"Hi," I say, my voice coming out far huskier than I would have anticipated, but he's definitely caught me off guard, I can't deny that. "Yes, I am."
His eyes light up, and he smiles, making him that much more good-looking. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Jacob."
Jacob.
Hot name.
I smile back, and this time it's a real smile, not a forced one. "It's wonderful to meet you, Jacob."
So far, so good.
He nods to the chair beside me. "Mind if I take a seat?"
"Of course," I say, waving a hand at the chair.
Jacob sits down, smiling at me from across the table. Yep, he's certainly easy on the eyes. He's also picked a really classy restaurant. Incredible food. I've been here a few times before, it's most certainly memorable.
"Would you like a drink?" he offers.
Sweet Jesus. Yes.
"Yes, please."
He waves down a young waiter, who strolls over, smiling at the both of us. "Hi there, what can I get you?"
Jacob looks to me. "What would you like?"
"Just a vodka and lime, please."
"And I'll have a whiskey, neat," he orders.
Double hot.
"Coming right up."
When the waiter has gone, Jacob looks to me. "I'm sorry if I'm not doing very well at this. It's the first time I've dated in a long time, I'm afraid."
I exhale a little, fully relaxing into my chair. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all. "Me too, so if I screw up, forgive me."
His eyes warm and his lips twitch. "I can't imagine you'd screw up. You're far too beautiful for that."
I flush. "Thank you."
He flashes me that all-American boy-next-door smile again. "What do you do for a living, Hartley?"
"Call me Hart, please, and I'm studying to be a midwife. I work as a waitress in between."
His brows go up. "That's very impressive!"
I flush. "Thank you. What about you? What do you do?"
"I'm an interior designer."
My brows go up now too. "Wow, that's inspiring. Does that keep you busy?"
"Extremely," he smiles. "I currently have four jobs this week, and another three booked for next."
The waiter returns with our drinks, and we both take sips before continuing. "How does that work?" I ask, curious. "Do they ask for your opinion and you design them something?"
He nods. "Sometimes, yes. I basically go in, speak with them, look at their house and the style and design, and then I create a plan on a program that I have on my computer. I show it to them, and then we adjust it to suit their needs."
"Wow, that's amazing. You must have a creative mind, to be able to come up with something like that. I've seen the work of some interior designers-it's incredible."
He looks flattered by my compliment and gives me a small, almost shy smile. "Yeah, I do have somewhat of a creative mind."
Finally, a conversation that seems to be flowing well and a man who seems normal.
"Have you lived in Denver long?" Jacob asks, sipping his drink, scanning me with those great-looking blue eyes.
"All my life. I used to live just on the outskirts with my husband for ten years, but sadly he passed four years ago."
Jacob's eyes soften, and in a kind voice, he says, "I'm terribly sorry, that must have been awful. Can I ask what happened?"
"He was in a car accident," I tell him.
"Again, I'm sorry. That would have been hard to deal with. Is that why you moved closer to town?"
I nod. "Yes, plus it was closer to the hospital where I do a good deal of my training and assessments. So it made more sense to be closer to the city."
He nods thoughtfully. "Do you enjoy living close to the city?"
"Yes and no," I admit. "Sometimes I find that I miss the quiet of living out of town, but I do enjoy the convenience."
He nods in agreement. "And do you have any family close by?"
I shake my head. "No, my mother passed away before I lost my husband. My father is still alive, but is traveling overseas. I don't have any siblings."
Jacob nods. "I'm sorry to hear about your mother, but it seems like your father is doing well for himself."
I smile. "Yeah, he's happy. Good for him, too. I'm glad he's out there getting the most out of his life. It's so short, you know?"
"I absolutely agree," he murmurs, sipping his drink again.
"What about you?" I ask. "Do you have any family?"
He shakes his head. "No, I lost my parents when I was younger. A tragic accident took them from me."
My heart breaks for him. I know how losing someone unexpectedly feels. "I'm so sorry, that's terrible."
///