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And wasn’t he glad to hear that. Well, except for the corner of his barn with that darned owl. Exiting the freeway, he followed the service road a short distance and pulled into the parking lot. “Here we are. Hope you like it.”
Her smile slipped just slightly as she blinked several times before looking to him. “I’ve heard nice things about this place.”
“You’ve never tried it?”
She shook her head.
“Then you’re in for a treat.” He hurried around the front of the car and reached the passenger side in time to help her out. It was a ridiculously old-fashioned thing to do, helping a woman out of a parked car, but it was as ingrained in him by his mom and grandparents as it was to breathe in and out.
“Mr. Baron.” Mario, one of the three brothers who owned the restaurant, greeted Craig. “How wonderful to see you.”
“It’s been too long. How are Tony and Joe?”
“Fine. Fine.” Mario grabbed two menus. “Your regular table?”
Craig nodded, and gently placing his hand on the small of Kate’s back, guided her to the far corner by the large picture window.
A few more pleasantries were shared, and promising the waitress would be right over, Mario hurried away.
“This is a surprise.” Kate looked out the window onto the large array of trees and shrubs. “It’s like being in the woods.”
“It is a bit unexpected. It’s not as large a section of land as the view implies, but back when their parents started the restaurant, Houston wasn’t quite so crowded. A lot of developers have tried to buy this back lot and the brothers refuse to sell.”
“I don’t blame them. It’s lovely.”
“The food is pretty good too. Most of the recipes go back generations, and the meat rub is their dad’s secret recipe. If you like a good steak, I can’t recommend the rib eye enough.”
She bobbed her head and smiled. “I’m a carnivore through and through.”
When the waitress came by, Craig ordered the shrimp croustades for an appetizer, the beet salad, and a rib eye for both him and Kate.
Once they were alone, Craig took a quick sip of water. “So how did you wind up going from Spanish Literature to saving the planet?”
Still smiling, she shrugged one shoulder. “Probably the same way you went from Spanish Lit to making movies.”
“That was easy. I spent one year working on the Spanish Riviera for Baron hotels and decided very quickly the hotel business was not for me. There was a movie company filming some cheap short and they needed extras. I was there and available, so I mulled around as requested. The one-off chance clip turned into another offer on another film, and after a year the business had gotten under my skin.”
“Talk about perfect timing.”
“Most definitely. So what’s your story?” Polite chit-chat was part of the status quo of getting to know a girl. He had all the tell me about yourself prompts down pat, but today, this was probably the first time he really wanted to know the answers. He truly wanted to know, who is Kate Donovan?
Kate needed a sip of water to calm her nerves. There was no explanation for why she felt like a schoolgirl on her first date. Craig Baron may have just brought her to one of the most expensive five-star restaurants in North Houston, but he was still just a man. Flesh and blood. Probably put his pants on one leg at a time like all men.
“Tell me, why save the animals?”
“Honestly.” She set her glass down on the table and leaned forward a little. “I’ve always been a saver. As a kid I would bring home squirrels that had fallen out of their nests, or rescue baby bunnies from my predator cats.”
Leaning back in his seat, smiling at her, he nodded. “That I can picture.”
She smiled back at him. “My degree is actually in psychology, but when I graduated, the thought of five more years of grad school before I could use the degree was daunting. Instead, I took a job with a friend of my father’s firm.”
“Conservationist?”
“Nope. Handbag Factory. I was the president’s executive assistant.”
“Not a good fit?”
That smile of his kept threatening to steal her breath.
