Yep, there was more of that warmth in her belly again.
"But I mean, seriously." He gave her a mocking stern look. "Look at this thing."
She leaned over and stared into the box. The little slice on that cart had not done this cake justice. It was at least a foot tall before they cut out a huge hunk of a slice and put it in the box. Seven or eight layers of cake with chocolate frosting inbetween each one. The top had gold flakes on it. Seriously, what was up with this restaurant and gold flakes?
Not like Emma was going to complain. That probably added to the cost, and every extra dollar helped if she was going to get this inheritance.
Chase leaned over, so close to her face that she could see his eyelashes. Why had she not noticed how long they were? How they framed his brown eyes so well?
"Take the first bite," he told her.
Her body instinctively reached for the fork regardless of whether she wanted to or not. Chase had this pull on her, and when he put it to use, there was no way she could say no to him. She would have to find a way to learn how to resist him, just not tonight. Because seriously, that cake looked amazing.
Emma dipped her fork into the box and took out a huge chunk of cake. It was delicious and the noise she made as it hit her taste buds was practically sinful. Maybe if she was home and eating this by herself, she wouldn't think of it that way. But the way Chase was looking at her, the fire in his eyes, made her realize that she was probably pushing him in a direction that they shouldn't go in.
They were acquaintances who were thrown together by a dumb challenge. They were just two people hanging out by a pool in a backyard. This also definitely was not Emma's home.
That wasn't going to stop her from enjoying the cake for now or enjoying the company of Prince Charming. But she knew damn well that like Cinderella's dress and carriage, Chase Warwick was a mirage. At midnight, she wouldn't be at all surprised if he turned into some troll or something.
"So can I ask you a question?" He took a bite of the cake, and the look of ecstasy on his face was stunning. "Oh my god, that's good."
"It really is," she said as she dipped her fork back into the box. "So what's your question?"
"Oh right." He turned and gave her a concerned look that was definitely missing the cake ecstasy of before. "Can I ask you about your parents?"
Her fork paused in mid-air, a small bite hanging delicately off the edge that threatened to fall on to her dress. She had no choice but to stuff it in her mouth.
"What about them?" she asked with a mouth half full.
"Your relationship with them seems odd?" He took a deep breath as he seemed to be trying to find the right words. "Maybe strained is a better word. I'm just wondering why they kicked you out of your grandmother's house and why she didn't want them to know she had this money."
Emma took a long drink from her glass of wine. "I was raised by narcissists."
"I was raised by Bob and Linda."
She couldn't help but laugh at Chase'sresponse. It was just the perfect levity needed in that moment. "Bob and Linda sound like monsters."
"I know!" he responded sarcastically. "Do not get me started about how awful it is to be raised by Green Bay Packers fans. It's the worst."
"Packers fans? How horrendous."
"The worst!" He smiled and then toned his expression down a bit. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make your issues with your parents sound trivial."
"It's OK. I just... I definitely don't have that kind of relationship with my parents."
She took another bite of cake and pensively looked down at the waves in the pool she created with her dangling legs. Where did she even start with any of this? It was so complicated, even more so when she added Nana and her job and this inheritance. It was a lot. But she also felt like she owed it to Chase to at least fill him in on some of it.
"My grandmother used to say that your character in the Project Lyonheart series had the most interesting back story. Like he has this mysterious past and no one even knows his real name." She leaned in a little as he took another bite of cake as if she was going to tell him a secret. "Nana said you're going to reveal that in the next movie."
"Spoilers!" Chase replied jokingly. "But seriously, all that backstory comes from the writers. I just play Smith."
"But Smith's back story shapes who he is now,right?" Chase nodded. "Yeah, that's me."
"Tell me how," he asked quietly.
She looked at him for a moment, really looked at him. He wasn't putting on some show or just trying to be polite. He actually seemed to be interested, and she felt like she had to be honest with him too.
"So I grew up in Dallas and was always a bit of a black sheep in my family. My dad worked for this major company there and my parents had a reputation for being big movers and shakers. Things were OK I guess until my brother decided he wanted to get a business degree in college and join my dad's company. Be another successful Colton in Dallas."
