Apparently it did as Cassie found herself being seated mere seconds later.
“Cassie,” Jeff said, “George here is a good friend of mine.” He slipped his hand on top of hers and squeezed gently. “George, this is Miss Newton, my flancée.”
The older man beamed down at them both.
“My congratulations, Mr. Haddon. That’s wonderful news!” His voice dropped. “Miss McNaughton would have been so pleased.”
Cassie watched the smile tug at Jefferson’s wide mobile mouth.
“Yes,” he drawled. “Aunt Judith would be very happy.”
When they were alone, Cassie leaned forward.
“I’m really not dressed for such an expensive restaurant, Jeff. And I’m not very hungry, either.” She heard the whine in her own voice and endeavored to get rid of it. “ Why are we here?”
Brisk and to the point, that was better.
He leaned back in his chair, smiling benevolently at her across the candlelight. A waiter arrived with champagne in a silver bucket, forestalling any further conversation.
Jeff picked up the glass and held it aloft.
“A toast to us, Cassandra.”
She frowned at him and he laughed.
“Don’t worry,” he told her. “It’s nonalcoholic. I guess that’s another detail you should know. I don’t drink. Ever.”
His voice was cool, almost hard and Cassie wondered if she should ask why. The dark look on his face was not encouraging, however, and she decided discretion was the better part of valor. Slowly she picked up the slim, fluted crystal and tinkled it against his.
“What are we toasting to?” she murmured.
“To us and the solutions we’re going to find to our disagreements. All of them.”
As she sipped the bubbly concoction, Cassie looked around curiously. The restaurant glowed warmly in the flickering light cast off smoothly polished oak walls. It was a gracefully elegant room with brass fixtures, potted flowers and tall willowy plants strategically placed here and there to provide privacy for its diners. The sound of softly soothing classical guitar played in the background as the tinkle of good china, silver and crystal rang out occasionally.
“I’m having a steak,” Jeff declared, laying down the huge menu. “What would you like?”
“I’ve heard about this place,” Cassie mused, staring at the preponderance of items listed. “A friend of mine said the veal is excellent. I’ll try that.”
Somehow, Cassie felt Jefferson Haddon wouldn’t understand that her friend Moira had only been able to enjoy the veal on her twenty-fifth anniversary because her children had surprised their parents. He probably had no idea that not everyone frequented Vicenzo’s on the spur of the moment.
The waiter bustled away to return seconds later with their soup, a delicious mushroom blend that teased and tantalized her tongue.
“I don’t recognize all of these greens,” Cassie admitted when her salad arrived. “But the dressing is fantastic.” She licked her lips at the flavor of it only realizing how childish her action was when Jeff’s laugh rang out.
“It’s nice to see someone enjoy their food,” he assured her. “And you don’t have to worry about dieting, thank goodness.”
Cassie grinned.
“Are you kidding? With kids around all the time, I’m lucky if I get to eat.” She peered up at him through her lashes. “Why are we here, Jeff?”
She watched as a tiny flush of pink colored his cheeks.
“I, um, well, you see I was hoping that, well,” he stopped, obviously at a loss.
Cassie smiled. For once it was nice to see the elegant, assured Jefferson Haddon stumble for the correct phrasing.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.