AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No. My treat.” A pause. “You look really pretty tonight.” Her voice had gone soft, which caused Jamie to melt into the sound of it. She wanted quiet words like that in her ear. “But I’m not going to be nervous about that, per our arrangement.”
She liked very much that she had an arrangement with Leighton. They werearranged. “Thank you. You radiate, but then you always do.”
“Have we made decisions?” the server with the sweet smile asked. She had a Rapunzel amount of hair twisted in a bun on top of her head. Jamie remembered her from her last visit a couple of months back, which felt so mundane compared to the energy pinging tonight.
She pointed to the menu. “We’ll take a bottle of Tangle Valley merlot.”
The woman pressed a few buttons on her tablet. “You’re in luck. Last bottle.”
“Meant to be,” Jamie said and handed back the wine list.
“It truly is. I have a friend in Tangle Valley. I’ll tell you about her someday.”
“I’d love to hear.”
In just a few short moments, they were each poured a gorgeous glass of full-bodied red wine. Jamie held it up to examine the color, giving it a soft swirl. “Good legs.”
“Mine?” Leighton arched a brow and winked.
“Without saying. Yes.” Leighton was quick and more fun that Jamie had imagined. The playful and flirty vibe they’d established helped her relax, a ping-pong game she never grew tired of.
Leighton took a sip, closed her eyes, and savored. “Perfection. You did great. This is exactly what I needed after my day.”
Jamie rested her chin on both fists as if ready for story time. “What is it that you do anyway? I realize I don’t actually know.”
Leighton took another sip while looking thoughtfully at the ceiling. Apparently, her job was complex enough to require a short planning session to explain. “I work in real estate development. More specifically projects beneath that umbrella.”
“Interesting.” Also, vague. She pressed for more. “You buy and sell buildings?”
“I make recommendations to interested parties on what areas would work best for their projects, and of course, how to go about making that happen.”
“And how do you do that?” Jamie quirked her head. This was intriguing. It meant Leighton was an important person that others listened to. The whole thing sounded impressive. She liked the idea of Leighton having that kind of expertise.
“Well, I write a very detailed report.”
“You’re very businessy.”
“So are you. Bordeauxnuts is really great. I loved the place from my very first visit forward.”
Jamie sipped and grinned. “You did come back. That must mean it spoke to you in some way.”
“There’s just something about it.” She tapped her wineglass with her nails. “So much personality. Very warm, but it also feels like you’vestumbled into the hottest new hangout. I don’t know how it’s both, but it is. You should be incredibly proud.”
She nodded, ruminating on the compliment. “I am. If there’s one thing I can look at in my life and latch on to with pride, it’s the growth and success of my little business that could. And now, did.” She shook her head thinking back. “My parents thought the name was a horrible idea. That no one would get it. They begged me to go with something tame like Coffee Commotion or Sips in the Night.”
Leighton laughed and covered Jamie’s hand with hers. “Thank God you didn’t.” Jamie went still, hyperfocused on the contact. Their first of the night. Her skin heated and her center ached ever so slightly, reminding her that it had been a while. “Bordeauxnuts is creative. Snagged my attention right away because it’s unique.”
She turned her hand over in Leighton’s and let their fingers intertwine and play. “You weren’t confused by the concept? Doughnuts and bordeaux?”
“Not at all. And if I was, the wine bottles along the wall and aroma of fresh doughnuts would have served as helpful context clues.”
“See? People are savvy. They get it. I once hired that very PR firm, Savvy, and it was the best decision of my life.”
“I know those women. They’re go-getters.”
“Yes! They got me on the third hour ofToday, and it helped put the shop on the map.”
“That’s amazing. I’ll YouTube that interview.”
