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The kiss after the pie making competition had been a firm press to the lips; a congratulations. The kiss the other day had been one where he’d savored her like she was the last bite of a brownie. Alex did love chocolate.
“I’ll talk to him,” she agreed.
Esme squealed and danced in her seat. “We’re going to be real sisters. Royal sisters.”
Jan sighed. Esme might be ready for her friend to walk down the aisle, but Jan wasn’t in a hurry. She would talk to Alex about the thin line between fiction and reality in their relationship. But she didn’t have to talk to him right now. She had time.
Chapter Twenty-One
Alex spread the plans for the restaurant over a worktable in the kitchen. Already, contractors were measuring floors and ordering supplies. Interior designers were assembling color swatches and had furniture catalogues opened in the other room. The three backers had already wired the first installment of investments. As Alex updated them on the progress, they were set to send the full balance of what they’d promised.
It was all coming together. He was going to have everything he had never dared to dream of, including a few things he’d never thought he’d wish for.
Like Jan.
The fake engagement was turning into something very real. Something he’d never thought he’d wanted. But he never thought he’d wanted fried grasshoppers until he’d tried the chapulines in Mexico.
Now that he’d had a taste of Jan, he wanted another bite, another nibble, another sip of her every day. Possibly, even, for the rest of his life.
No. Definitely for the rest of his life. He didn’t like the thought of a day without Jan. A day without her smile. An afternoon without a hard-won grin from her lips. A night without cooking next to her and then dining beside her.
But Alex wasn’t prepared to tell her any of that today. He was still getting used to the new feelings himself. He knew Jan had a hang up when it came to marriage. He’d never abandon her, not at the altar, not in life. He’d take these few months of their fake engagement to show her that. He’d wine and dine and romance her until she knew there was nowhere else she wanted to be but inside his arms.
With that thought, Alex felt giddy. He felt as though he were at a candy store that served all his favorite treats. The best part was that he and Jan could make all of those treats in real life.
Before he could have any of his just desserts, he had to focus on the business at hand. They would be serving a preview meal for some of Cordoba’s most popular food critics. For the first time in his life, Alex cared about getting a good report in the newspapers. What the critics said the night of the dinner could make or break their future.
But he wasn’t worried. Not in the slightest. He believed that much in his little pie maker and her abilities. He didn’t hear her enter the room, but he turned and there she was.
Jan was dressed in simple jeans and a T-shirt. She looked breathtaking. Literally. Alex forgot how to breathe for a moment as she walked toward him.
But as she got closer, he noticed that her face looked different. Gone was the no nonsense certainty. She was looking down at the floor, not up at him. She twisted and chewed at her bottom lip. Her hands rubbed against the sides of her jeans. She shoved them into her pockets. Then took them out and crossed her arms.
She was fidgeting.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” she parroted. She took a deep breath, as though to steady herself, and looked up at him. Her gaze even seemed cloudy with indecision.
“How are you this morning?”
“Good. Good,” she said. “How was your night?”
Before he could answer, she cringed. She brought the heel of her palm to her forehead and cursed under her breath.
“I’m sorry,” she groaned. “I didn’t mean that. I meant, how did you sleep?” She groaned again, turning away from him and pinching the bridge of her nose. “Not that I’m accusing you of sleeping with anyone.”
“Jan? What are you talking about?”
“I saw the papers.”
“The papers?”
“It’s none of my business. We’re just business partners.”
Oh, those papers. They must have printed the photos with Alex at the club the other night with the dancer. He made his way over to Jan on quick feet. He didn’t care what anyone else might think of those photos, but he had to clear that up with her.
Jan held out her hands before he could get to her. “I just have to ask one thing of you.”
