“Be ready at noon. I’ll meet you at the car park elevator.” He didn’t say anything else, but he didn’t have to. Isobel was getting her way.
~
Chapter Eight
~
At midday, Isobel grabbed her coat and purse and made her way to the elevator, riding it down to the parking lot and waited outside the door until Tyler joined her a few minutes later. Without a word being said, they walked to his car where he held the door open for her to get in first and then drove the short distance to the restaurant still in silence.
He opened the door and stood to one side to let her enter first. Always such a bloody gentleman, at least in public, she thought with just a twinge of irritation. Isobel’s thoughts were halted, however, when she looked around the restaurant. Apart from the staff, it was completely empty; not a single customer at a single table.
She looked over her shoulder at Tyler, and was about to tell him that maybe the place was closed when a member of staff came directly to him and started talking.
“Ah, Mr. James, how nice to see you again, sir.” He gestured with his hands to a table at the back of the room. “Everything has been prepared just as you instructed, sir.” He pulled out a chair for a very bemused Isobel, and continued talking as he pushed the chair in under her. Amanda will be your server today, and we have your champagne on ice all ready for you.” He smiled politely at them both as he draped a linen napkin across Isobel’s lap. “If you need anything at all, please feel free to let me know, Mr. James.” And with that he was gone.
“What on earth is going on?” Isobel was completely confused.
Tyler looked up from the menu and raised an eyebrow questioningly. “What do you mean, Isobel?”
“I mean, what’s going on?” She repeated herself. “The place is empty. Where is everyone?”
“Well of course it’s empty. I reserved the whole place so we wouldn’t be disturbed.” He smiled enigmatically at her.
“You did what? Why?” Isobel was amazed that he would go to such lengths.
Tyler smiled at her as though she was a child and he had to explain everything in really simple terms. “Because I didn’t want us to be disturbed while we ate and talked, that’s why.” He looked back down at the menu. “Now please decide what you’d like to eat, Isobel. We don’t have all day.”
Suitably chastised, Isobel turned her attention to the menu and gulped when she saw that nothing had a price next to it, which meant that everything was crazily expensive in her book. Oh well, if he could afford to buy out the whole restaurant over one of the busiest times of the day, then he could afford to pay for her grilled Tuna.
Amanda the waitress came to take their order and bring them their drinks, and then they were left on their own. Isobel fidgeted nervously, trying to think of how to start the conversation that she knew they needed to have.
She didn’t realize that she’d been twisting her napkin in her fingers until Tyler spoke up. “Please try not to look so nervous, Isobel. I’m here to eat lunch, not to eat you.” Isobel couldn’t help the little thrill that flickered over her at the mental picture his words conjured up. “And for God’s sake stop wringing that napkin as though you’re trying to strangle it.”
Isobel let go of the offending item and looked at the wall behind him, and at the table on the other side of the room, and at the members of staff who were busy rushing around doing absolutely nothing because Tyler had paid an exorbitant amount for them to not be disturbed while they said absolutely nothing to each other.
She finally looked at the man sat opposite her, and couldn’t help but be struck once again by how good looking he was. Not handsome in the traditional sense of the word, but chiseled muscular and very masculine. She didn’t think there was a woman out there who wouldn’t want to be in her shoes right now.
“Is something amusing you?” She jumped and looked at his face, relieved to notice that he had a twinkle in his eye that belied his stern voice.
She gave a tinkling laugh and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Tyler. No, nothing is amusing me. It was just a private thought.”
He smiled at her. “I love it when you laugh. You should do it more often.” He raised his eyebrow again. “Care to share your ‘private’ thought?”
Isobel felt herself blushing. “Um, no, but it was nothing bad, I promise you.” She cleared her throat nervously. “There is something I need to ask you though, Tyler.” Her blush deepened. “Remember when you left me in your office yesterday?” Tyler frowned reflectively and nodded. “Well I was sort of curious about you, and I, um…” Her words trailed off as she fidgeted nervously. Please, God, don’t let him be too mad, she thought.