He winched at her words. “I was wrong. Why don’t we run out to a local restaurant and have something to eat. You can spare an hour or two for an old friend, can’t you?”
He wasn’t a friend. That had ended when he told her he wanted to end their relationship, that he had found someone else.
Still, Kelly wanted to know his real reason for coming to see her and she wanted to hear about the agency. What was going on there now? She still had friends at the firm. She’d neglected them in the past few months due to the overwhelming changes she’d been working on at the Kendall.
And there was Jace. He’d taken up a lot of her thoughts.
“We don’t have New York–style restaurants here. The food is simple and good.”
He spread his hands as if accepting his fate.
Kelly grabbed her purse and they went back to the front door. Outside, in the circular driveway gleamed a Mercedes sports car, a two-seater, fire-engine red. It looked like Perry could have driven it off the showroom floor only moments ago.
He opened the door and helped her inside. The interior was plush with all the bells and whistles deserving of a mover and shaker in the advertising business.
“New?” she asked.
“Had it a month.” He accelerated around the circle and sped down the driveway toward the road.
Kelly directed him to the diner on the main street. It was the kind of place where you seat yourself. The tablecloths were white and covered with a solid piece of clear glass. In the center was a bud vase with a plastic flower in it. The menus were already on the table, being held up by the condiments collection. Perry led her to a table next to a big window. Outside sat his car. Kelly wondered if he trusted the citizens of Windsor Heights not to dent his doors.
She lifted the menu, although she knew what she was going to have.
“What’s good here?”
“Everything,” she said. She looked directly at him. “I can recommend the fried chicken. I know you don’t usually eat anything fried, but it’s to die for. Barring that, the liver and onions are good.
“I hate liver,” he said. “Do they have any fish?”
“This is Maryland,” Kelly said. “The crab cakes are excellent. They alone are reason enough to drive this far.”
Perry frowned.
“There’s the meatloaf. It’s not only good, it’ll sustain you for your trip back to New York. Or are you planning to visit the area?”
“I came only to see you. I’ll be leaving right after lunch.”
Kelly’s eyes opened wider.
“Why are you looking like that?” he asked.
“We’ve already said our last words. I find it surprising that you came all the way here to have lunch with me. You must want something. What is it?”
“I promise I only wanted to see you.”
The waitress came over and Kelly ordered the cheeseburger plate. Perry opted for the Maryland Crab Cakes.
“This is a surprising turn,” Perry said after the waitress left them.
“What do you mean?”
“I thought you lived on salads and bottled water.”
“I get more exercise here. I still love salads and water, but I get to have all my favorites now, too.”
“You really like living here?” Perry sounded as if he couldn’t fathom a person preferring the quiet farm life compared to the fast-paced, nonstop existence of a throbbing city.
“You don’t think there’s much going on out here, right?”
He glanced around. The restaurant had several tables with people at them. Most were dressed as if they worked on farms.
“Is there?”
“This is horse country,” she defended.
The waitress returned and set their plates in front of them. She smiled and left.
“Service is fast,” Perry said.
Kelly knew he was thinking the food couldn’t be good if it didn’t take a long period of time to prepare. Her plate held a thick cheeseburger that was high with lettuce, tomato and fried onions. The rest of the plate was covered with curly French fries. Kelly dug into it as if she hadn’t had anything to eat in years. Perry took a tentative bite of his crab cakes. Kelly watched him close his eyes and savor the deliciousness of the food.
“Like them?” she asked.
“They’re wonderful. Who would have thought food like this would come out of a place like this.”
“Careful, Perry. Your snobbery is showing.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
Kelly let his apology go. She was more interested in what else he surely wanted to say.
“Okay, Perry, I have my food now. I want to know what you want.” He started to speak, but Kelly interrupted him. “Don’t say you only came for lunch, because we both know you’d rather go to a four-star restaurant where people recognize you, than be in a homespun town where horseflesh is the stock in trade.”