Chapter 6
6
ALEX
I should be working. Instead, I keep pacing back and forth across my office. It’s like I can’t sit still for more than ten minutes, or my entire body feels jumpy.
I honestly think I’m having withdrawal symptoms from Jasmine. Not knowing when I’m going to see her again fills me with a dark cloud of anxiety. I like things laid out simply. Black and white. In chart form. Better yet, with bullet points.
Jasmine seems to be a clear communicator, but she also seems… I’m not sure. Confused by me. Like she’s trying to figure me out but doesn’t know what to do with each new piece of information she gathers.
I hope that’s a good thing. I want to figure her out as well. Want to know everything that is swimming around in her delightful brain.
Finally, I give up the pretense that I’m going to get any more work done today and send Jasmine a text.
Hi. I hope your day is going well. Do you have plans tonight? If not, I’d love to give your ideas my full attention over dinner, if you’re interested.
Crap. Is that too forward? After the way we connected last night, she must have guessed that I’d be asking her out again as soon as possible.
Jasmine: I’d love to.
Hungry for anything in particular?
Jasmine: I think I could go for a really good burger and fries. But if there aren’t any burger joints on your approved list of restaurants, I’m happy with anything.
Honestly, I would be willing to take the chance go somewhere off the list if Jasmine really wanted to. Fortunately, for burgers we don’t have to.
I know the perfect place. Pick you up at 6?
Jasmine: Can we make it 6:30?
Sure – see you then.
By the time I arrive, I’ve changed three times and dissolved two breath mints in my mouth, one after the other.
Jasmine is a vision when I see her standing in front of the plant shop. She’s dressed perfectly for a burger date: black leggings, cute black leather boots, and a short-sleeved blue button-down dress that kind of looks like an oversized man’s shirt, but more stylish.
She jumps into the car before I’ve even opened my door. “Hi!”
I turn to her and scowl. “You’re supposed to let me get the door for you. It’s a guy thing.”
She squeezes my forearm. “Yes, but then Mom and my sisters would be staring out the window at us, and I’d get all self-conscious.”
“Noted. Next time, I won’t even stop the car, just slow to a crawl and fling the door open.”
Her laughter fills me with such joy. There’s a lightness about her that I find genuinely inspiring.
We pull up in front of Ray’s Diner and she claps her hands delightedly. “Ahh! I’ve always wanted to come here! I just never happen to be hungry when I’m in this part of Kingsville.”
I take her arm as we walk in, and she looks up at me with a smile that melts my heart. “This place is perfect, thank you,” she whispers as we walk across the black and white linoleum tile floor to the teal vinyl booth in the corner.
All the other tables have little arrangements of daisies, but this one has a small vase of roses, and three tall white candles. Jasmine beams when she sees them, and we slide into the booth, sitting close together.
A pretty waitress in a blue uniform struts over with menus, her dark hair pulled into a high, bouncy ponytail. “Welcome to Ray’s Diner. We don’t often get reservations for dates officially deemed important.” She smiles, throwing Jasmine a wink. “I’m Claudia. For the record, I’m a fan of men who make a big deal of the details like…” She waves her hands at the table setting. “The special tonight is the French onion burger, and it’s honestly divine, as long as you both have it.”
I glance at Jasmine, who raises an eyebrow, then nods. “Perfect,” I say. “Onion breath for both of us. And…fries?” Another nod.
Claudia takes the menus back, analyzing us. “Actually, no. You’re each going to start with a small Caesar salad, because that comes with the burger. Then how about the triple play – regular fries, sweet potato fries, and onion rings. That way you can mix and match. Yeah?”
“Perfect, thank you.” I turn to Jasmine, slipping my hand down to squeeze her knee.
“I knew I’d love it here,” she whispers. “Even the fifties music is amazing.”
She pulls a tablet from her purse, and we quickly go over her ideas. Over our salad, she shows me photos of small hanging ferns that will soften the top edge of the lunchroom windows without taking up any valuable floor space.
Not only has she considered the lighting and water requirements of every plant, she’s arranged them by fertilizer and soil needs, so that groups of plants will be happy in the same pot.
She’s brilliant. “You’re a wizard,” I murmur. “A wizard of greenery. How did you learn all of this?”
She shrugs, taking a sip of sparkling water. “I’ve been learning since I was able to carry a watering can. I mean, there are complicated plants that require precise care. But for your purposes, we need simple and effective. Hardy, natural greenery that’s easy to care for. Like, why perform complex surgery when a simple bandage would do the trick?”
“Right.”
She looks up at me, her tongue darting across her bottom lip as her thick lashes flutter. “I assume you’ll need me to come by every week to check on them all?”
“Of course.” I wait while Claudia removes our salad bowls. “I guess that’s why you were looking for corporate accounts? To have an ongoing revenue flow?”
Her face falls.
“I’m sorry,” I mutter quickly. “Did I say something wrong?—”
“No, not at all. It’s just… I don’t want you to think that I’m just after your money.”
She looks relieved when I chuckle. “I hadn’t thought that at all. I’m just glad that you’re able to solve a problem. Charge whatever you like. It’ll be paid immediately. ”
I wink, squeezing her knee. “Making my staff think that I have a soul and reassuring Carol that I’m not working myself to death are both very important things.”
Jasmine’s fingernail pokes me in the center of my navy silk tie. Wow, it almost matches her lovely eyes. “Hey, if she thinks you need work-life balance, then I’m going to be on Team Carol there, too.” I lean a bit closer, scowling and making grumbling noises. She laughs, then leans in to kiss me on the cheek. “Knock it off, or we’re going to get in trouble.”
Claudia appears with our burgers and triple fry combo. “Yeah – no funny business back here, you two.” Her finger waves between the two of us before she sashays away.
The rest of the evening flies by as we chat about our reading habits, the weirdest movies we’ve ever seen, and what makes a workspace comfortable. By the time Claudia announces we need to split the butterscotch fudge cheesecake, the truth is as plain as the adorable, slightly upturned nose on Jasmine’s beautiful face.
This is my girl. I’m sneaking onion breath kisses in the back of a diner with the woman I belong with.
I don’t want this date to ever end, but the sad truth is we both work tomorrow. When we pull up in front of Jasmine’s place, I ask, “Is it okay for me to walk you to the door?”
“Sure.”
The door to the upstairs apartment is off to the side of the shop, in a slight alcove. It’s not much privacy, but I pull Jasmine into my arms anyway. “And is it okay if I kiss you good night?”
She nods, smiling sweetly, her fingers spreading into the back of my hair. “I’ll risk a little sisterly teasing.”
Maybe it’s our endless sparkling conversation, or the way we’ve been staring at each other all evening, but this kiss feels different. Our bodies instantly shift, moving together until I’m pressing her against the wall, creating as much contact as possible. Feeling her breasts press against me causes a rush of lust – molten fire surging through my veins.
I want her. Want her naked against me somewhere we are totally alone. Want to hear every tiny noise she makes as I kiss every inch of her silky skin. Find every spot that makes her giggle or, better yet, moan.
Our kiss becomes hungrier, my hands slipping down to grasp her voluptuous hips, pulling our bodies together. She hums softly as the kiss deepens even more, allowing me a glimpse of her desire.
Finally, I feel a hand on my chest, and instantly back away an inch. “Too much?”
“No,” she gasps. “Just kind of public.”
“Sorry.”
She grips my tie, giving it a playful tug, eyes blazing. “Do not be sorry. But I think we should…pause…for now.”
“Understood.” My lips brush against hers in one last featherlight kiss. “Talk to you tomorrow?”
“Yes.” She pulls out her keys and unlocks the door, then turns back to me. “Hey – I’d love to see your home. What if we made dinner together there tomorrow night?”
“Done. Just text me when to pick you up.”
Jasmine’s brilliant smile ensures that I’ll be dreaming of her all night long.