Chapter 6
CHASE
Okay, I’ll admit…
Wanna-be Elle Woods is growing on me.
Plus, she smells likes fresh berries over a bed of hotcakes on Sunday morning.
The waiter seats us at a quaint table beside a window where the view of the city is spectacular. He hands us our menus and assures he’ll return in a few moments to jot down our order.
Ivy’s eyes gleam, wandering and scanning over the ritzy décor of Micky and Delilah’s. It’s been my go-to restaurant in Century City, serving up anything from International Cuisine to something as simple as Gourmet Fried Chicken.
“Am I safe to assume this is your first time here?”
Ivy’s heady gaze meets mine. “Mhmm. Admittedly, not at all what I expected. When you said Micky D’s, naturally my brain conjured up a bright yellow picture of the golden arches.” She laughs, gifting me my first glimpse of her smile. Enchanting. Like newly discovered treasure.
“I’ve been calling this place Micky D’s for as long as I can remember. If you need a menu recommendation, I’m your guy. I come here at least once a week.”
“Tell me your favorite item.” She blinks up at me over her open menu, tucking a golden strand of hair behind her ear.
“Honestly, I’m a sucker for their Chicken and Waffles.”
“Chicken and Waffles?”
“Yep. See, they fry up a boneless chicken thigh and serve it atop this fluffy, freshly prepared waffle, doused with their signature, super-addictive, cinnamon brown-sugar butter.”
She licks her lips, practically salivating at the thought. “Um yeah, there is no possible way I can say no to that. Sign me up, please.”
The tall waiter, outfitted in a pair of blue jeans, silk tee, and tuxedo tailcoat, delivers us glasses of water. He takes our orders of Chicken and Waffles, along with my glass of white wine and her cup of coffee. “Excellent choice, Chicken and Waffles is one of our most popular dishes,” he says, before waltzing off to serve others.
Tapping my fingers against my water glass, I study Ivy for a moment, feeling like crap for being so rude earlier. Sure, her dog attacked me, but in all seriousness, the incident was pretty comical. “I’m sorry we had a rough start. I didn’t mean to come off like some sort of a prude-ass.”
She lifts her glass to sip water, her lips giving a subtle notion she may break into a smile. “It’s all right. I mean, BB really should’ve minded her manners. The dog’s never pretended to beCujobefore.” Finally, another smile emerges, albeit through her almond-shaped eyes.
I raise my glass, tilting it in her direction. “May we look back at that one day and laugh our asses off.”
Ivy chuckles, lifting her glass, tapping it against mine. “Cheers to that.”
“So, tell me a bit about yourself, Ivy Bloom.”
Her cheeks turn a shade slightly darker than the pink color painted on her fingernails. “There really isn’t much to share. I’m new to California, here from New York City where I studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. I took the job at My Fake Fiancé because I was behind on rent. Besides that, this assignment will help me sharpen my skills until I find something else. ”
“I’m from New York, too. That’s where we’ll be going for Christmas. Just outside of Brooklyn, to be exact.”
She nods, appearing to have slipped deep in thought.
“How many times have you played fake fiancée?” I ask, reeling her back in.
She scratches her head, her full lips briefly flattening into a hard line. “Um, yeah. Well, you’re my first.”
There is no getting around my slackened jaw. Her first? Jeez, what have I gotten myself into? I draw in a deep breath. “I see. This should get interesting.”
Ivy sits tall, dishing a side-eye. “I’m a great actress—graduated top of my class, in fact. So please, don’t draw any conclusions about me and I won’t draw any more about you.”
“Any more? What do you mean by that?”
The waiter drops off my glass of wine and her cup of coffee and babbles on about our meal being out soon, before he disappears again.
