“Lunch?” Chloe asked blankly. The very idea created a flutter in her stomach. “Well…I…No, I don’t think so. I have work to do.”
He tilted his head and did not give the appearance of a man who’d been turned down. “You do eat, don’t you? I can see not much, but still…”
Chloe sighed, trying not to smile or be persuaded by his potent charm. “Yes, but not with clients.”
“Aah, but you see, I’m not a client. I’m a former classmate. We studied together. Rooted for the Hollington Lions together. I’m sure we even broke bread together,” he ended on a hopeful note.
She grinned at him. “Not.”
He laughed.
Chloe was about to present another excuse when Kevin suddenly turned to the door, opened it and looked out. “Good, you’re here.”
“What’s going on?” Chloe asked, suspicious.
“I had a feeling you were going to say no, so I’ve brought lunch to you. Now, you’re not going to make a fool out of me and kick me out, or sit and watch me eat alone, are you?”
“Kevin, I really think—”
“Chloe, don’t think. This is only lunch, not another contract negotiation. Now, would you like to eat here, or shall we go sit in the courtyard atrium?”
Chloe looked at him, trying to discern his game plan, trying to stop second-guessing herself. Trying to control a sudden inordinate, if cautious, pleasure that he was being so charmingly persistent. So far Kevin had given her no reason to hold him suspect, and perhaps it would be unfair to use the tabloid gossip and paparazzi exposure against him as well. Chloe had to admit, the idea of an informal surprise picnic lunch had won her over.
“Where do you want this?”
Chloe’s gaze shifted from Kevin’s questioning expression to a tall broad Black man with a shaved head who now appeared over his shoulder.
“CB.” Kevin inclined his head to indicate the man. “Ms. Chloe Jackson.”
“Ms. Jackson,” CB acknowledged formally with a slight bow.
He carried a heavy canvassed tote bag with rawhide fittings and handles that was neatly packed, the top opening covered with a cloth napkin.
Kevin wasn’t giving in. He silently raised his brows and continued to wait for her answer.
“The atrium,” Chloe said finally.
Kevin smiled, not triumphantly but with real pleasure.
Chloe had never considered sitting in the atrium of her downtown Atlanta office building before, let alone having lunch at one of the two-dozen bistro tables that dotted the flagstone deck. Even in the height of summer the area was cool and pleasant, placed among a man-made forest of trees that also provided shade. In the three years since she’d started her event and party planning business, RSVP, her time, attention and money had all gone into promoting and marketing her business, hiring talented and reliable staff. Cultivating new customers and making the right kinds of contacts. She wasn’t about to admit to Kevin that she usually combined lunch with business meetings. It saved time, the relaxed setting more conducive to people signing a contract with her. But that was hardly the case now with Kevin. Chloe was avoiding accepting the fact that she was enjoying herself.
They had just begun eating when Kevin’s cell phone chimed with a popular musical ring tone. He answered and was several sentences into his conversation when he happened to look at her. He correctly read her aloof expression.
“Listen, I’d love to catch up, but I can’t talk with you right now…I’m having lunch with a friend.” He suddenly chuckled. “No, you don’t know who it is and I’m not talking. Later.” He hung up but made no further reference to the call. He set his cell on silent after that.
She occasionally glanced around the atrium, and there were couples and groups of workers, shoppers and people just enjoying a lovely place to sit and relax. It was surprisingly quiet and each table was afforded reasonable privacy for conversation. Chloe knew that she would use the space more often in the future, even if she ate alone.
At one point she spotted a woman who was clearly out of place in the setting. Of average height, she was thin, poorly dressed in jeans and layered in sweaters. They were far too heavy for the summer heat and too oversize for her frame, as if the clothes were hand-me-downs. The woman was standing near one of the porticos of the atrium, pacing. She wasn’t bothering anyone, although she did draw curious glances with her odd appearance. Chloe herself would have given her only a passing glance, but the woman at times seemed to be staring at her.
Kevin finished his glass of iced tea, deliberately slurping the remains through the ice at the bottom. The sounds distracted Chloe back to her lunch companion. She shook her head but smiled at Kevin’s obvious attempts to get her attention.
He put his glass down and wiped his hands with one of the cloth napkins that were packed with their lunch. The delicious meal consisted of chicken salad, warm sliced sourdough bread, a container of chilled watermelon chunks and the tea, all made at Kevin’s restaurant, Flavor.
“Thank you for providing such a wonderful lunch. It was thoughtful, and everything was perfect.”
“I’m glad you liked it,” he said graciously. “Am I forgiven for tricking you into joining me?”
Chloe stirred her straw in her drink. “I have a feeling you wouldn’t have taken no for an answer. I hope I didn’t seem so disagreeable about it,” she murmured.
“Not at all. I understand that you like to keep the demarcation line clear between business and friendship. But it’s not like we’re strangers, right? This is our tenth anniversary.”
Chloe couldn’t help but laugh at his unique twist on the circumstances of their relationship.
Simultaneously they began to wrap up the remains of lunch and repack the tote bag, working smoothly together. Lunchtime was over, and the atrium was now more than half-empty. Even the curious woman had gone.
“So, who else are you recruiting to help with the October weekend, besides me and Kyra?” Kevin asked.
“Well, I’d love to have Beverly Clark ride in Sunday’s parade as the homecoming queen again, but she seems reluctant.”
“I know Beverly. She’s a lovely lady. But the last few years have been kind of rough on her.”
“Yes, so Kyra hinted. Anyway, Kyra said that she and Beverly were best friends, so maybe she can persuade Beverly to change her mind.”
“Do you remember Micah Ross?”
“Oh, yes. Micah and I were friendly in school. I was always running to him with my computer problems. And I got to hear some of his romantic woes. Poor Micah. He was so shy.”
Suddenly, CB appeared again and silently removed the tote bag that held their lunch.
“Anything else?” he asked Kevin politely.
“I’ll just be a few more minutes,” Kevin said.
CB nodded but smiled silently to Chloe before walking away carrying the bag. Chloe’s curiosity got the better of her.
“Is CB your…driver?” she guessed.
Kevin grinned but shook his head. Chloe was also aware of a light frown that momentarily passed between his brows.
“No, not my driver. CB is…I guess you can say he’s my assistant. We started out together in my first business. He showed up one day looking for work, and he was willing to do anything and help anywhere. His biggest talent is that he’s reliable, honest and discreet. He’s helped me out of some, shall we say, difficult situations.”
“I bet,” Chloe said dryly.
“I