that would otherwise glut our landfills. I’m impressed.” Her expression went all soft and warm.
    Her appreciative look filled him with pride. He’d worked hard to get where he was and to help his family’s business flourish. The years spent in school and working long hours had been one of the reasons he’d joined SLS. Something was missing in his life, and when he’d turned thirty-one, still alone and single, that had been his wake-up call. He wanted someone to love, someone to share his life with. Not to mention wanting to be loved back. “Thanks. Do you see anything on the menu that appeals to you?”
    “Everything. I think we’re supposed to choose an item from each of the lists.” She glanced at him. “The artichoke soufflé sounds amazing, but so does the calamari.”
    “Let’s order one of each and share.”
    “Perfect. Let’s do that with each course.”
    “Agreed.”
    Their waiter returned with the Chianti, uncorked the bottle and poured some into Jason’s glass. He tasted the deep ruby-red liquid, nodded, and the waiter filled their glasses. He and Marin gave him their orders, and finally, they were once again alone.
    “Thank you for rescuing me from almost falling into the street today.” Marin bit her lip for a second. “I’m not a clumsy person in general. I’m just easily distracted. In fact, I was on my high school tennis team.” She sat up a little straighter. “I’m still pretty good at the sport.”
    “I love