Jenna swallowed again. “Doing what?” she mumbled.
He raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure I’ll think of something.”
She stared at him. He was in her shop. David would have seen him. Now she would have to explain herself to her friends. Mariel and David were going to have a field day with this development.
“I was hoping you’d consider letting me take you to dinner.”
Jenna cleared her throat. “Now?” She glanced down at her clothes. White jeans. Pink blouse. Matching pink flip flops. Not what she would wear on a date, but then again, Mason was casual in his jeans and designer T-shirt.
“Well, if you can get away. Your coworker told me he had things covered.”
You spoke to David?
Jenna glanced around at the messy room. She’d accomplished little today except to scatter flowers, stems, and ribbon all over the place in her discombobulated state.
“Did you have other plans?” His mouth dropped.
“No.”
“Then let’s go.” He lifted his elbow for her to accompany him.
“I need to talk to David.” She stepped past Mason, leaving him in the rear of the store.
David was finishing up with a client, and she waited for the door to shut behind the woman before she addressed him. “You told Mason you would close?”
“Yes. Is that a problem? I often close.” He lifted a brow, smirking at her. “So, Mason is his name? Nice. Why haven’t I heard a word about this Mason?” He glanced behind her to make sure they weren’t being overheard and lowered his voice. “He’s hot. If it doesn’t work out, give him my number.”
Jenna swatted his arm. “Be nice.” She straightened and brushed a hair from her face. “Okay then.” She glanced around and couldn’t think of a single reason she shouldn’t go with Mason. Except for the small detail of him possibly smashing her heart to pieces when he was done with it.
“Go.” David pointed to the back. “There’s a stunningly hot man waiting for you. Why are you still here?”
He was that. Stunning and hot. Maybe too much so.
Chapter Ten
Mason drove slowly toward the steakhouse. He’d booked a reservation before arriving at Ribbons and Bows. He felt like a gangly teenager on his first date. In fact he’d been a teenager the last time he’d been on a real date.
He’d never been lacking in women, and he’d serviced plenty over the years, never failing to get what he needed from them whenever the urge arose. But dating was not his thing. Or it hadn’t been.
When he pulled to the curb and then helped Jenna from the Camaro, he felt calmer than expected. Her tiny fingers wrapped in his made him settle. His chest pounded at a slower pace.
The hostess seated them promptly, and Mason ordered a bottle of wine. He leaned on his elbows and stared at his good luck as soon as the waitress left them. “What?”
Jenna grinned at him. “You don’t realize how domineering you are, do you?”
Uh oh. He gritted his teeth. “What’d I do already?”
“How do you know if I like chardonnay?”
He smiled. “You drank it at the rehearsal dinner.” Ah ha.
She laughed. “Okay. I’ll give you that. But what if I want something different tonight?”
“Do you?”
“No.”
“Well then.” He reached across the table and took her hands in his. “I’m gonna fuck up. I’m far from perfect. I don’t know if I can do this. I’m only asking for a chance.”
She squeezed his hands with her fingers. “I’m not perfect, either. And you don’t have to do all the work. Perhaps we could meet halfway. I could attempt to fit in to your world, and you could give mine a try?”
“A truce. Hmmm. I’ve never done a truce before.”
“No time like the present.” She released him as their wine appeared.
The waitress removed the cork, poured a splash, and handed it to Mason, who nodded his approval after a small sip. “May I take your order?”
Mason opened his mouth and then thought better of it. “Give us a minute, please.” He turned to Jenna. “See? I can be so accommodating. What sounds good to you?”
Jenna perused the menu. “The fillet, I think.”
“Good choice.”
The meal was easy going, not as stressful as Mason had anticipated. He found he liked sitting across from Jenna, being able to watch her expressions as she ate. They engaged in a bit of give and take. She told him about her floral business, and he told her about his accounting office.
He knew her better after they’d eaten. He didn’t usually know much about a woman besides what made her tick sexually. Hell, he barely knew more about himself than what got his rocks off.