Splendor(60)

“Ah, no more wine for you then,” he teased. “Besides, it’s nearly time for dessert.”

He had actually been keeping a careful eye on her alcohol consumption after she’d told him that she seldom drank. When he had poured her more wine, it had only been in small amounts at a time. But aside from her rosy cheeks and the way she appeared to have relaxed a little more, Tessa certainly didn’t seem drunk or even tipsy. Which was very fortunate because he hadn’t entirely given up hope on the way he wished this evening might end.

Dessert was a trio of mini pots de crème – one each in dark chocolate, caramel and mocha. They fed each other bites with the tasting spoons playfully, as though they’d been lovers for years. Ian sipped a post-dinner brandy while Tessa had wisely passed on more alcohol and was drinking tea instead.

“So how did you come to favor Darjeeling?” he inquired. “It’s not as well-known as other blends like Earl Grey or English Breakfast.”

“Mrs. Carrington,” replied Tessa. “She got me started on it. I had a terrible cold one day, but was refusing to go home until I finished some work. So she brewed me a cup of Darjeeling and insisted I drink it if – let’s see if I can remember her exact words – ah, it was something like ‘if you’re going to continue to act like a mule headed child and stay here in your condition, then the least you should do is have some hot tea.’ She watched me while I drank the entire cup, and then forced me to go home, threatening to fire me if I didn’t.”

Ian laughed heartily at the story. “Yes, that sounds exactly like our Mrs. C. Unfortunately, charm is not one of her better qualities.”

Tessa smiled. “She was tough but she made me a better employee. And in her own way, she was kinder to me than almost anyone else in my life had ever been before.”

He filed that particular snippet of information away for another time. “How did you come to work at the resort?”

“Through a job placement program at the community college I was attending. After my first year of office tech classes, I had acquired enough skills to get a part-time job. When I finished the program a year later I was lucky enough that a full-time position was open.”

“You never thought about continuing your education?” he inquired casually. “Or getting your degree?”

Tessa bent her head as though the question embarrassed her. “I wasn’t – well, a very good student in high school. Things came hard for me, actually. I just seemed better suited to working than going to college.”

He frowned. “I find that difficult to believe. You’re one of the brightest and hardest working employees I’ve ever had.”

She looked incredibly pleased at his compliment. “But that’s just office work – clerical stuff. Things like word processing and spreadsheets came easy for me. Other subjects like algebra and biology not so much.”

Tessa seemed anxious to change the subject, and he allowed her then to turn the tables and ask questions about him. She learned that he had been a three-time boxing champion at Oxford, and that he still worked out at a gym several times a week to keep his skills sharp; that his favorite flavor of ice cream was Haagen Dazs chocolate peanut butter; and that his favorite movie of all time was National Lampoon’s Animal House. She hadn’t believed the latter until he’d begun to recite dialog and recall scenes from the film.

And when he told her that he had been engaged once but that it hadn’t worked out, she didn’t probe further, merely touching his hand and telling him she was sorry. It seemed that she was no more eager to delve into his past this evening than she was to reveal hers.

He had already handed Roland his AMEX black card and was waiting for him to return with the credit slip when he took Tessa’s hands in his.

“Would you do something for me, darling?” he asked. “It’s something I’ve wanted you to do for a very long time.”

She looked a bit uncertain for a moment or two, but then nodded emphatically. “Yes, of course I will. What is it?”

Ian cupped her cheek. “Say my name. That’s all. All this time it’s been ‘Mr. Gregson’ or ‘Sir’. I want to hear my real name on your lips.”

Tessa smiled sweetly. “That’s an easy request – Ian.”

He brushed his thumb over her lips. “I’m looking forward to hearing you say that over and over.”

The weather had declined during their nearly three hour dinner, the wind whipping up and dark storm clouds gathering above. Ian kept Tessa snuggled closely against him as they walked towards the waiting Town Car.