Chapter 6 Audra #2
“Oh, I ran into Donovan when I was running errands the other day, and we laughed about my newest hobby. Last night at The Yard, he asked for a photo and I didn’t have one, so I thought I’d bring stuff to show him a watered-down version of an award-winning tablescape.
” I giggled and glanced at him just in time to see a full-on smile spread across his face.
I felt myself blush and looked away, busying myself with setting up. Seriously, what was going on with me?.
“So far, so good, Audra.” His words made me preen. “I have to make one more quick call before we eat. I just had to see what all that noise was about. This won’t take long,” he said, leaving us and closing the door behind him.
As soon as it clicked shut, Maeve turned to me, “Yes or no. Did you hook up with him last night after the Harry debacle?” She was never one to mince words or beat around the bush.
“God, no, what do you take me for? I told you I was about four minutes away from going home with someone else.”
But would I have gone with Donovan if the opportunity presented itself? Probably.
“I take you for someone who wanted to get laid. But what’s up with you two, then?”
“Um, what do you mean? Nothing at all. We sat for a little last night and had a couple of laughs before Bennett took me home.”
“Would you have slept with him?”
“Get off it, Maeve,” I scolded in a whisper. “We just shared some banter and some laughs.”
“He doesn’t laugh with people, Audra. He laughs with me because I see him every day, and I have relentlessly broken him down over the past year.
And even so, he’s probably just let his guard down with me in the last two-ish months.
He’s never acted like this with you because he’s usually hiding in his office like a troll.
I’ve never seen him break his stoic facade to genuinely grin like this with anyone besides me, and we have gone on many a business trip where we are surrounded by people that he supposedly likes.
I’ve rarely seen him belly laugh … or … I’m going to throw this out there …
flirt like he just did. And do you know how many gorgeous women throw themselves at him during our conferences?
I mean magazine model perfect. I’ve witnessed dozens, plus two B-list celebrities.
He just glosses over it every time without even taking their numbers.
I have honestly wondered if he is asexual, which would be a shame for all men and women everywhere. ”
“You think he’s gay?” I questioned.
“No, I don’t. But he’s never once talked about attractions, dates, or relationships, past or current, with a man or woman. Like I said, possibly asexual.”
He couldn’t be. Not after the no complaints comment he dropped last night.
I refused to believe that. Admittedly, before this week, I would agree with her about the character assessment, but for whatever reason, the last couple of times I’ve seen him, stoic is not one of the top twenty words I’d use to describe him.
In fact, I wouldn’t use that at all. He was mildly flirty, charming, funny, and personable.
"Bennett took to him right away too, and between the two of us and our excellent judgment of character, it practically counted as a background check.
Minus the Harold situation, but I was missing some key info on that.
“Here, help me get the food set up.” I pulled out the meat and all the fixings and set up a little assembly line station to try to pull the attention away from the conversation. Then, I whipped up the prickly pear margaritas and added the reposado to their drinks.
By the time Donovan opened the door, Maeve handed him a glass, and he grinned from ear to ear as he looked around and raised it.
“Audra, this is incredible. Again, I’m sorry that something came up with your family.
I’m sure they would have loved this. But, I’m not going to lie and say I won’t enjoy the hell out of this lunch.
So, thank you for the food, the drink, and the décor.
That tablescape is top-notch.” He clinked his glass to mine and Maeve’s, but didn’t take his eyes away from mine.
I could feel my nose scrunch up into a kind of embarrassed smile.
We dug in, and after Donovan took a bite and swallowed, he froze. I got super nervous waiting for him to say something. I didn’t even want to explore the fact that I was watching him eat that closely.
“Audra, you said you could hang with cooking, but that you weren’t the best. You lied. This is the best fajita I’ve ever had.”
I think you could hear the deep breath I was holding in come out. “Yeah?” I said, breathier than I would have liked. “Glad you enjoy it.”
“Can I officially request a meal a day a week? I’ll pay you for it.”
“Get in line, Wright,” Maeve laughed. “We’ve been trying to get Audra to do this for the masses for a long time.”
“Really?” He said, looking at me.
“Yes,” Maeve replied for me. “Her and Cora should open a food and baked goods business. They’d make bank.”
“But it would take the love out of it, ya know? People are too picky, and I wouldn’t want to open myself up to that kind of criticism. I’m way too thin-skinned for that. They’d kill my love for it, and that’d be a shame, because if I didn’t enjoy cooking anymore, how would I eat?” I laughed.
“Well, I’m notoriously not picky. Just saying,” Donovan said.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I smirked at him. Cooking a meal a week for Donovan? I could probably make that happen. If he really wasn’t picky, I was always looking for people to try recipes with. That partnership could work out.
We enjoyed our little feast, and the lighthearted banter and conversation came easy. Hell, I’d cook once a week just to enjoy time like this with them. My alarm went off at 12:30 p.m., and I was thankful that I had set it because I completely lost track of time.
“Ugh-that’s my cue, guys. Wish I could stay!”
“Me too! Donovan, invent a job for Audra at our office and pay her more than she’s making at the hospital. We could do this every day!”
Donovan laughed. “If I can think of anything, I will. I mean, the position of a full-time lunch chef who dabbles in tablescaping with a background in nursing is open if there’s interest out there. I just thought it was too niche to post.”
“Me! Me! Pick Me!” I giggled while raising my hand. “Sign me up.” Little did he know there was a part of me that wasn’t joking. At least I’d be out of the hospital.
We laughed, and I started to pack up my things, thankful that it was much lighter than it had been on the way up.
At this point, I would have to hustle to work so I wouldn’t be late, because I was milking every minute here.
I walked over to Maeve to hug her goodbye, but suddenly felt self-conscious about what to say to Donovan.
“Here,” he said, holding out his arm and reaching for the bags, “Let me help you.”
“It’s fine. They are lighter than on the way up,” I protested.
“Yes, and I feel like enough of an ass that I didn’t help you carry them up.
But now I can walk them to your car. This is the equivalent of you cook, I clean.
My nanny would kill me if I forgot my manners.
” I noted the fact that he said his nanny would kill him and not his parents.
But if he was insistent on taking the bags, I wasn’t going to argue.
“Ok,” I smiled at him, “Thank you.”
He grabbed them from my arms and walked to my car. After putting them in the back seat, he turned to me. “Thanks again for lunch, Audra. It was incredible, from the food to the company to the tablescape. I would love to do this again.”
“It was great, Donovan. Thanks for letting me crash lunch.” I stood there, not knowing what to do.
Do I wave? Hug him? A part of me wanted to kiss him, but that was crazy talk.
He made the decision when he reached out to pull me in for a hug.
It caught me by surprise, but I wrapped my arms right back around him.
I wasn’t tiny, but Donovan was huge. I fit snugly against his body, and when his arms wrapped around me, it formed a little cocoon.
And it wasn’t a quick hug. It was a lingering one. This did not suck.
“Have a great day,” he said as he pulled away, leaving me a little dazed.
“You too, Donovan.” Getting in my car, he closed my door and waved as I drove off with butterflies rioting in my stomach.
That was so much fun, and Maeve’s words about him not acting like this around people kept rattling in my brain.
As soon as I got to work, the shit was already hitting the fan, so I had to jump right in.
But that pep in my step sure helped carry me through that shift.