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* * *
His words hung heavy and loaded in the air. Reid watched as Celeste’s eyes grew wide. He didn’t regret what he’d just said, but decided not to push the conversation any further. Celeste also appeared to have said all she was willing to say. For now.
She slowly pushed her glass away before standing. “Now that that’s all out of the way, I should go back to my room and try to get an early night. I’m guessing we have quite the day ahead of us tomorrow. It won’t do for me to be tired and sluggish.”
Reid gently grasped her arm. “I have a better idea.”
Her gaze dropped to where he touched her. For the briefest moment, neither one of them moved. Electricity seemed to crackle through the early evening air.
Finally, Celeste slowly sat back down and broke the silence. “What would that be?”
He motioned to her full plate. “Well, you clearly haven’t eaten. We’ll have to remedy that. Aside from not being tired tomorrow, we can’t have you malnourished.”
“Hardly a danger, but what did you have in mind?”
“Dinner to start with?”
Her eyebrows lifted in question. “Just to start? What then?”
He couldn’t help but grin. “It happens to be Thursday.”
“So?”
“Don’t you read the daily newsletter? Thursdays are karaoke nights on the beach. Tonight’s theme is Christmas carols.”
Celeste’s spine stiffened. “I don’t think that’s really—”
But he stopped her. “Karaoke happens to be one of the activities we’d like to highlight when advertising. We had a deal that you just agreed to, remember?”
Her look of horror told him she wanted badly to forget.
* * *
She really needed to head this development off at the pass. The steely set of determination in Reid’s eyes only upped her panic. He couldn’t possibly see her as a karaoke kind of gal in any way, shape, or form.
“Uh. I don’t do public singing. And I certainly don’t do Christmas carols.”
He shook his head real slow. “This is all about you experiencing everything the Baja Majestic has to offer. That includes karaoke.”
Celeste rubbed a weary hand across her forehead. What had she gotten herself into here? “Listen, I don’t so much as sing in the shower.”
Something darkened behind his gaze at her words. “I’m certainly not going to do it in front of a beach full of strangers,” she added.
Reid glanced at his shiny, expensive watch. She’d been speculating that it was a Rolex. “There’s plenty of time to discuss it. Let’s go get some real food.” He picked up a fry and popped it in his mouth even as he declared her discarded snack fake.
“There’s nothing to discuss, Reid.”
He stood and took her by the elbow, nudging her to join him. “Sure there is. First, we figure out dinner. Hibachi’s always good. My favorite chef’s on tonight. Or we could do the Mediterranean restaurant. The kebabs melt in your mouth. Something to do with the marinade.”
She wanted to deny that she was hungry, but her stomach had other plans. An audible rumble sounded from her midsection when he mentioned the word kebab.
Reid let out a short but hearty laugh. “Mediterranean it is. Let’s go.”
He didn’t give her a chance to argue. A few minutes later, they were climbing a spiral cement staircase to a building fashioned to appear like an ancient Greek cathedral complete with Ionic columns and goddess statues. The petite blonde maître d’ approached them as soon as they entered. Her eyes lit up as she greeted Reid. Her crush was nearly visible. Not that she could be blamed for it.
“Hey, boss. You haven’t been in for a while.”
Reid returned her smile with a much more platonic one.
“My friend here would like to try the kebab, Michelle. Table for two please.”
Michelle spared a glance in her direction, clearly appraising. She wondered if she passed some sort of Reid-worthy test as far as the other woman was concerned. Probably not.
“Of course, right this way.”
They were seated at an elegant table with ivory-white table settings, a crisply laundered tablecloth, and tall lit candles. All in all, the atmosphere in the dining area could only be described as highly romantic. That notion frayed her nerves a bit further. She absolutely could not be having any thoughts of romance whatsoever. Despite how much she’d shared of herself with Reid earlier. He’d simply caught her at a vulnerable moment. Phone calls with her mother when she was drunk tended to bring out that vulnerability.
