Chapter 9
MEGAN
We stepped inside and were immediately led to a table.
I felt the air between us thicken. As we sat down, the waiter gave us the menu.
We both ordered the lunch special: duck breast with salad and potatoes au gratin.
They promised fast service for lunch specials, which was good because I was really hungry now.
As we waited, I looked around at the décor with a smile.
"Do you mind if I snap a few pictures?"
"No, not at all. Who are they for?"
"My best friend, Nina. I think she'd love this place. She’s always looking for cool restaurants.”
“What’s your favorite restaurant in Chicago?”
“Bean & Baxter. I love their poke bowls. My God, look at the molding on the wall. They’ve put so much detail into the decoration.
" There were several paintings that seemed to be reproductions of Monet, but they somehow worked.
Especially with the old-fashioned brass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
The chairs and tables were classic style. It was very French.
As I snapped the pictures, an email notification came up.
“Oh my God,” I exclaimed.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m officially part of the competition. They sent the list of participants.” I opened the PDF, scrolling to P. The list was endless. There it was, in black-and-white.
Luke smiled. “Congratulations, Megan. I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks.”
Another name on the list caught my eye. Carson Porter.
I groaned. “Just my luck.”
“What?”
“I know one of the other participants. Carson Porter. But it doesn’t matter. I won’t have any interactions with him.”
I needed to change the subject. My heart was beating insanely fast. Of course Carson would participate in something like this. I wanted to throw up.
"How did you discover this place? Just by googling, like I did, or did you want a French restaurant and this popped up?" I asked Luke.
He glanced at me intently, as if debating something, then shook his head.
"After my cousin Kimberly moved to France, she told me I would love the food, insisted I try out bouillabaisse. Reese and I bet her we wouldn’t like it. Then I brought Reese here. It was delicious. And speaking of Reese, I need to check my phone. I've got some messages from her. Do you mind?"
"Not at all," I said, watching him take out his phone from the inner pocket of his jacket. His face instantly lit up with a smile.
"Good news?" I asked.
He put the phone down on the table, looking at me.
"Yes. Gran is spending time with her granddaughter, and Reese is relaxing. We'll probably have a family get-together once they're back, and we'll hear the full story."
I put my hands on the table. "You spend a lot of time with your family, huh? You seem to get together a lot."
"Yeah, we do."
"That's amazing," I said.
"What do you do in your free time, Megan?"
The way he asked the question had me on edge. On the surface, it seemed innocent, but the tone of his voice made it sound like he was demanding to know all my deepest secrets. Demanding, not asking.
"I meet with friends. I do yoga. I try out a lot of recipes because I love to cook. I do other activities that I wouldn't want my employer to know."
His eyes instantly darkened, and I took in a short breath. Why in the name of God did I say that? I bit my lip, looking down at the table.
“Meg….”
Holy shit! His voice had just dropped an octave. It transported me right back to our night together.
"How about a time-out right now at lunch? For forty minutes, I'm not your boss. I'm just Luke. Luke from the bar."
A shudder went down my spine. I took in a deep breath, mulling the idea over in my mind. It was so tempting to say yes. God, so tempting. I wanted him to be Luke from the bar, but I couldn't let it happen.
With a shaky breath, I glanced up. "I don't think it's a good idea," I murmured.
"Neither do I, but Megan—"
We were interrupted by two waiters who brought our meals.
It had taken them less than ten minutes.
I was grateful for the distraction. It cut down the tension a bit, but the second they left, I felt it return.
It was like a cloud floating between us.
I sliced a piece of the duck, eating it carefully.
I could feel him looking at me, waiting for an answer or perhaps an explanation. Finally, I rolled my shoulders and glanced right at him.
"Luke, you seem to have no problem switching between ‘bar Luke’ and ‘office Luke.’ It's not as easy for me. I can't switch back and forth, so no time-out for me."
He didn't say anything, simply looked at me. After a few seconds, he nodded.
I thought my body would relax for sure, but instead, it seemed to heat up even more.
My heart rate was accelerating, and I couldn't ignore the deep longing inside me.
I wanted him to cross that line, knowing if he did, I would simply follow suit.
I couldn't believe I was reacting like that just because we were talking about a time-out.
I was his intern. He was my boss and my mentor in the competition. I couldn’t cross this line. I just couldn’t.
To my astonishment, Luke switched to another topic right away.
We spoke about our food as well as Rick and the proposal we’d just made.
I felt a bit sad that we couldn’t seem to keep things light—talking about hobbies or just making chitchat the way he’d done with everyone else during the luncheon.
It seemed we could either talk shop or move right into flirting territory.
It was all or nothing when it came to Luke.
We left the restaurant half an hour later. It took us no time at all to reach the garage of the office building.
We headed to the underground elevator, and Luke pushed the button.
"Megan," he said from beside me. Something in the tone of his voice alerted me to pay attention. "It's not easy for me either. Every day I fight myself. Every. Single. Day."
I sucked in a breath just as the elevator dinged and the doors opened. There were three other men inside. As we stepped in, I didn't say anything, and neither did Luke. Every inch of my body felt on fire.
I left work earlier than usual that evening and headed straight home. I debated calling Nina but decided not to. I needed a cozy night in, nothing more.
While climbing the steps to my floor, I decided what to order and which bath bomb to use. I had quite a collection from Lush. I’d been a fan for years.
I stopped abruptly in front of my door, bursting out laughing.
On my doorstep was a bottle of Lillet. Oh, Luke. I never thought he’d actually do it, but he was a man of his word.
Unlocking my door, I went inside with the bottle.
I wasn’t going to open it tonight, as I didn’t like drinking alone.
Delighted to discover some leftover pizza in my fridge, I microwaved it and practically inhaled it, then went right to my collection of bath bombs in the bathroom, choosing one that smelled like caramel and lavender.
Oh yeah, this was going to thoroughly relax me.
I also lit three odorless candles, placing two on the sink and one on the edge of the tub.
As I was taking off my clothes, my phone vibrated with a message.
Luke: Got home safe?
I’d forgotten to thank him.
Megan: Yes!!! Thank you for the bottle of Lillet.
Luke: Still going ahead with your plan to relax in the tub?
I swallowed hard, taking in a deep breath. That seemed such an intimate detail for him to know.
Megan: Yes.
I watched with bated breath as the words “Luke typing…” appeared on the screen, then disappeared before reappearing. Was he writing and deleting? It seemed like it.
My stomach knotted, waiting for his answer.
Luke: Have a great night, Meg.
I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. It was an innocent enough reply.
Before slipping into the tub, I saw a notification on the email icon.
I had a new task on the intranet. Luke and I were going to travel next week to meet a client. I could use that project—a luxury mansion—as the one for the competition if I wanted. That was exciting and right up my alley.
Looking more closely, I noticed that only my name was on the assignment.
There was a question mark in the slot where the word “mentor” usually was.
I swallowed hard. Did Luke decide not to be my mentor anymore?
That was immensely disappointing. However, a trip alone with him sounded dangerous.
After today’s lunch, I was afraid even to imagine how that would go.