She’d chosen a tight-fitting red halter-top dress and gold heels. That was after she’d made a hurricane out of her bedroom.
“You ready to go?” Jake pulled back. “You can drive if you want.”
Char shook her head and edged out of the driver’s seat. “No way. It’s too expensive for me to drive. I’d be going ten down the freeway for fear someone would hit us.”
Jake walked around the car and helped her get the rest of the way out of the low seat, but she ended up stumbling into his arms looking all kinds of clumsy. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” His eyes focused on her lips for a brief second before he stepped back. “First rule of birthdays… you never have to be sorry. Now, get in the car. We have some parents to find.”
“Jake, I doubt you’ll ever find them—”
“Already did, or should I say Grandma did? They’re staying at the first place Grandma called. She said it was one of the nicer places on Alkai and would be a good place to start. All she did was call and say she was on her deathbed and needed to talk to her son. She gave him your dad’s name and well… hung up.”
“She’s an evil genius.”
Jake put the car in drive. “One day she’ll rule the world. Mark my words.” He reached across her seat and buckled her seat belt. “Hold on. I’ve only driven this thing once and it’s fast.”
***
He wasn’t kidding about the car being fast. Or the fact that he’d only driven it once. A few times they got so lost in their conversation that he didn’t even realize he was doing over a hundred miles an hour.
For once in her life, Char felt like she was in a fairy tale. When she was younger she’d been the girl that Jake didn’t fall for, and now… She stole a glance at him while he changed radio stations. She was his Cinderella. It felt good, even if it was out of pity. For once, someone had picked her.
She’d never realized how much she needed it. Until now.
Chapter Fifteen
Jake pulled the car into the first parking spot. “This looks like the place. They think they’ve won some sort of contest put on by the bed and breakfast. I had to time it right so that we’d arrive when they were seated for cocktails.”
Char laughed. “Wow, you’re just as bad as your grandma with all your plotting.”
“Good to know that if I never get my job back I can at least manipulate people for a living. Glad that’s the only thing my grandma passed down to me.”
“That and impeccable taste.” Char murmured, looking at the car.
“I think so, too.” Jake said, but when Char looked at him he wasn’t staring at the car; he was staring at her. It wasn’t real, it wasn’t real. He held out his arm. “Shall we?”
Giggling, she took his arm and walked with him into the large bed and breakfast. It was attached to a really high-end restaurant nestled right on Alkai Beach. The sun was still perched high in the sky but it wasn’t too hot to go for a walk on the beach or have dinner outside. Char wanted to do both. That was, if she didn’t turn into a pumpkin first.
“You ready?” Jake whispered in her ear once he opened the door for her.
Unable to find her words, she gripped his arm and nodded.
The smell of rich food flooded her senses as they walked arm in arm into the building.
“Ah, Mr. Titus!” An elderly gentleman in a full tux stood in front of them. “We have the table set to your specifications. Would you care to start with champagne?”
Jake looked at Char as if waiting for her opinion.
“C-champagne’s fine.” She swallowed the nervousness in her throat as her gaze scanned the restaurant and finally landed on her parents. They were sitting in a corner in deep conversation.
Char’s breath hitched. Suddenly losing her nerve, she made a move to back away but Jake held her firm. When both of her parents looked her way with curiosity, Jake pretended not to care who they were; he merely nodded in their direction as the waiter led them to their own private section of the restaurant.
Char almost cried when she saw the table. It was littered with rose petals and on the plates, drawn in chocolate, was “Happy Birthday.” Strawberries were formed around the message. In the corner there was a giant present.
She had to hold back the tears so they didn’t stream down her face and ruin her makeup. No one had ever done anything like this for her before. It was inconceivable that Jake could even think to do something like this, let alone plan it in an hour! It had to be Grandma’s work. No way did he possess that big a heart… Either that or he just felt guilty that she’d accused him of being selfish.
He went to pull out her chair and whispered again in her ear. “Happy Birthday.”
Char felt herself blush as she focused on breathing. It was damn difficult, considering she’d just felt his lips on the tips of her ear, causing her heart to pound like crazy.
Jake took his seat as the waiter popped the cork on the champagne bottle. When Jake excused him, they were left alone with their appetizers and champagne.
“Char?” Her mother’s voice was tinged with excitement and surprise. “Is that you, honey?”
With a tight smile, Char greeted her mom and dad as they made their way to the private table, their eyes taking in every single detail and then finally landing on Jake.
“Jake Titus?” Her father held out his hand. “Heard you were just let go by your own grandmother. That’s gotta hurt. How ya holdin’ up?”