AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He seemed really interested in you.”
“He’s after my portfolio. Bryan’s an investment banker.” She narrows her eyes. “If you thought we were on a date, you’ve got some nerve asking about him.”
I grab one of the fluffy hand towels from the basket. “Like I said, it’s for a friend.”
Cheerfully, I hurry back to the bar.
Felipe comes over immediately. “So?”
Beaming, I tell him what I learned from the woman.
Felipe looks ready to jump up and down in joy. “Bridget, I love you!”
Feeling someone’s eyes on me, I turn around and see Darren standing at my elbow with raised brows.
“Hi,” I say, the pitch of my voice unusually high.
“I like your sweater,” he responds, his gaze taking in all of me.
“No you don’t,” I throw back.
Felipe clears his throat and asks, “Shot of baijiu, Boss?”
Darren shakes his head. Felipe moves to check on another customer.
“So let’s take care of this egg-boiling lesson,” Darren says.
I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me earlier, but if he really wanted to learn how to boil an egg, he could have asked his chef to teach him. My pulse quickens.
“Sure,” I reply.
I follow him to what I think will be the kitchen, but instead we end up in front of an elevator.
“The kitchen’s upstairs?” I ask, incredulous.
“Mine is, yes,” he replies as he waits for me to step in first. “I live on the top floor.”
“Oh.”
We’re going up to his place. I wonder if I should have said something to Amy, though the last I checked, she and JD were grinding on the dance floor. I step into the elevator.
“You’re not warm in that thing?” Darren asks after the elevator doors close.
Well, now I am.
“My body runs cold,” I explain. “I probably need to live in a place like Hawaii. Or Bali. My ex-boyfriend used to say, ‘Cold hands, warm heart.’”
“Your ex go to Cal, too?”
I shake my head. “He went to Florida on a football scholarship. We tried the long-distance thing freshman year, but it was hard.”
“So he’s from the Bay Area.”
“We both went to Oakland Tech.”
“You ever try acupuncture to help with the cold hands?”
“I wouldn’t mind giving it a try, but it’s not exactly cheap, and it’s not something student health services covers. That’s a change in our medical system that I’d like to see: expanded coverage for wholistic care that draws on the best from all cultures.”
“So you’re pretty open-minded to things that go beyond the traditional?”
“Sure,” I reply, though I wonder if he’s referring to medicine only.
The elevator doors slide open. My heart accelerates. Is he expecting there to be more than just a lesson in boiling eggs? Do I hope that he wants more?
