Xander’s phone buzzed. He went to reach for it and then hesitated.
“If you need to get that, go ahead,” Lea said.
He looked torn. “Are you sure you won’t mind? It won’t take long.”
She shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”
Xander slipped outside to take the call, most likely about business. Over the time he’d spent with her, he’d received countless phone calls and even more text messages. Business in his world obviously wasn’t relegated to the usual office hours. The interruptions came at all hours of the day and night. He was a workaholic.
Not that she could point her finger at him unless she was willing to point it at herself also. It was more than a job, it was more like a calling. It was doing what she loved—making people happy by making their dreams come true. They filled out the surveys and then between her and Popi, they made their dreams a reality. Some weddings were classic while others were quite imaginative. Regardless, it was a privilege to be responsible for someone’s dreams.
“I’m sorry about that.” Xander’s voice drew her back to the present and this lovely meal.
“It’s okay.” But she secretly wished she ranked as the priority in his life.
“It sure doesn’t look okay. I wouldn’t have answered but there’s a multi-million-dollar deal on the line. And I just need to keep a close eye on things. But enough about work. Let’s finish eating.” He glanced at her plate with half the food still remaining. “Listen if the food tastes bad, you don’t have to eat it.”
She shook her head. “That’s not it. The food is amazing.”
“You don’t have to say that just to make me feel better.”
“Trust me, I’m not. If you didn’t already have a career buying and selling real estate, I’d tell you to go into the restaurant business. This is amazing.”
“If it’s so amazing why’d you stop eating?”
She twirled the pasta around the tines of the fork. “See? I’m eating. I wouldn’t let something this good go to waste.”
He studied her for a moment as though he could gauge the truth just by staring into her eyes. The breath hitched in her throat. She didn’t know how insightful it was, but she did know that every time he stared at her her heart accelerated.
When she broke the intense stare, she found her gaze dipping to his lips. What she wouldn’t do for another kiss—another chance to be held in his very strong arms. A sigh attempted to escape her lips, but she stifled it. She didn’t need Xander reading her every thought.
“You’re being serious?” he asked.
“Of course. Why don’t you believe me?”
He shrugged. “I just don’t have much experience cooking for other people.”
“Feel free to cook for me any time.” And then she set to work finishing the delicious meal before it grew cold.
When she glanced over at him, she found his plate still had most of the food on it. It was as though he’d done nothing more than move the food around his plate throughout the meal. And now he was staring off in the distance.
“Xander?”
His gaze met hers. “What did you say?”
“Is everything all right? You’ve hardly eaten anything.”
He glanced down at his plate. “I guess I was just a little distracted.”
He set to work cleaning off his plate. But he remained unusually quiet as though he had a lot on his mind. But she wasn’t going to push him. She didn’t want to ruin the newfound peace. She liked it—perhaps more than was safe.
* * *
A few days had passed since Xander had come up with his idea of how to impress Lea. And he hadn’t wasted a minute of that time. If this idea didn’t win her over, he wasn’t sure what to try next, but he wasn’t giving up—
“How’s it going?”
The male voice drew Xander from his thoughts. He paused from hand-sanding the cradle. He turned to his new friend on the island. “Joseph, thank you for letting me use your workshop.”
The island handyman nodded. “Just make sure you clean up when you’re done.”
“I will. Don’t worry.”