Читать книгу Nights Of Fantasy - Sherelle Green - Страница 14

Chapter 4

“I can’t believe I lost,” Danni said for the third time that morning. She could still see the look of accomplishment on Jaleen’s face last week when he’d won the game. Even worse, he’d had the nerve to do a happy dance around the dining room table, chanting that he’d won.

She would have thought his excitement was flattering had she not been a nervous wreck ever since that night. When he’d called to ask if she was free the entire Sunday, her initial thought had been to decline an all-day date. But the Jaleen she knew would never plan to spend all day with a woman, so she’d accepted out of curiosity. Four days after accepting, she was still nervous.

She glanced at her outfit in her bathroom mirror. Jaleen hadn’t given her a dress code, so she’d chosen to wear her favorite lavender romper and beige wedges. Instead of tying her hair up, she let her soft curls flow around her shoulders. Just as she lifted her eyeliner to apply some light makeup, a loud noise echoed through the wall.

“Oh, crap,” she said as she dropped her eyeliner in the sink. Orchestra music rebounded off her walls from the condo next door. When Summer had moved in with Aiden, Danni had accepted Summer’s offer to rent her condo. Danni had lived there with Summer for a short while when she’d initially moved to Miami, so she was familiar with most of the neighbors. Unfortunately the one she shared a wall with was the hardest to get along with.

“Mr. Higgins,” she said, banging on the wall. “Can you please turn down the music?” She’d thought they had an understanding after their last chat a couple weeks ago. Apparently there was no getting through to Mr. Higgins.

She reached into her drawer for the earplugs she’d purchased after one too many restless nights.

She’d just finished her makeup and taken out her earplugs when there was a knock at the door. “Hi, Jaleen,” she yelled. “Come on in.”

“Why is your neighbor’s music so loud?” he yelled back. “I was just about to call you because I’d been knocking for a while.”

“Sorry about that. I had in earplugs. My neighbor Mr. Higgins loves to play his music loudly three days a week. I thought I’d get used to it, but it still catches me off guard.”

“Oh, yeah,” Jaleen said with a laugh. “I think I remember Summer complaining about that guy one time.” He stopped laughing and looked her up and down.

“You look beautiful,” he yelled just as the music stopped. They both laughed.

“Thank you,” she said with a smile. “You look nice, as well.” He was wearing dark jeans and a blue shirt. “I’ve always liked you in blue.”

A smile spread across his face. “Then I’ll have to remember that for the future.” She was sure he meant future dates, but just mentioning the word made her feel warm and tingly in places she had no business feeling warm and tingly. The music started back up, breaking the moment.

“Let’s get out of here,” she said, grabbing her purse and sweater.

Once they were in the car, her nervousness eased. “You know, the girls laughed when I told them about the bet.”

“Considering our track record, I’m sure they did,” Jaleen said with a laugh. “But I’m really looking forward to today.”

“Me, too. Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

Jaleen glanced from the road to her. “Did you bring an appetite, like I asked?”

At the time she hadn’t known if he’d meant an appetite for him or an appetite for food. Luckily, she’d brought an appetite for both.

Jaleen smirked. “Your mind is so dirty, Danni.”

She waved her arms in innocence. “What? I didn’t say anything.”

“Yeah, well, I can read what you’re thinking.”

She observed him as he drove. “Probably because you’re thinking the same thing I am.”

The rest of the twenty-minute drive was in silence. As they parked in a lot in Little Havana, Danni was still clueless about the day date.

“Since you grew up in Miami, I’m assuming you already know where we are.”

Danni turned to face Jaleen. “You remember that I grew up in Miami?”

He opened his door and went around the car to open hers. “I remember everything you tell me,” he said as he helped her out the car. “Just like I remember that you’re a vegetarian.”

Danni squinted. “Little Havana is known for its Cuban cuisine and doesn’t exactly have many vegetarian options.”

“See, that’s where you’re wrong,” he said as she looped her arm in his. “I happen to have a friend who specializes in vegetarian Cuban cuisine.”

“You’re kidding,” Danni said with a smile. “Why haven’t I heard of a vegetarian chef here before?”

“Probably because she doesn’t advertise it. Her vegetarian dishes are by special request only.”

“How do you know her?”

“I flipped a house a few years back that she brought. She also gives cooking lessons out of the guest house on the property, so we kept in touch.” Jaleen led her to a small restaurant that already had people lining up on the sidewalk despite the fact it wasn’t even the afternoon yet. Instead of getting in line, they bypassed the people and entered the restaurant.

“Jaleen, honey, so nice to see you again.” Danni unlinked Jaleen’s arm so he could hug the eccentric woman who was wearing about ten different vibrant colors. Danni knew exactly who she was and had watched her cooking shows when she was on the Food Network channel. Artemela Rojas wasn’t only known for her unique Cuban cuisine, but also her flamboyant personality and fun-loving spirit. There weren’t too many people who rendered Danni speechless upon meeting them, but Artemela was one of those people.

“Hello, Danni. I’ve heard so much about you.” She pulled Danni in for a hug.

“Nice...to...uh, meet you,” Danni finally got out. “I’m...so...uh, so honored.”

A quick glance at Jaleen proved he was amused by the situation. “Artemela, Danni isn’t aware of everything we’re doing today and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Oh, I love surprises,” Artemela said, clasping her hands together. “We have to open the restaurant, but I have the perfect spot for you.”

Danni and Jaleen followed her to the rooftop where there sat a table in the corner with the perfect view of Little Havana. Two mimosas were waiting for them and a plate of spinach empanadas.

“Enjoy this appetizer while I get to work in the kitchen. Carlos will come check on you soon and I’ll be back up later.” After they both thanked Artemela, Danni was finally able to soak in what had just happened.

“Oh, my goodness, I can’t believe I just hugged Artemela Rojas. She’s legendary here in Miami. I knew she had some signature vegetarian dishes because I’ve followed her recipes for years, but this is beyond unbelievable.”

“She’s one of your favorite chefs, right? You used to watch her shows on television.”

How did he know that? “Yes, she’s one of my favorite chefs.” She shook her head in disbelief. “I really have no idea how you knew that... I don’t think I’ve ever talked about her before.”

Jaleen took a sip of his mimosa, never breaking eye contact. “Do you remember the time we were at Ajay and Autumn’s house discussing their wedding plans right after they got engaged?”

“Of course,” she said, taking a sip of her mimosa, as well. “Winter and Taheim were trying to convince them to have a big wedding. But they were both insistent on not having an elaborate wedding.”

“Exactly. We spent all night trying to dwindle down their wedding list to under one hundred people.”

“Which was almost impossible,” Danni said. “We decided to shelve that conversation for later.”

Jaleen nodded his head in agreement. “So we all went to Ajay and Autumn’s living room to watch a basketball game that was on and you offered to wash dishes in the kitchen. I eventually went to the kitchen to help and you were watching reruns of Artemela’s show and unloading a bag full of groceries.”

“Oh, right,” she said, taken aback that he remembered. “When I was picking up food for the wedding planning session, I had picked up ingredients for a new dish that Artemela was making on the rerun that aired that night. You asked me if I loved cooking shows and I told you—”

“Only if it’s an Artemela Rojas cooking show,” Jaleen finished. “I wanted to tell you then that I knew her, but I was too wrapped up in observing your behavior.”

She looked into his eyes, trying to process everything he was saying. “And what did you see that night? After observing me?”

He slightly squinted. “I’m not sure you want to know.”

“Oh, come on,” she said, playfully hitting his arm. “Now I’m curious. You have to tell me.”

He didn’t say anything for a few moments and she feared that he’d never tell her what he’d observed that day.

“I noticed a couple things,” he finally said. “But the most important was the way your eyes lit up after you finished creating the dish. It couldn’t have taken you any longer than thirty minutes, yet the way your eyes gleamed with excitement, you would have thought the dish had taken hours to complete.”

She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat, determined to maintain eye contact. “You watched me for the entire thirty minutes?”

He gave her a sheepish grin as he shifted in his seat. “If I say I watched you for longer than that, would it creep you out?”

It doesn’t, but maybe it should. “It actually creeps me out more that I didn’t notice you watching me. I guess I’m more passionate about those cooking shows than I realized.”

“I have a feeling that you’re passionate about a lot more than cooking shows,” Jaleen said in a low voice. “But don’t worry. I plan on finding out just how deep that passion goes.”

* * *

The five-course vegetarian meal that Artemela had prepared had been everything Jaleen had hoped it would be. With each course, Danni’s eyes had lit up more and more. After the meal, he’d taken her to his favorite gelato place in Miami. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun on a date. He glanced over at the woman who was responsible for one of the most carefree and enjoyable dates he’d ever had.

“So what’s next?” she asked excitedly. “I’m not sure I can eat much more food, but I’d like to try.” The sun was setting, which meant it was the perfect time to execute the last part of their first date. He hadn’t had a chance to talk to Danni about the bucket list she’d mentioned to him months ago, but he didn’t need to bring it up during this date. He knew at least one item on the list, but he was hoping his next suggestion would be something off her list. He’d be able to tell based on her facial expressions.

“I have a question for you before we do the last thing. Have you ever snuck onto a tour bus or into a concert?”

She looked at him inquisitively. “That’s a strange question. I guess, no, I’ve never done either one.”

“Have you ever thought about doing anything like that? Breaking the rules by sneaking into someplace you didn’t belong?” He studied the way her eyebrows rose before she smiled.

“Actually, I have always wanted to sneak into a movie theater. You know, pay for one movie and then when it’s over, sneak into another.”

Perfect. “Well, luckily for you, that’s exactly what I had planned.” He grabbed her hand and led her to a local movie theater that only played two movies a night. Sneaking into a movie theater this small would definitely give them a rush and, if his plan worked, the item he’d placed earlier would still be waiting in the larger theater.

“Did you really have to pick the smallest theater in Miami?” Danni said as they approached the side door. “What if we get caught?”

“All they can do is kick us out,” Jaleen said as they hid between the theater and another building. “Around this time, an employee should come out here to dump the trash. If it’s the same guy who has worked the last couple nights, he’ll prop open the door, so that’s our window to rush in.”

“Are you insane?” Danni whispered, looking over her shoulder at the people in the distance. “You promised me a fantasy date, not an illegal date.”

“Being fed by your favorite chef was a fantasy. Besides, sneaking into an eight-dollar movie isn’t that big of a deal. We’ll be fine.”

On cue, the door was propped open and the employee went to take out the garbage. “Showtime,” Jaleen said as they sneaked through the door and hid in a darkened corner. Once the employee closed the door and went back to work, Jaleen held Danni close as they made their way to the movie theater. When they were in the clear, they blended in with the crowd in the lobby.

“See, that wasn’t so bad, right?” he asked.

“I guess not, but that was still nerve-racking.”

“Excuse me, sir,” a voice said from behind them. Jaleen watched Danni’s eyes widen in fear.

“May I help you?” Jaleen asked as he turned around. He held Danni’s hand, trying to ease her nerves.

“Can you take our picture?” the man asked as he and his companion pointed to a life-size advertisement for an upcoming movie.

Danni loosened her grip on his arm.

“Sure.” After snapping a few photos, he led Danni to the top corner of the movie theater. Luckily, no one had taken the seats nearest a wall fixture even though the movie was going to start soon. He lifted his hand to grab the bag he’d placed there.

“What are you doing?” she whispered.

“Getting this,” he said as he sat next to her and untied the bag of cheese-and-caramel popcorn. “I figured you may miss Garrett’s popcorn from Chicago, so I brought some down with me and hid a bag in this theater for us.”

She shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t express how much you’ve surprised me today,” Danni said, accepting the bag he handed her. “And, yes, I’ve missed Garrett’s since I’ve been here.”

She was still looking into his eyes as the movie started. He couldn’t read every emotion, but he read the most prominent one...gratitude.

I wish I could see this look in her eyes every day.

He tried to ignore the voice in the back of his mind but as she curled into his arm and dug into her popcorn, it was the only thought that remained.