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“Anything?”
“Sure.” Drew scanned the items, looking for the most expensive thing on the page. “Says here they have a steak tartare for an appetizer.”
Maisie’s mouth curled in disgust, confirming Drew’s suspicion that she may have met the perfect woman. As far as Drew was concerned, beef should never be eaten raw. It also should never be overcooked. Seared on the outside, red on the inside, the way God herself intended.
“What about this brioche crown?” Maisie suggested.
Drew read the description and shook her head. “Darlin’, I think that’s just a French way of saying bread.”
“I like bread.” Maisie seemed out of sorts, and Drew wasn’t sure if it was on account of her having maligned Maisie’s favorite food or because she’d slipped and called her darlin’.
“Everybody likes bread. We’ll get that, too. How about the grand seafood platter?”
“It’s over a hundred dollars!” Maisie made a garbled choking noise. “How about the bay scallops if you’re set on having seafood?”
“I don’t mind getting the platter if it’s the money you’re worried about. When I take a lady out for dinner, I don’t expect her to survive on rolls and salad.”
“As a matter of fact, I’m considering a steak, and I’d like to have enough room for it.”
“Okey dokey. We can compromise and get the scallops.” Drew chuckled a little. She’d never met a city girl who was so reticent to spend someone else’s money. Hell, she’d never met a country girl like that, either. Maisie was one of a kind. “But I’ll only say yes to that if you agree to the filet mignon. None of those inferior cuts. As a cattle rancher, it goes against my religion.”
“Fair enough. I’ll have the king filet, rare.”
Be still my heart.
The server appeared, and after placing their orders, Drew asked, “What about wine? We could get a bottle.”
“Just a glass,” Maisie replied. “Any more than that and, well, you saw firsthand what that rum drink did to me last night.”
“Talk about incentive to order a bottle.” Drew winked at Maisie before turning to the server. “Two glasses of the house red.”
“I never asked earlier, but how did that presentation go with the beef jerky guy?” Though she was clearly trying to steer the conversation to safer topics, Maisie’s cheeks were still flushed from when Drew had winked at her. Drew took this as an encouraging sign.
“Couldn’t have gone better.”
“You got the contract?”
Okay, so technically itcould’vegone better if that had happened. However, Drew was enjoying the look of admiration in Maisie’s eyes too much to correct her and risk diminishing it. Besides, it was still plenty likely a contract would come through eventually. Might as well stay positive. “He was especially impressed with your handiwork.”
“Gosh.” Maisie’s eyes shifted to the table, the red on her cheeks deepening in intensity. “That was no big deal.”
“I disagree. You took my pathetic excuse for packaging and made it so I could walk into that meeting with my head held high. That made all the difference.”
That part was completely true. Drew may not have gotten a contract yet, but the man from Chicago had been impressed with her presentation despite pointing out he didn’t usually work with small, family-run operations. The fact he was still considering them had everything to do with that extra measure of professionalism Maisie’s quick thinking had brought to Drew’s product. Ranchers knew ranching, not marketing, and Drew hadn't understood the gap in her knowledge until then. Meeting this amazing woman had been fortuitous in more ways than one.
“I bet you walk everywhere with your head held high.” Maisie’s earnest tone matched the look on her face, which was admiration mixed with something else, a mysterious quality that made Drew melt into a puddle. “I wish I could have the confidence of a cowgirl like you.”
“You know what you’re missing?” Drew scooted closer, narrowing the space between them to only a few inches. Maisie swallowed but didn’t shift away as Drew lifted a hand, trailing a finger across Maisie’s hair. “A hat. It’s amazing what a good hat can do for your self-esteem.”
“I’m not sure how that would go over in my office.” Maisie giggled, a musical sound like tiny, tinkling bells. “Is that the secret to your success? Because you seem to have plenty of confidence right now even though your hat’s not on.”
Drew gave a low, throaty chuckle. “I can’t decide if that was a compliment or if you’re politely trying to tell me I’m being too cocky.”
“I wouldn’t saytoococky.” Maisie batted her lashes with faux innocence, making Drew laugh.
“But you’re not saying I’mnotbeing cocky, either,” Drew said, completing the unspoken implication. At this point, the food was brought to the table, and when the wine had been poured, Drew lifted her glass. “My daddy likes to say that all you need to succeed is to know what you want.”
“Here’s to knowing what you want, I guess.” Maisie raised her glass and took a sip of wine, which left her lips with a crimson shine Drew found utterly intoxicating. “If only it were really that easy.”
