Chance Encounters
“Tell me,” she pleaded.
“It’s better if I don’t. Trust me.”
“Ooookay,” she concurred through squinted eyes.
“God, I love your eyes. They’re stunning.”
She blushed and quickly closed them. “Oh yeah? What color are they?”
“Seriously?” he laughed. “They’re the prettiest green I’ve ever seen.”
“Oh,” she stumbled and let out a breathy sigh. “Thanks.” She desperately needed to change the subject. “Should we eat?”
“I guess we can’t just stand here all day, huh? Food sounds good.” He led her into the restaurant and toward the hostess, where he asked for a private table as far away from anyone else as possible. The hostess smiled, looked at Caroline, and scurried off to find something suitable.
“That’s okay, right?”
“Of course.” She smiled and touched his arm softly.
The hostess returned. “Right this way.” She led them to a booth in the far corner of the restaurant. “Is this okay?”
“Perfect. Thank you.” Jackson waited for Caroline to sit down before he sat down across from her. They looked at each other in silence for a moment and opened their menus.
“Thanks for meeting me. I really wanted to see you again before I left,” Jackson admitted.
“Are you kidding? Jackson, I’ve been dying inside thinking I was never going to see you or talk to you again. We left without giving each other our cell numbers, emails, or anything. You’re all I’ve been able to think about since I walked out of the airport.”
His chest fell as he let go of the breath he held. “Me too. But then I remembered that we talked about work. The first thing I did when I checked into my hotel was look up your work number so I could call you after my meetings.”
She reached across the table and gently touched his hand. Waves of emotions coursed through her body. Even her feet started to tingle. “I’m so glad you did.” She pulled her hand back. “So, hey! How was the wedding? Did you replace me?” she teased.
He cocked his head to one side and lifted his eyebrows before taunting her, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
She let out a huge, “HA!” before continuing. “Maybe I don’t want to know.”
He smiled. “It was a really beautiful wedding. But honestly, I kept looking around for you.”
She felt her heart THUD inside her chest as her face lost all expression and her jaw dropped open slightly. He quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, Caroline. That was inappropriate. I shouldn’t have…”
She cut him off with a wave of her hand. “No. It’s okay. I know I shou
ldn’t, but I like hearing that.”
“Hearing what?”
“I like hearing the way I make you feel,” she admitted.
“Why’s that?” Jackson asked, his voice a little shaky.
“Because you make me feel things I’ve never felt before. I can’t explain the way it feels to be around you.”
Caroline had never intended to say that much, but it was hard to hold back when he was near. He brought out emotions she found hard to fight off.
Jackson reached across the table and gently stroked her palm with his fingers before admitting, “I feel the same way.”
Relief immediately washed over her, quickly followed by an ocean of guilt and concern. What did all of this mean? And what was she going to do about it?
Caroline glanced down at her diamond-encrusted watch, a gift from Clay for their anniversary last year, and noted the time. “I have to go soon. I have a meeting.”