Chapter 21
Ben
Ben had to exert considerable effort to keep his hands on the steering wheel and his eyes focused on the road as he drove his Lexus through the heavy traffic of downtown Chicago.
Despite his determination to maintain his pristine, accident-free driving record, he doubted anything in the world could have deterred him from sneaking the occasional glance at the stunning woman sitting in his passenger seat.
Melody had taken his breath away when she’d opened her door.
She was sexy as hell in her stretchy turquoise wrap dress and black leggings, but it was the coy smile and undisguised interest in her eyes that had really done him in.
She was seduction and innocence interwoven into an utterly irresistible package.
Every moment he spent with her reinforced his conviction that she was the woman for him. He just had to convince her that he could be as perfect for her as he knew in his bones she was for him.
He squirmed in his seat—he hoped imperceptibly—as they drew closer to their destination. He’d taken care to plan an evening he thought he and Melody would both enjoy, but he wouldn’t sit comfortably—literally or figuratively—until he knew he’d guessed right.
“Are you sure you don’t want to tell me where we’re going?” Melody wheedled. Her voice was playful, and he was pretty sure he heard an undertone of excitement. He certainly hoped she was excited. He knew he was. But then, he would probably be excited about any opportunity to spend time with her.
It had been pure joy to watch Melody’s face open up with uncontrived delight when he’d presented her with the flowers. One would think he’d gifted her with the Hope Diamond with the way her face had lit up. It was incredible to him that such a small thing could bring her so much pleasure.
While he hoped to do better with tonight’s surprise events, he would count himself ahead if he could maintain that level of pleasure over the course of the evening.
“Are you feeling impatient, doctor?” Ben teased as he signaled right and turned onto the street that housed their destination.
“I don’t know,” she said with that shy, alluring smile of hers. “Curious and eager, maybe.”
“I like curious and eager,” Ben noted. Without taking his eyes off the road, he reached his hand over top of hers and gave it a gentle squeeze before returning it to the wheel and turning into a nearly empty parking lot.
“And here we are, my curious one,” he revealed as he parked the car.
Melody unfastened her seatbelt and leaned forward to read the signage in front of her. “Le Délice Parisien,” she read.
He was happy he was looking at her because it would have been a shame to miss seeing the eagerness lighting her face. “Is this a French restaurant?”
He smiled secretively. “Let’s step out and see,” he said as they both reached for their respective door handles.
“I’m ready to investigate!” she affirmed before opening her door and stepping out of the car. Her keen, tinkling laugh warmed him more effectively than the sun.
The door to the restaurant was on his side of the car, so he waited on the sidewalk as Melody came to him. He loved the adorable way her head cocked from side to side as she took in this new environment.
His heart gave a notable thump when she drew level with him and looped her arm through his.
He loved the way she seemed to reach for him naturally without pausing to give her actions a second thought.
He wasn’t used to her touch, but there was no doubt he welcomed the feel of her arm against his.
His whole body sighed in relief at the artless way she brought their bodies into contact.
At this point in their relationship, he would celebrate any physical overture on her part, no matter how innocent.
Up until this point, he’d been the one to instigate physical contact between them.
As such, he’d been careful not to overstep and make any assumptions.
That made it all the more gratifying to feel her relaxing into him.
Melody’s eyebrows creased in confusion when they reached the entryway of the restaurant. She read the stylized sign on the door aloud. “Closed for a private event,” she intoned before turning questioning eyes on him.
“So they are,” he said as he reached for the door handle and pulled it open for her.
Visibly intrigued, Melody walked through the door and into the interior of the restaurant.
Anticipation tingled through his body as he followed her through the doorway. It was the moment of truth. He was now seconds away from seeing how she felt about his surprise. All he could do was cross his fingers and hope for the best.
He gave a crisp nod of satisfaction as he took in the dining space before him.
It was exactly as he’d hoped. The room was cultured and romantic with a single table set for two.
The keynote table had been set with a delicately patterned white tablecloth, fancy dishes, elegant glassware, and a pretty, but not overdone, bouquet of mostly purple flowers.
Candles adorned all of the surrounding tables, bathing the room in soft, flickering light.
The smell of yeasty bread perfumed the air while soothing piano music played in the background.
Everything from the brick walls to the gently roaring fireplace gave the impression of classy, old-world charm.
Melody’s open palm flew to her chest. “Oh my goodness, Ben. Did you rent out the entire restaurant?”
Relief washed through him as he took note of the dreamy expression on her face. “Something like that.”
Her eyes blinked in adorable confusion.
“Do you remember when I asked you what you might choose if you could step foot into any work of fiction?”
Melody nodded as a slow smile lit her face.
“I wasn’t sure if you were serious,” Ben explained, “but you told me that, if you could step foot through the pages of any book and into the storyline, you might pick Julie and Julia on account of all the delicious French food you might be able to prepare and sample.”
Her smile blossomed until it became so bright that he might have wanted sunglasses if he weren’t so happy to bask in the full force of her smile.
“Even still, Ben,” she gently chastised. “You certainly didn’t need to rent out an entire restaurant to satisfy my love of French food.”
He ignored her gentle scolding, choosing instead to focus on the delighted wonder in her eyes.
“You’re close, but not quite on point with tonight’s agenda,” he divulged.
Perplexed, Melody jutted her lower lip out slightly. “What am I missing?”
Her guileless features drew him in like a bee to honey. It was incredible how she managed to be everything from adorable to enchanting.
“I rented out the restaurant so that Henri, the head chef, could give us a crash course in French cuisine.”
Melody’s eyes lit up brighter than he’d ever seen them. “Are you serious?” If her subtle bouncing from foot to foot was any indication, she was so excited that she couldn’t fully contain it.
Ben couldn’t have fought the bright smile that threatened to overtake his face if he’d tried. Her obvious delight over his surprise made all the hours of planning more than worth it.
“I’m very serious,” he declared. His touch was gentle as he chucked her under the chin. “I already know better than to tease you about food.”
They shared a warm smile before the kitchen door burst open to reveal a handsome woman in what he would guess were her early to mid-forties. “Welcome, welcome,” she enthused. “Mr. Logan and Ms. McGuire, I presume?”
“You presume correctly,” he said as he took a step forward to shake her outstretched hand, “but please call me Ben.”
“And please call me Melody,” the pretty lady at his side added. Once he released the woman’s hand, Melody extended one of hers for a polite shake.
“Ms. Garing?” Ben guessed as the ladies shook hands. Now that he’d heard her speak a few words, he was pretty sure she was the manager who had helped him to arrange tonight.
“Amy Garing, yes,” she confirmed. “I was just chatting with Chef Henri,” she continued, “and it seems he’s all ready for you. If you would follow me into the kitchen, please?”
Ben gestured for Melody to go first. His parents had drilled good manners into him from an early age, but taking up the rear also gifted him with the ability to observe the happy bounce in Melody’s step as she followed Amy into the kitchen.
Melody could wear a paper bag and she would still be gorgeous, but when she got excited about something, as she was now, she shone with a truly incomparable beauty. It was quite the wonder to behold.
As their trio entered the kitchen, they were greeted by a portly gentleman who wore a long white apron over a white double-breasted jacket and black trousers. All he lacked was the tall white chef’s hat to complete the archetypal look.
Amy appeared to nod her approval at seeing that the chef was ready and waiting for them.
“Melody. Ben. I will leave you in the very capable hands of Chef Henri so you can get tonight’s lesson underway.
I’ll be back in just a moment.” And without further ado, she pushed the kitchen door open and withdrew into the dining room.
“Bonsoir, mes étudiants de cuisine! Welcome, my students! I am Chef Henri, ma?tre de la cuisine, head chef,” the man enthused in a thick French accent. “Ce soir, we will be making my signature duck confit avec pommes de terre à la Sarladaise.”
Ben winced involuntarily. He was suddenly wishing he’d thought to ask how strong Chef Henri’s English was before arranging tonight’s events. It was going to be a long night if they couldn’t understand his instructions due to his dual linguistics.
“Fantastique!” Melody exclaimed, joy radiating from her every feature. “J’adore le confit de canard.”
Ben’s eyes widened in surprise. He hadn’t realized she spoke French.