Chris took a sip, rolled the wine over his tongue, and then swallowed. “I have a large family also. Big Catholic tribe. There are nine of us. I have five sisters and three brothers.”
Tia blew out a puff of air. “Wow! I thought we were a large group.” She tore off a piece of bread and buttered it. “Where are you from? Adam didn’t say much about you. Do you live in Paris?”
He took another sip from his glass. “I know you probably won’t believe this, but there are other cities in France.”
“I know,” Tia admitted bashfully. “But Paris is the one that comes to mind first.”
“Shame on you.” He strummed his finger at her. “Not enough geography while you were in school.”
She laughed. Chris joined in. The rich, warm sound filled the room.
“I grew up in the city of Nantes. It’s on the west side of France,” Chris explained.
Leaning more comfortably against the vinyl seat, Tia asked, “How did you end up at Gautier?”
“Reynolds recruited me during my final year at the university.”
“Adam said the same thing. Reynolds is a very clever man.”
“Yes, he is.” Chris broke off a piece of bread and chewed on it. “Reynolds is a major benefactor for the university.”
“Did he go there?”
“Yes. But he’s more than a pretty face with a checkbook. He spends time on campus and conducts entrepreneurial workshops for students and faculty.”
“Very nice. I didn’t know that.” Definitely more than a pretty face, Tia thought.
“Reynolds doesn’t brag. He likes things to be quiet.” Chris smiled.
It captivated Tia. She found herself in a momentary daze.
“What?” he questioned. “Is there something between my teeth?”
Tia snapped out of her trance and decided to admit the truth. “Sorry. You have such a beautiful smile. I couldn’t help admiring it.”
“Thank you. So do you.”
His compliment filled her with pleasure. Tia sat watching this interesting and very different man.
“Tell me, how do you know about this place?” Chris waved a hand around the room.
“I’m a Wayne State graduate. My study group came here for meals sometimes.”
“We’re going to see this campus after lunch, correct?”
“Sure.”
“Merveilleux!”
Sunshine hurried to their booth with an entrée in each hand. He placed a dish on the table in front of Tia and the other before Chris. “These look really good. Enjoy,” he said, then left the table.
Tia glanced at her vegetarian lasagna and inhaled the aroma of Italian seasonings and garlic. Sunshine was right. It did look wonderful. She picked up her fork and glanced at her lunch partner and laughed out loud.
Chris sat, studying his burger. “This isn’t funny. I didn’t expect the burger to be this big.”
“It’s a Jam Burger. It’s half a pound of ground chuck. They are huge. You can always take some of it back to the office and have it for a late-afternoon snack.”
He held the burger in both hands and took a bite. Nodding approvingly, he returned the burger to the wooden basket and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “I think I’m going to finish this.”
“It looks pretty good. It’s too much food for me, so I never order it. But I always wanted one.”
“Here.” Chris took the burger in his hands and held it out to her. “Have a taste.”
With the bun in her face, Tia didn’t know what to do. She shook her head. “Oh, no. I can’t take your food.”
“Of course you can. It’s just a little bite. Come on. Enjoy!”
Tia wanted to say no. Eating his food seemed so intimate and personal. It was something you did with a partner, a lover, or a close friend. Tia was none of these, at least not to him. Again, this may be another cultural thing that she needed to learn.
With the burger in her face, she sank her teeth into the juicy beef. It was heavenly. She shut her eyes, savoring the taste. “Mmm!” Tia moaned. Opening her eyes, she found Chris’s gaze on her. He smiled knowingly. Disconcerted, she drew away and grabbed her napkin, wiping her mouth. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He placed the burger in its basket and pointed at her plate. “May I have a taste?”
“Oh! Sure.” She pushed the plate in his direction.
“No, no. Just give me a forkful.”
“Oh.” She wasn’t sure she wanted him using her fork.
Smiling at her, Chris said, “You don’t have to worry about germs. I’d never hurt you that way.”
3
Monday morning, Tia stood in the doorway to Adam’s office. “Okay. I’ll take care of it,” she assured Adam before shutting his door and crossing the office suite to Chris’s door. She tapped lightly on the wood surface and waited.
“Entrez.”
Tia opened the door and entered the office. Chris sat at his desk with the daily newspaper spread across the surface. Excitement rippled through her. Instantly, guilt assaulted her. That feeling should be reserved for Darnell.
What is Chris up to now? She pursed her lips, moved across the room, and stopped in front of him. “Good morning.”
After a quick glimpse in her direction, Chris returned to his paper. “Bonjour,” he muttered back. “Vous avez besoin de quelque chose?”
She shook her head. “English!”
“Sorry. Do you need something?”
“Yes.” Tia ran her fingers through her hair and said, “Adam wants you at a meeting with Reynolds at two o’clock.”
“What are we discussing?” Chris glanced at her.
“The legal department’s annual budget.”
Grimacing, he dropped the paper and picked up a pen, jotting the information on his calendar. “Oh, oui. Two o’clock. Reynolds’s office. I’ll be there. Très bien. Thanks.”
Reluctant to leave, Tia lingered, watching Chris for a moment. Absorbed in the paper, he failed to notice her. She stood, admiring the beauty of this handsome man as he turned the pages of his paper. Below the rolled-up sleeves of his shirt, she watched the ripple of muscles as he moved.
He glanced up unexpectedly. She covered by asking, “What’s all of this? You’re not looking for a new job, are you?” She waved a hand across the desktop, noting that the newspaper sat open to the classified section.
A bit frazzled, Chris shrugged. “No. I’m searching for a place to live.”
Tia’s eyebrows shot up. She struggled to keep the note of surprise out of her voice, but failed miserably. “You’re apartment hunting?”
“Oui.” Brows furrowed, he pointed at an ad in the newspaper. “I don’t understand. This is so complicated. Where is Beverly Hills? In California?”
Laughing softly, she circled the desk and stood beside him, leaning close to his shoulder to read the classified ad. The warmth of his body caressed her skin. “Yes and no. There’s