Chapter 5 #2
“Yeah, I know. Moving forward, I’m hoping to get out a little more.” I wanted to brush over my weirdness as much as she wanted to brush over her encounter with the other guy. “How was dinner tonight? I was hoping to get a glimpse of a certain tablescape photo.” I waggled my eyebrows at her.
The comment made her giggle, and in turn, I smiled like a fool at the sweet sound. “Argh, would you believe my family had to cancel on me? Now I’m left with a ton of food. I talked to Maeve and was going to bring it to the office before my shift. Is that cool?”
“Oh man, I’m sorry to hear that. It sounded like a lot went into it to just have it canceled. And, of course, that’s cool. Does anyone ever say no to home-cooked food? Wait. You’re not like a horrible cook or anything, are you?”
She laughed, and this light, uninhibited, authentic laugh was the one that always piqued my attention when I heard it in the office. But to see her head tilted to the sky in this palpable joy made it impossible to take my eyes off her.
“I’m not the best in the bunch, but I can hang. I was a little disappointed because after my twenty-four-hour marinade, the meat grilled up perfectly.”
“You grilled?” I asked in a surprised tone.
“Um, of course I did. You have to grill fajitas; there’s just no other acceptable way. Well, I don’t have a flat top yet, but that would be acceptable, too.”
Her comment dumbfounded me. She thought I was questioning her cooking methods when what threw me was the fact that she had grilled. I had never known a woman to grill before.
“Well, I’m impressed, Audra. And I bet I’ll be even more impressed when I get to sample the goods tomorrow.” I’d like to sample all her goods, please, and thank you.
She looked up at me through her lashes, smiling warmly, and it hit me square in the chest. It was worth coming over here for that look alone.
“I’m glad you showed up. You’re not so bad, Donovan Wright,” she said right before her face dropped.
“I mean, no! Not that I ever thought you were bad,” she scrambled, “I just … didn’t think you liked me.
You’ve never really seemed interested in getting to know me or even talking to me when I’ve come by the office. ”
I shook my head. “It was never that, Audra. I’m … how can I say this? Not an easy person to know.”
“Maybe one day you can expand on that,” she said with her head tilted, curious about my cryptic answer, but she didn’t push the topic or try to follow up with probing questions. She just moved on, and I really appreciated that.
“Maybe one day I will,” I said, then moved the conversation to something much more light-hearted.
Easy banter and laughter filled the next thirty minutes, which flew by, and before we knew it, Bennett came back and offered to take her home.
I didn’t argue, even though I was hoping for that honor tonight.
As I walked out with them into the early morning air, I knew that drink was worth coming here for, no matter how far outside my comfort zone it was.
“Thanks for the drink, Bennett. Maeve talks about you all a lot, so it’s great to put a face to a name.
” I reached out and shook his hand again.
“And as for you, Audra, I will see you tomorrow for lunch.” Bennett looked between the two of us, and I didn’t realize how that sounded until it had come out.
“She has food from tonight ... she’s bringing it to the office…
” I tried backpedaling, not that I owed him an explanation, but the insinuation of having lunch with her felt forward.
My initial impression of this man was that he caught on to everything.
I’ve known a couple of very successful restaurateurs, and not only are they always in the know, they’re surprisingly good at reading people.
I can imagine that is magnified tenfold by owning bars in a smaller town.
So, I’m sure he picked up on my stutter. I never fucking stuttered. Jesus.
Bennett’s eyes narrowed at me, and with a completely stoic face, he asked, “How many pumps do you have in you?”
When Audra swatted him, his face cracked, and he burst into laughter.
Giving her a knowing smile and wink, I responded, “Well, I’ve never had any complaints.”
Her mouth fell open, and I enjoyed letting the weight of those words hang between us before I said goodbye and walked to my car.
You couldn’t wipe the grin off my face. That was a lot of fucking fun, and it was definitely not a fluke.
Flirting with Audra again, and the small interactions with Bennett, I wondered if I was finally at a point in my life where I could connect with people again.
I had essentially cut off everything from my past life, but Savannah Springs was so fundamentally different from New York.
Here I was, Donovan Wright, a socially removed, wealthy guy who was building a lodge.
In New York, I was Donovan Wright, son of Dennis and Carol, half a billion dollar net worth, most eligible bachelor, tabloid fodder.
I liked the former so much better. And maybe, just maybe, this small town was exactly what I needed to stop hiding and finally put myself back out into the world.