Chapter 9
Jessamine
As I near the end of my second day at the resort, I somehow feel closer to Cole.
He has a special place here and I think his vision is coming to life.
Now that I think of it, I got so distracted earlier by bothering him about being a scorpio that I didn’t get to his mission for this place.
I keep slipping out of business mode in front of him and I’m not sure if it’s exciting or scary.
Although we just wrapped up the paint therapy a few hours ago, I feel like I miss him and am happy that we’ll be meeting for dinner soon.
After a few touches to my makeup, I admire the work in the mirror.
I went with a top knot for my hairstyle with dangling earrings to add some drama to the look.
I have on a simple white tank and short blue jean shorts Beyonce Crazy in love style.
I accented it with red pumps, a red belt, and the earrings are, of course, red.
I left a few tendrils of my hair out so they frame my face.
Once satisfied with my look, I spray myself with my favorite scent and grab the red clutch. It’s only purpose is to hold my phone in the most accessorized way possible. Cole so far has been a pleasant surprise and I look forward to spending more time with him.
When I leave the room just before the seven and he’s waiting for me as promised.
His waves still look damp and are combed out of his face.
His polo shirt looks like a solid soft green but as I get closer, I notice navy specks that match his chinos.
As usual he looks like he’d be a great surface to clean with my tongue.
Cole smiles at me while he extends his arm for me to take.
I wrap my arm around his bicep, noting the woodsy scent of his cologne. I’m getting first-date-jitters although this is supposed to be a business dinner. The soft lights that trace our path is a nice touch to the ambience. Night time gives it a different kind of energy. I feel flirty and romantic.
Once we make it to the on-site restaurant, he guides me outside where our table is set up for dinner. If this was a real date, I’d kiss him and gush about the gesture. It’s just a reminder that he isn’t mine.
He pulls out my chair again. I never realized that such a simple gesture would feel so sweet. Guys have done it before but never as consistently as Cole.
Our server gives us fruit infused water and hands us our menus.
“Oh, menus!” I say somewhat surprised.
“What’s wrong?” He asks. The slight worry furrowing his brow is cuter than it needs to be.
“Food has been presented to me the entire time and now, I’m choosing.”
Cole puts down his menu, giving me his full attention. “Which approach do you prefer?”
I must have been more starved of a thoughtful man than I thought because his consideration turns me on when it shouldn’t.
“Now that I think about it. A mix of both. I love the idea of someone knowing me well enough to provide things before I have to even think about wanting it, but I also like to make my own choices.”
“So a happy balance of both?”
Without thinking, I grab his hand that is resting on the table and give it a reassuring squeeze.
His hand, however, clasps mine and holds it into place.
We’re holding hands and I don’t feel the desire to disengage.
The simple yet intimacy of the moment already has me warm but it must be Cole’s mission to make me hot.
“Just let me know, Jessamine. Whatever you want I’ll make it happen for you.”
I fight the urge to squirm because damn that made me want to climb into his lap.
“Is it the partnership deal or are you always this sweet?”
The question somehow fell out of my mouth when I didn’t intend to ask it. He doesn’t pause or break eye contact.
“I’d have to say it’s you. People just bring out different sides of each other. So however I am to you, it's for you.”
I straight up giggle like an idiot because I have no response. He joins me in the moment.
“What’s funny?” He implores while smiling.
“Nothing, It was just unexpected candor. Thank you.” Moving to a lighter subject, I remove my hand from his and use it to drink my water. “What was your motivation for the resort and drinks?”
Cole glances at the menu. “I’ll tell you all about it after we order.”
“That’s fair,” I agree, moving my attention back to my menu.
There is literally something for everybody on the menu. All of the major restrictions or diets have been considered. Impressive.
“I think the garlic parmesan ribeye steak bites are calling my name.”
“Sounds good. Which sides are you considering?”
“Mashed potatoes, of course.”
“Well, when you’re in Texas.” He starts.
“Oh please. You’re going to tell me white men from the East coast aren’t known for liking steak?”
He holds up his hands in surrender. “Guilty.”
“That’s what I thought.” I scan the menu. “I’ll choose the sauteed spinach. I haven’t had it in awhile. Oh, the shrimp dish sounds good too.”
“So get it as well.”
“No, it’s okay.”
The last thing I ever want to be accused of is taking advantage of a situation. Therefore, I never over-indulge when someone is treating me.
The server comes back to take our order. “Give us the entire menu, please.”
The poor guy double takes and pauses. “Um, the entire menu?”
“We don’t have to-” I begin to protest but he has made up his mind.
“Yes, the entire menu.” He hands the server the menus. “Thank you.”
“Cole. What just happened?”
“I don’t feel it’s necessary for you to choose.”
I’m at a loss for words. It’s not about the extravagance of the gesture, it’s the thought behind it. He makes me feel like he wants me to have everything I’ve ever desired.
“I don’t know what to say. So, I’ll just say thank you.”
Cole picks up his glass, taps it against my now raised one, and takes a sip.
“To answer your earlier question, me. My mental health is the reason behind my projects.” I don’t speak since I know he’ll expand on his own.
“In the beginning, my dad was like any other patriarch of a wealthy family. He drilled legacy into us with the mind that we’d fall into executive positions when it was time with the eldest brother, Timothy, being the CEO.
When he got to college, they fought over this because Tim wanted to be his own person.
My dad ran the gauntlet of rich dad manipulation tactics but learned he created someone just as stubborn as he.
It came down to a choice, either he gives his son grace or be forever estranged.
It was a boundary he wasn’t willing to cross and Mom would have been furious if he did. ”
He takes another sip of his water. “I admired him so much because of it. Ambrose, the middle brother, is the embodiment of Boss Baby. I swear that man was born with a briefcase. Not only was he perfect for the CEO role, he advocated for it, tailored his life around the love of our empire. Dad’s pride in him shined so brightly, I wanted a piece of it. ”
Cole looks down and starts toying with the ring on his middle finger. I can’t imagine it’s easy to share, anything dealing with mental health is very personal to the person telling the story.
“I was rambunctious. Never fully sitting down long enough to learn anything substantial. Always being written up. It’s like Tim and I were tag teaming my dad’s blood pressure.
One day, he was so frustrated with me he asked why couldn’t I be more like Ambrose.
It stuck in my head. I was later tested for and diagnosed with ADHD.
It explained a lot. My brain just works differently.
Once I got a handle on learning different methods of managing it, my grades improved and I became hyper-focused on being successful.
I was torn though, I didn’t know if I wanted to be more like Tim or Ambrose because I respected both of them so much.
I tried so hard, splitting my aspirations between both that I’d given myself an anxiety attack. ”
The server puts down bread and I butter a slice as I listen. My heart goes out to his younger self. It’s not easy living up to older siblings.
“I was so busy trying to be like them that I wasn’t being myself. I knew I needed to take a step back and balance my mental health. I worked to create some systems to help me and looked into ways to relax like hiking, meditating, and yoga.”
“Thus the mind and body retreat.”
He taps his nose. “Exactly.”
“And the botanical alcohol alternative?”
“Along the same line. While I can drink alcohol, others can’t.
It’s a depressant. I just wanted to put things out into the world that can be helpful.
I wanted to provide the calm without the crash.
” He shrugs in that vulnerable way people do when they feel like they’ve overshared.
“The world will get an abbreviated version of my reasoning.”
“As they should, the public doesn’t need to know every little detail about you.”
The server comes and starts placing plates of several appetizers on the table. The enticing aromas make my stomach growl.
“Thank you for sharing with me.”
Our conversation moves to a much lighter topic as we tried and discussed all of the appetizers. It was interesting to learn that he always planned to spend this week trying all the amenities to see if they were up to his liking before the grand opening.
It made me feel special that not only did he invite me into such a private test for his pet project but he was willing to abandon that idea if I felt unsafe being alone with him.
My mind wandered to the past a few times.
It made me wonder what would have happened if I’d chosen to trust him the night I broke up with Adam.
I know I needed time to heal and would never invite anyone into that trainwreck but we could have built something by now.