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There was something about the way he said the last part that Elena picked up on. There was a hint of sadness.
“Your father’s passed away, hasn’t he?”
“Yes. Cancer took him.” Jason let out a heavy sigh. “He was really strong about it, and then suddenly it became too much for him. It sucked everything out of him overnight.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. It’s not exactly a secret.” Jason paused. “I want him to be happy with what I’m doing. I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. He knew it was my plan, but he didn’t live long enough to see it.”
Elena could tell that he was getting morose about it. That wasn’t how she wanted the evening to go.
“Anyway, enough of me,” Jason said suddenly. “You don’t need to hear about my life story. I’m more interested in yours.”
“Me? I haven’t got anything interesting going on in my life. It’s rather boring.”
“I’m sure that’s not the case. You must have something interesting happening in your life. Failing that, something bothersome.”
Bothersome was an understatement. Elena paused, wondering if she should tell him about her mother and what she was trying to do.
“Come on, Elena,” Jason pressed, giving her a smile that was making Elena’s pulse stutter. “What have you got going on with you? I’m curious to know.”
“I don’t know about that. I’ve got a couple of mad people related to me, but nothing to write home about.”
“It can’t be any worse than my family.” Jason’s smile widened as he beckoned down a server. “Let me get the drinks, and I’ll tell you all about it. But only if you tell me about yours in return.”
“Are you sure you want to know that about me?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t have asked you to dinner if I didn’t.”
He did have a point. Elena was going to have to remember very quickly how to behave on a date. How was it possible she hadn’t been to dinner with a guy for a long time? She hadn’t even noticed that it had been years; work was just so busy for her.
Now she was somewhere new, somewhere fresh. And she had plenty of time to do other things. Like date a handsome man like Jason.
That was something she could get used to. Without any interference from her mother.
CHAPTER11
JASON
“Thanks again for taking me to dinner,” Elena said as they crossed the street. “I don’t think I can eat anything else.”
“Neither can I. I haven’t been there for years, and I forgot how rich the food was.” Jason patted his belly. “I’m sure I’m going to need to loosen my belt if I go there too much.”
“Same here.” Elena licked her lips. “The taste of that sauce does linger for a while, doesn’t it?”
Jason watched her, and found himself wanting to kiss her to see if the taste of barbecue did linger. Would her mouth taste just as good with the sauce as well as without? He wanted to find out in both instances.
When he realized where his thoughts were going, he immediately pulled back. He couldn’t be thinking of kissing Elena. She was a member of staff, after all, one of his employees. What would it look like if he started kissing someone who relied on him for her salary? That would not go down well with anyone, and Jason didn’t want to put Elena in an awkward position.
Even so, he did wonder…
“Jason?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you okay?” Elena was frowning at him. “You were looking at me rather strangely just then. Did I do something wrong?”
“What? No, of course not!” Jason gave her a smile. “I was just…I think I’m getting tired because my mind’s wandering elsewhere.”
