Daddy’s Billionaire Chef

When I went out front there was a beautiful arrangement of pink and peach roses in a dark green cut glass vase.

The card read, “Julia — I hope that you like sunlight and roses as well. Hope to see you soon, Matt.”

“I can tell by the way you’re blushing that he’s someone special,” Jenny grinned.

“Time will tell,” I replied.

Taking the arrangement back to my desk, I was glad that I had tidied it last week. My little cubicle in the corner didn’t have a lot of space, but the lovely flowers certainly brightened it up.

Matt had left his phone number on the note as well, so I texted him.

Me: Thank you so much, both for dinner last night, and the lovely flowers.

Me: This is Julia, by the way.

He responded almost instantly.

Matt: Trust me, sweetheart, you’re the only woman I’ve sent flowers to this decade.

I’m not sure why that made me absolutely giddy.

Matt: I’m so sorry if I ticked you off last night. Jerry and I just have this weird little rivalry. It’s not a big thing. I was just shooting my mouth off, like a jerk.

Me: As long as you’re only a jerk occasionally, I suppose that’s acceptable.

As soon as I sent the text, I froze. Was that too cheeky?

Matt: Ha ha. I’ll be extremely careful to watch my jerkiness in the future.

Matt: You should know that it’s my new life’s mission to impress you and make you happy.

I almost swooned. Who says something like that after just one date?

Matt: May I please steal you away for another tasting tomorrow night?

Although I never enjoyed playing head games, I did slowly count to ten before responding.

Me: Sure. Ball gown or yoga pants?

Matt: You’re going to be the death of me, sweetheart. How am I supposed to concentrate now that I’m picturing you in hot little yoga pants?

Matt: But to answer your question, anything you like. I’ll be sending a car to pick you up at your office. 5 o’clock?

Me: Sure. See you tomorrow.

Matt: I hope you don’t think that’s the end of this conversation, gorgeous. My schedule is erratic, but I need to know more about you.

For the next twenty-four hours, we sent endless text messages. Sometimes there would be hours between texts, or sometimes we would spend our breaks together.

I discovered his eclectic taste in music was vaguely similar to my own. It was odd to me that he never bought paper books anymore, but then he explained that he really only has time to read when he’s traveling, and a tablet weighs a lot less.

We very carefully avoided any discussion of what Dad would say when he found out about us.

I eventually looked him up online, so that I’d know more about his actual businesses. Matt owned a surprising number of restaurants, all around the area, but also co-owned places in several countries in Europe.

Besides the restaurants, and the specialty catering, and the book sales, and the television specials, he also had several exclusive online chef courses, plus a bunch of real estate investments. I gasped aloud when I realized his net worth had three commas in it.

Finishing my work a pinch early on Thursday afternoon, I fixed my hair and make-up, then went back to my desk to log off my computer just as my phone was ringing.