“It’s a nice place to start off your morning.”
“I know, right?”
“Mind if I keep you company?” I pointed to the chair next to her.
“Please.”
Being this close to her made it impossible to keep my thoughts in line. I didn’t just want to kiss her, I wanted to wrap my hand in her thick, luscious hair, draw the tip of my nose up and down her neck, then follow the same trail with my mouth.
“You have something in your hair. I think it’s a... plastic flower?” Val asked, amused.
“What?” I ran my hand through my hair. Sure enough, a tiny flower was stuck in it. Very masculine.
“Looks like this came off Peyton’s dress when I hugged her this morning.” Hugging was a mild term. She had climbed in my arms and refused to let go until I promised to take them out for ice cream tonight. I caved, of course.
“Your fourteen-year-old niece?”
“No, that’s April. Peyton is the five-year-old.” At her questioning glance, I added, “They live with me. My sister and her husband passed away a few years ago, and I’m their guardian.”
“Oh. I’m sorry for your loss.” Something flickered in those beautiful green eyes as she added, “They keep you on your toes, huh?”
“You can say that. My parents help as much as they can, but they live in Montana. They have a fir tree farm there.”
“How did you end up being a lawyer in LA?”
“I studied at UCLA for my undergraduate degree, and I liked the city. And as to why I became a lawyer, let’s say that I’ve always been argumentative. Could talk my way out of everything.”
“Oh, I can imagine.”
As a guy who worked outdoors a lot, my dad made fun of me for doing the exact opposite and then going daily to the gym.
“Now you have to smell other people’s sweat to make up for being on your ass all day,” he’d chortle gleefully. I laughed every time. It was true, even though training helped me clear my mind. The rush of endorphins improved my focus. I liked my career, and it was very lucrative. I could make sure that Peyton and April attended the best schools and wouldn’t have to work odd jobs to put themselves through college as I had.
“How did you end up building a cosmetics and fragrance company from the ground up? Your story is fascinating.”
“You looked me up.” Her mouth popped open, as if she couldn’t imagine why I would do such a thing.
“I did.”
“Well, there’s a lot more to it than what’s on the website.”
“Tell me all about it.”
“Sorry, I can’t right now. I’m pressed for time and really have to get going. I have a million things to do.”
“Are you looking forward to the charity?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Is your date also in the cosmetics industry? Or film?”
She cast her eyes downward to her cup of coffee. “He is in the film industry. But I’ll be going alone.”
“Your date got caught up at work?”
“No, we’re just not dating anymore.”
I shouldn’t rejoice at her obvious disappointment, but I couldn’t help the fist-pump feeling that overtook me. I wanted to get to know this woman better.