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“Oh, Mr. Frost…”
Waving off her sympathy, he took a long drink of his ale. Memories rankled and burned when he allowed them to surface, so he preferred to keep them buried where they couldn’t cause further damage.
“Did your fiancée leave you over this?”
“Once the money was gone, so was she.” But Kaylee, with her fierce protectiveness, would no doubt have stood by his side. “No loss, in retrospect.”
“And what about your father… Will he be at the dinner?”
He shook his head. “No invitation has been extended.”
“So you’re estranged?”
Her question was an assumption with no judgment in it, which he appreciated. “Yes. Gran has not forgiven him for her only child’s death.”
“That has to be difficult for her. And for you.”
“If he showed remorse, it might be different.” He shrugged. “But he expects me to continue to provide for him.”
Her mouth opened before she quickly shut it again.
“I bought him a cabin in Alaska, and he never leaves it. Instead he spends most of his time with a bottle of whiskey and blaming everyone else for his troubles.” Frost had little sympathy for cowards.
A basket filled with warm, buttered bread arrived, and he was grateful for the interruption.
“I shouldn’t.” She studied the small loaf for a moment.
“You most certainly should.” He adored her curves, and he had a few ideas of how they could burn some calories later if she was interested.
“In that case, all right. You talked me into it.” She broke off a piece and moved it onto a plate which she extended toward him.
“Always thinking of others.” Which made him doubly happy he’d given her what she wanted last night.
Only after he accepted her offering did she choose a slice for herself.
Though he didn’t normally eat bread, he couldn’t resist, and he sank his teeth into the warm, yeasty deliciousness.
She flashed him a quirky smile that changed something inside him, softening him a little. This was a moment he thought they’d never share.
At that moment, the Zydeco band began to play, striking up “Party This Christmas.”
Not long after, the okra was delivered to the table.
“Isn’t this great? And I’m sorry I deprived you of your three-hundred-dollar lunch, but I bet this has more calories, which means you’ll stay full longer.”
“You could be right about that.”
A few minutes later, the rest of the meal arrived.
“How is it?”
“I’ve eaten a lot of gumbo in my life.” Savory but not too spicy, loaded with shrimp, crab, and oysters. “This is probably the best I’ve ever had.”
“Good.” She smiled again.Fuck.Her happiness was contagious. Her pleasure made the change of plans worthwhile.
As they ate, a large group of people arrived. Between the music and the shouts of people across tables, conversation became even more difficult. They ended up talking about work more than anything in their personal lives, and her insights about people intrigued him. On some levels, she seemed to know more than the HR department did.
“Are the layoffs over?”
