“I’m serious,” he said, getting her attention.
“Thanks, but I’ll pass. The last time I enjoyed one of your mother’s brownies, I had to attend Elle’s yoga classes for two weeks to burn off the calories,” she joked. “I don’t know how you can eat stuff like that and stay looking like you do.” She shook her head slightly as she ran her eyes over his suit and tie again.
He shrugged. “I burn a lot of calories sailing and swimming,” he explained. “I’d better save these for after the dinner.” He shut the lid and slid the container back towards her. “Save them for me back here?” he asked, knowing it would be another excuse to see her later.
She smiled and nodded. “Sure thing. You’d better head on in.”
He glanced down the hall where large double doors led to the main dining area. He could hear voices starting to gather inside.
The guests would arrive for the event via the outside doors off a large patio area that held more dining tables and overlooked the camp’s lush green lawn. The waters of the Gulf of Mexico were just beyond.
“Aren’t you heading in?” he asked her.
“I have a few things to finish up here first. Then I plan on grabbing some of the dinner and taking it home with me.”
One of the perks of working there was that employees had access to one of the best chefs in the States. Celebrity chef Isaac Andrews had run the kitchens at the camp since the doors had reopened.
“Smart move,” Damion said. “Well, if you want, grab a brownie on your way out.” He shook his head. “Otherwise, I’ll be eating brownies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all week.”
“I might take you up on that offer.” She turned to go back to her computer.
He started to walk away, but then on a whim turned back to her. He’d been wanting to ask her the question all week but kept putting it off. Now was his chance.
“I’m going sailing next weekend. I have the entire weekend off and was planning on a quick trip down to St. George,” he said quickly.
“Oh?” Jules looked up from her computer.
He moved closer. “I overheard you telling Andrea you had that weekend off. Want to tag along for the ride?”
He watched her face closely. He’d been thinking about asking her along on one of his trips for a while now. But this was the first time he’d gotten the nerve to. He supposed it was his mother’s brownies and his conversation with Tutu that pushed him over the edge this time.
“I… can I let you know later this week?” she asked.
“Oh, sure, yeah.” He started backing up and stopped when he bumped into the trashcan and almost knocked it over. Thankfully, he was quick enough to stop it from dumping a full day’s worth of trash onto the lobby floor. He turned to leave quickly and bumped solidly into the doorway. He heard Jules chuckle at him, and he quickly turned around and rushed from the room.
He was a complete idiot. He shouldn’t have asked her. He should have been … smoother. He normally was a hell of a lot better at this than that. Why couldn’t he get his shit together around her?
He stepped into the massive room and instantly fought the urge to turn around and head back out to spend more time with Jules. Instead, he lifted his chin and went to find out what he could do to help get things ready for the guests.
Almost five hours later, he was in the middle of helping a couple move some chairs to their table when he glanced over and saw Jules stroll in, looking as if she was searching the room for someone. When her eyes landed on him, she smiled and started heading his way.
“There you are,” he told the older couple.
“Thank you, young man.” The woman sat down. “These old bones of mine don’t like standing for too long anymore.”
“Enjoy,” he said just as Jules stopped beside him. “Hi,” he said to Jules. “Taking off for the night finally?”
“Yeah. I wanted to just say thanks again.” She motioned to a plate of brownies she was holding along with a container of food from the kitchens.
“Any time,” he said.
“Oh, what a lovely couple you two make,” the woman who had just sat down said to them.
“We’re…” he started to say, but Jules laid a hand on his arm and quickly said, “Thank you.”
“Look, Charles, don’t they remind you of us at that age?” the old woman said.
Damion wanted to laugh. First off, the couple was as white as could be. Actually, since they were from Minnesota and it was early spring, they were paler than white. They were downright ghostly. Still, they were nice, so he didn’t say anything. He just nodded and took Jules’s hand and stepped away from the table.