“Charlotte, right now he's my employer. Even if I did think he was hot, and I'm not saying I do, I can't. Do you know what my dad would do if he ever found out I even thought of flirting with a client?”
“So you want to do more than just flirt, huh? What if he wasn't your client?” she pressed. I could see where her thoughts were going, and I couldn't stop the blush that seeped out from my spine and crawled up to my ears. The things I would do to him... The way those gray eyes would light up, and how he would smile at me...
I did my best to glare at Charlotte. I didn't trust myself to actually say anything. He was a billionaire and I wasn't even sure I was good enough to even think of dating.
“Fine, fine.” She waved her hand through the air like she was giving up, but then leaned forward, a wicked gleam in her eyes. “He also likes two sugars and no cream in his coffee.”
“Charlotte!”
“Just saying,” she said with a all-too-knowing shrug. “It could be useful information.”
I shook my head, exasperated. The worst part was that I wanted to know everything she told me. I wanted to know more. But he was my billionaire employer and I was fairly certain she was crazy. He could have anyone. Why would he want me?
“Do you try and set your brother up with every girl you meet?” I asked her, glancing around the bar and hoping our drinks came soon. I needed something stiff.
“Nope,” Charlotte responded with a grin. “Just the ones that make him smile.” She leaned forward conspiratorially. “I even caught him humming last night after he made you those sandwiches. He never hums unless he's really happy.”
Unfounded hope surged in my chest and pressed against my ribs to the point of pain. I wanted to believe her. I wanted him to like me like I liked him.
“That could be anything,” I said dismissively. As much as I wanted it to be true, I knew there were a million reasons for him to be smiling that didn't include me. “He could have just gotten a good weather report for his paddle-boarding the next day. Or his new paddle-board shipped from Billionaire Paddle-boarders Emporium.”
“Right...” Charlotte rolled her eyes at me like I was thick. “Sandwiches with a girl he won't stop staring at and the humming is all in my head. Seriously? Billionaire Paddle-boarders Emporium?”
She looked at me, begging me with her eyes to believe her. I wanted to. I wanted to believe that the billionaire had a crush on me.
“You really think he likes me?” I felt like a sixth grader. All I needed now was to pass her a note to give to him that read, Do you like me? Yes or No? I shrugged, trying to play it off. “Besides, he's said all of three words to me. And two of them were during my dad's heart attack.”
Charlotte smiled and leaned back confidently in her chair. “My brother is a tough nut to crack. He has trouble trusting people. After his parents died, he didn't have anyone until he found me. And even then, it was him protecting me from the world. No one was there to protect him anymore.”
I stared at the table in front of me, trying to figure out the riddle that was Sebastian Belrose. I had a girl with all the clues sitting in front of me, but I didn't dare ask. I wanted to find out his secrets from him.
Charlotte leaned forward and I looked up. “He's a great judge of character, but he's slow to trust. The fact that he made you that particular sandwich is actually a pretty big step for him. Honest. He likes you.”
I opened my mouth, wanting her to explain how a sandwich was a big step. I wanted to believe her, but at the same time, I had been burned so badly in my last relationship that it was hard for me to believe that a sandwich meant something. Two years of love and devotion hadn't meant a damn thing, so I couldn't help but wonder what a sandwich did.
It was just then that the waiter arrived with our food and drinks. On the plate before me was some sort of pastry that smelled absolutely fantastic. I poked it with my fork, releasing steam and even more mouth-watering aromas.
“What is this?” I asked Charlotte, taking a careful bite. It was absolutely divine. The crust was light and fluffy while the inside was a curry-flavored beef that melted in my mouth. “It's so good!”
Charlotte grinned and stuffed a big bite into her mouth. So much for her diet. “It's a Jamaican Patty,” she explained through her mouthful of food. “They make them even better here than the ones in Jamaica.”
I swallowed my bite and took a sip of the drink. Charlotte had been right to order for me. A combination of orange juice, rum, and a combination of fruit juices I couldn't decipher hit my mouth. It was strong, but I barely could taste it over the fruit juice. I could see why there was a two-drink maximum on them. It would be far too easy to drink them all night and never realize how much alcohol was in the glass.
“Amazing, right?” Charlotte asked, licking her lips. Somehow, the petite girl had managed to stuff almost the entire patty into her mouth.
“Mm hmm,” I responded, not wanting to talk. All I wanted to do was shovel more food into my mouth, with possible breaks for more drink.
“So, anyway,” Charlotte continued after a moment of chewing. “Bastian.”
“Do I really want to know this?” I asked, pausing to take a sip of my drink.
“The last time he got close to someone, she ripped his heart out and stomped on it with cleats. He had fallen hard for her, but she was just stringing him along.” She shrugged. “It was before he got rich, but he's the kind of guy that's good to have around so she led him on a leash. The two of them had very different goals. He wanted a family and she wanted fun.”
“He wants a family?” My stomach did a little happy dance. I wanted a family. I had always wanted a family. Maybe a little bit of travel before having kids, but I wanted the white picket fence and everything that came with it. I wanted it, but my heart was still to fresh from being stomped on to believe I would ever get it.
“Yes, and from the stupid happy look on your face, you do too, so that's good.” Charlotte took a big sip of her drink. “Anyway, the girl was sleeping around on him. Everyone saw it coming but him. It was a big part of how Kindling Dating was started.”
“I thought you said he just did the logistics?” I stared down at my empty plate and wished I had more. That had been absolutely fantastic.
“Leo and Gabriel had the original idea, but he was the one who turned it into reality,” Charlotte explained. I liked that she used her hands to talk. It made her easy to read. “He wanted to make sure that people found the people they were looking for instead of just randomly hoping to run into someone compatible.”