With that, he snaffled a cookie and bit into it, leaving her bamboozled. Did helping her with a fresh start mean dating?
She had no clue, but as they locked gazes over their cups, she wanted to find out. She couldn’t fathom it. She was too old for this kind of a reaction to a man she’d had limited contact with for decades. Dating younger guys via the Happy app had been fun and opened her mind to how lighthearted sex could be without any entanglements. She’d been married for so long to a man who viewed her as a comfortable adjunct to his life, alongside his flannies and moccasins, that she’d been pleasantly surprised by how responsive she’d been during her encounters via the dating app.
But none of those guys had given her this … zing.
‘Heidi? Did you hear what I said?’
Embarrassed by her lapse, she forced a smile. ‘Sorry, Jem, what was that?’
‘Daydreaming, huh? That’s not good for me.’
‘Why?’
‘I thought you were enjoying my scintillating company as I wax lyrical about the square footage of your land and the competing prices of similar properties.’
This time, her smile was genuine, as was her response. ‘I am enjoying your company.’
When his eyebrows rose in surprise, she added, ‘Which probably makes me some kind of sad case.’
‘Not at all. It’s not often a woman admits to liking being in my company.’
She made an embarrassing snorting sound. ‘You’d have women falling at your feet.’
‘At almost seventy, hardly.’ The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened when he smiled. ‘But I thank you for the compliment.’
Hearing his age reinforced the gap between them. Nineteen years would’ve been insurmountable a lifetime ago, but now? She hadn’t been this attracted to a man in forever and it made her want to push boundaries.
‘Do you date?’
If her bluntness surprised him, he didn’t show it. ‘Occasionally. I have a few lady friends in Melbourne I visit if I fancy a trip to the theatre or dinner at a posh restaurant.’
Bonking buddies, but thankfully she didn’t articulate that observation out loud. ‘So no-one special?’
A puzzled frown appeared between his brows. ‘No. Is my private life important in the selling of your home?’
‘No, of course not. It’s just that …’ She trailed off, at a loss with trying to explain how she’d like to ask him out but having no clue how to go about it.
Something in her eyes must’ve given away her thoughts because Jem’s frown disappeared, and his rueful grin made her want to crawl under the table in mortification.
‘Are you sussing me out because your old crush has reignited in my impressive presence?’
She laughed and wished she could hug him for making light of her gaucheness. ‘Something like that.’
‘In that case, you have excellent taste, so how about we continue our discussion of your housing appraisal over dinner?’
Heidi almost fell off her chair. ‘Are you asking me out on a date?’
‘I could call it a business dinner, but you’ve been so honest about your crush, the least I can do is be upfront too, so yes.’ He leaned towards her, like he was about to impart some deep dark secret. ‘Besides, at my age, I don’t have any time to waste, so if a beautiful woman expresses an interest in me, I’d be a fool not to do something about it.’
Heidi had never been called beautiful. She had too many wrinkles for that. But something about the way Jem looked at her, as if he saw beneath her outer layer, made her feel special in a way she never had before.
‘If you’re taking this long to respond to my offer, either I’ve read this situation all wrong and have just embarrassed myself, or you’re second-guessing the wisdom of having dinner with an old fogey like me.’
‘You’re so far from an old fogey it’s not funny,’ she said.
‘So is that a yes?’
She could hedge, dithering over a decision that should be simple. Going out to dinner with Jem in this town would set tongues wagging and the gossips would have fodder for the next week.