Page 41 of See You There

Luke nodded curtly and paced away to make the phone call while Dahlia said her goodbyes and thanked the cameraman. He wasn’t one hundred percent sure what he’d said to Edgar. When she’d looked up at him with pleading eyes, he’d felt as if he’d been sucker punched and couldn’t draw a deep breath.

Dahlia was quiet as they made their way back to the front of the Botanical Gardens, which worked for Luke, because he was frantically trying to figure out what to do about his unusual reactions to her. James would murder him if he got involved with a client, but Luke wasn’t sure he could stay away. Something indefinable pulled them together, and he didn’t have any idea what to do about it.

“Nothing good comes from making the press angry,” Dahlia said, as she climbed in the SUV’s back door he held open for her. “They always spin it around and make it your fault. Or, they’ll dig for something to use.”

Luke wanted to argue the point. It wasn’t in his nature to back down from anyone, especially the press. But Dahlia still looked pale.

“Have you eaten today?”

“No, I'll get something when I get home.”

“Nope,” he said, shaking his head. “We pass one of the best food truck courts in the city on the way back to your place. You're in south Buckhead, right?”

Dahlia nodded.

“Edgar, can you stop at Sergio’s Tacos on the way back?”

Only minutes later, they were stopped at a red light looking up the road at a large asphalt parking lot covered in colorful food trucks.

“It looks like it’s full, boss.”

“No problem. If you pull to the side, we can hop out and cross.”

When Edgar pulled to the curb, Dahlia scooted across the seat to exit on the sidewalk, giving Luke a tantalizing glimpse of her thighs when her skirt ruched up. “Do you want your regular, Edgar?”

“Extra chimichurri,” the driver called through the window. Thankfully, neither Edgar nor Dahlia had noticed him practically leering at her like a creep.

As they waited at the crosswalk, Luke asked, “You like tacos, don't you?”

“Doesn’t everyone?” Dahlia giggled, and something shifted in his chest at the cheerful sound.

“Their chimichurri sauce is the best I’ve ever had.”

Luke ordered for both of them and a box of tacos for Edgar. “Do you want a beer?” he asked when he caught her eyes staring longingly at the cold beers in the ice bucket by the front of the truck.

“Why not?” she asked, surprising him with a warm smile. It looked like Lia was off the clock, and Dahlia was here for lunch.

Luke held the two beers between his fingers and snagged the bag with their food. Fortunately, a couple rose from a table near the cooling misters as they approached. Dahlia scurried forward, sliding into the seat before anyone else could claim the picnic table.

The mischievous look she cast up at him made him grin. Dahlia opened her box, looking at the saucy mess. “So, is this a fork and knife situation?”

“No, but itisa five-napkin job.” Luke pulled his tie free and shrugged off his jacket. He arranged several napkins around his collar and over his lap.

Dahlia let out a peal of laughter. “I think I’m going with the fork.”

“I suspected as much,” he said with mock disappointment, and handed her one of the cellophane-wrapped packets.

Luke watched amused, as she cut a dainty piece, dipping it in the sauce pooled at the bottom of the box. “Oh my god! This is delicious,” she moaned around her second bite.

Luke shifted in his seat, his suit pants becoming uncomfortably tight when her tongue swept out to capture the sauce on her lips. Apparently, staying semi-aroused in Dahlia’s presence was something he would just have to deal with.

“Told you.” Luke leaned almost entirely over the box, before he took his first bite.

“I wouldn’t have taken you for a food truck guy.”

Luke arched an eyebrow. “What kind of guy did you think I was?”

Dahlia screwed her lips to one side. “A fancy steak and red wine kind of guy. Or, a fan of one of those restaurants that brings you foam and calls it food.”