Chapter 14 #2
A bit taken aback by her question, Shyriq thought carefully about his response before answering.
He narrowed his eyes a bit, trying to gauge where this conversation was going.
Nhuri could tell he was waiting for her to ask something else or explain why she asked that, but she refused to give him that satisfaction.
Bringing her to a spot where he and his wife more than likely visited had red flags flying around her head.
“Because we both needed lunch, and I love the food,” he answered.
“Hmm,” Nhuri hummed. “Okay. That simple of an answer?”
“Some things in life are simple. Did you want another answer?”
Did I expect a different answer? Nhuri asked herself. Truth is, she was in her head again. Shyriq was blurring the lines once more and not clearing them up.
“No. I was just curious,” she answered.
“That’s fair. What other questions do you have for me?” Shyriq asked.
Nhuri placed a pickle into her mouth. “Since I’ll be working closely with you, I think it’s safe to ask about your marital status.”
With every encounter they’ve had, Nhuri hadn’t come right out and asked. Shyriq was glad she had today because he could give her an answer that sufficed. At least, he hoped so.
“I am a single man, Nhuri. The divorce papers have been signed, and within the next few weeks, no woman will have my last name besides my family.”
He held eye contact, making sure she heard every word he said. Xena didn’t matter in his life, and she wouldn’t matter in Nhuri’s if he had his way.
“That’s good to know. Thank you for answering,” she said.
“No problem. If you ever want to know anything, especially about or from me, all you have to do is ask.”
Nhuri nodded. “Will do.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?” she wondered.
Shyriq’s gaze flickered to something that made Nhuri’s stomach swirl. “Since we’ll be working so closely together, tell me something about you.”
Nhuri blinked, pondering how much she should share. And if she even wanted to share much anyway.
She chuckled. “Your request was vague.”
“What do you like to do outside of working and hanging with your friends?”
It was the safest question. What he really wanted to ask was if there was a man in her life he needed to know about. Shyriq wasn’t concerned, but working for a man like him while in a relationship could cause drama if the person wasn’t secure. He didn’t need any more drama than he already had.
Nhuri hesitated, seeing the look in his eyes transform into genuine curiosity. “You know . . . regular things. My niece loves the park, going out for ice cream, and making me play with her dolls, so most of my weeknights are with her and my sister.”
Shyriq smiled. “Enjoy those young days while you can. That’s all?”
“I like to read and travel when I can. I’m truly a homebody, and I love to bake when I have time.”
“For real?”
She nodded, sipping her drink. “It’s therapeutic.”
Shyriq’s lips quirked. “What’s your specialty?”
Nhuri smirked. “Why? You placing an order?”
“I might. Depends on if you got skills.”
Nhuri scoffed. “I’m pretty good.”
“A’ight. We gon’ see.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You don’t believe me?”
“I didn’t say that,” he said as Tessa and another waiter approached with their meals. “But if I’m trusting you with my desserts, I need proof.”
Nhuri shook her head with a soft laugh, moving her glass out of the way. “You’re something else. But I’ll make you a believer.”
“All right. We have the sweet heat chicken and waffles with a side of eggs,” Tessa announced placing plates down in front of Nhuri before grabbing the other two from her coworker.
“And your favorite with a side of honey mustard.” She grabbed a warm bottle of syrup for Nhuri’s waffle and placed it on the table before stepping back. “Everything look good?”
Nhuri glanced her way. “Yes, and it smells even better. Thank you.”
“No problem. Enjoy,” Tessa said, walking over to another table.
Shyriq watched Nhuri bow her head in prayer, and his heart swelled. When she looked up, he was still staring.
“What’s the matter?” she asked, hoping nothing was wrong because she was too hungry to talk right now.
“Nothing. Did you bless my plate too?”
“I did.”
Shyriq tipped his head. “Thank you.”
Nhuri smiled at him but said nothing else. She cut into her meal before lathering it with syrup and taking a bite. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she shook her head.
“Mmm, mmm, mmm,” she mumbled, chewing.
Shyriq didn’t have to ask her if it was good. The satisfaction on her face and the way she cut into another piece before swallowing the first bite was all the proof he needed.
“I knew you’d love the food,” he said, biting into his sandwich.
Nhuri watched in pure lust, not bothering to get caught for staring. The grease from the beef coated his lips, and he slowly licked it off. Nhuri’s chest heaved as he kept eye contact.
Yeah, this man isn’t playing fair at all, she thought, looking down at her own food.
“You want a taste?” Shyriq asked.
Her eyes shot up, and she blinked slowly. “Of your sandwich?” She needed to make sure they were on the same page.
Shyriq smirked. “Yes.”
“Oh. Um, sure. Yes, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t,” he said, stretching his arm across the table.
Nhuri looked uncertain, confused about why he didn’t just cut her a piece, but he gave her a nod.
She bit into the buttery, toasted bread, smoked Gouda, and caramelized onions before getting to the beef.
It melted in her mouth, and she clasped a hand around his wrist. Shyriq laughed loudly, garnering them a few stares, but he didn’t care.
“Give me my sandwich and arm, woman,” he said through laughter.
Grinning, Nhuri chewed and finally released him. “Listen, I will never doubt your restaurant choice again.”
“Damn. You doubted me?”
She inched her index finger and thumb together. “Just a little, but I was wrong. Lesson learned. That is absolutely delicious. My goodness.”
“I’ll order you one to go.”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll already have the itis, plus my dessert is coming. We can always come back another day.”
Shyriq grinned, loving how she included him. “Yeah, we can do that.”
For a moment, they fell into a comfortable silence and ate. Nhuri was so full by the time half of her meal was gone; she just knew the piece of cake would have her looking as if she were with child. But she wasn’t going to pass it up.
Shyriq took a sip of the water that Tessa brought them. “Where you from originally?”
“Kansas City. Born and raised.”
His brows lifted. “Yeah? And this is our first time crossing paths. I’m surprised.”
“Why is that? We don’t hang in the same places.”
“That’s not necessarily true, considering we’ve run into each other more than a few times.”
She cocked her head to one side. “Okay, yes. That is true, but not surprising.”
“Your sister has worked for me for years. I’ve never seen you at any events or heard her mention you, is all.”
Nhuri swallowed. This was the part of the conversation she didn’t want to have. Her past. It wasn’t horrible, but she didn’t feel the need to share it with him. So, she kept it simple and surface-level.
“I lived out of town for a while and moved back.”
Shyriq nodded, putting two and two together. The status he read on Facebook about rerouting made sense now. He wondered what caused the move but didn’t want to make her discuss something he could tell she wasn’t ready to talk about.
“A move well worth it,” he said.
Nhuri sipped her drink. “That’s still up in the air,” she jested.
“You said you like to travel,” he said, steering the conversation back to her. “What’s your favorite place you’ve been?”
Nhuri thought for a second. “Santorini. Hands down.”
“Why?”
She smiled, thinking back. “The views were unreal. The water was the clearest I’d ever seen, and I could stare at the sunsets all day.”
Shyriq nodded, taking a sip of his drink. “I’ll have to check it out.”
“You’ve never been?”
“Nah.”
Nhuri’s brows lifted. “You strike me as the kind of guy who’s been everywhere.”
“I travel, but I’ve never been to Greece,” he smirked. “Guess you got one up on me.”
She laughed. “I’ll take that as a win.”
“You should.”
There was something about how he said it that made Nhuri believe her win wasn’t just this one.
His low, smooth voice made her stomach tighten a little.
She ate a few more bites of her eggs and wiped her mouth.
To say she was shocked by their lunch date would be an understatement.
She walked in this morning thinking it would be all work, but he’d flipped the script.
Her working for him was personal . . . Nhuri could see that now.
Shyriq wanted to get to know her on levels she knew would be a conflict of interest. And what was worse was that she didn’t care.
She liked him.
She looked back up, catching him watching her again, and she blushed.
“You should bring me something next time you bake,” he said casually.
“We’ll see.”
Shyriq chuckled, shaking his head. “You just can’t let me have it, huh?”
“Nope.”
“A’ight. I see how it is. I put you on my favorite food spot, and this is how you treat a brotha.”
Chuckling, she didn’t break eye contact. “I’m just saying trust has to be earned.”
Shyriq caught the underlying message and nodded. If trust is what she wanted, that’s what she’d get. Professionally and personally.