“A man is only as good as a good woman next to him?”
“Bingo,” he affirmed and gave her a quick kiss. “You and I have a lot to learn about each other.”
She snuggled against the crook of his arm, thrown lazily across her shoulders, and her tone turned serious.
“Are you sure you can handle me?”
She was surprised when he looked down at her with concern. Maybe he was more tuned into her feelings than she thought.
“I—I think so, but your voice sounds like maybe I won’t. Care to tell me why?”
“I’m not the type of person to take chances,” she blurted.
“Then you probably shouldn’t be in this cab,” he joked.
She shot him a look and slid away. “I’m not kidding, Micah.”
He frowned, and Jasmine knew that she’d made her point.
“Okay, I’m listening.”
“I’m a very rational person,” she continued. “Which means that I don’t often do something without putting a lot of thought into it. I don’t know if it’s engrained in me, or something I picked up from my father.”
His smile was encouraging. “You haven’t talked much about your family. I’ve been wondering about them.”
She exhaled, not sure why she hadn’t confided in him before, but she was ready to now.
“There’s not much to tell. My parents are from very humble backgrounds. They divorced when I was twelve years old. I never really asked why, but I think it was because my dad, who runs a small boutique hotel in the French Quarter, was too complacent and too logical. I think my mom was just bored.”
“How do you know?”
“Both of them were very private, meaning that I couldn’t really tell how they felt about each other. I never saw them kiss, never saw them hug.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not sure that’s so unusual. Many parents don’t show their affection for each other around their kids.”
“It is when you have a mom who can’t stand not being seen. She loves being the center of attention, whereas my father and I are quite content to remain quietly in the background. Sometimes I wonder if my mother became a teacher so that she would always be in the front of the room.”
“What grade does she teach?”
“Second. And all the kids adore her.” Jasmine paused and frowned. “I guess my dad and I were never enough for her.”
“Is that why you dropped everything to move from New Orleans to Bay Point?”
“Yes.” She nodded, and then quickly shook her head, thinking of her former boss. “I mean, no. My grandmother needed me.”
“Was she sick?”
“No, just tired. And I needed a change.”
Jasmine bit her lip, and debated how much to tell Micah about the real reason she left home. But after all that they’d shared together so far, she knew it was time to take a chance on the truth.
“I left, not only to help my grandmother, but because I also needed the work. I’d recently gotten fired from my job.”
Micah raised a brow. “What happened?”
“One night, we were working late on a pitch. My boss made a pass at me that I refused to reciprocate. So he fired me on the spot.”
“Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head, and watched Micah clench his fists.
“That bastard. I wish I would have been there to protect you,” Micah said, his tone heavy with regret.
“Me, too,” she said.
“I have zero tolerance for sexual harassment anywhere, but especially in my workplace, and I make sure all my employees know it. I’ve had to let a few go because of that type of behavior.”
Jasmine was impressed that Micah had taken such a strong stance.
“What happened to me was unfortunate, but it also gave me a reason to leave New Orleans and not look back. At first, I thought I was running away, but now I realize I was running toward my future.”
She poked her finger into his chest. “And I ran straight into you.”
He grinned. “Are you sure you don’t want to run back?”
If I did, would you care?
Jasmine shook her head and smoothed a lock of her hair back into place. “I’m not sure. There’s something about Bay Point that enchants me.”
He frowned, as if he were upset that she didn’t take the bait. “What attracts you that I don’t know about? I grew up there and couldn’t wait to get out.”
“How about its history of attracting Hollywood actors and actresses? Lucy said the town used to be filled with them.”
Micah shrugged. “That was a long time ago. I never saw any stars when I was growing up, but Gregory told me he has had some recent interest from production companies looking to film there.”
Jasmine clapped her hands. “That will be great for local businesses, including ours.” She stopped when Micah made a face. “What’s the matter?”
“The town is in such a state of flux right now. A movie production could actually hurt us, not help us.”
She raised a brow. “I’m surprised to hear that coming from a big TV star such as yourself.”
“Who knows what can happen when things go wrong on a set,” he interrupted.
“You sound as if you’re speaking from experience. Have you ever been caught in your dressing room with a contestant from your show?”
He burst out laughing. “That’s a wild example, but no. My reputation is too important for me to lose it. I don’t like to take chances, either.”
She smiled. “I guess we’re more alike than I thought.”
“I would never hurt you intentionally, Jasmine.”
He looked deep into her eyes, like he was about to say more, but they’d arrived at their destination.
Micah paid the cabbie and they got out. As the car drove away, Jasmine’s eyes followed it.
“Anything wrong? Did you leave something in the back seat?”
“Only my privacy,” she replied. “I just realized we had a very personal conversation within inches of another human being.”
Micah slipped his hand into hers and grinned.
“Welcome to New York.”
* * *
After the tour and lunch, Micah had wanted to spend the rest of the day with Jasmine. When he suggested they do some sightseeing, she announced she wanted to explore South Street Seaport on her own. So he took a cab uptown, disappointed because he’d hoped to talk to her and find out what was going on in that beautiful mind of hers.
Ever since they’d walked into the doors of his restaurant, Jasmine’s mood had taken a turn for the worse.
It wasn’t anything that she said or did.
She’d listened intently as he walked her through the reservation software, which made it easier for patrons to book tables online. She seemed impressed with the ordering software that made it seamless for his staff to enter meal choices and helped his operations team keep track of inventory.
She oohed and aahed at the top-of-the-line equipment in his kitchen, and at the orderly flow of the meals from prep to cooking to plating.
Instead of pleasing him, her compliments made him nervous. With all her talk about not wanting to take chances, he wondered if she was having second thoughts about him.
A few months ago, he would have welcomed an open opportunity to leave her without guilt. But now, he knew it would devastate him if he could never see her again.
Deep down, he knew his love for her was growing stronger.
It was her independence that attracted him the most. She may not need a man, but he was quickly realizing how much he needed her. If he’d learned anything since they’d met, it was that sharing his business knowledge and his bedroom would never be enough for him.
He wanted to share his heart and his life with her.
Micah o
pened the window, and caught the glare from the cabbie in the rearview mirror, but he didn’t care. At that moment, he felt as though he couldn’t breathe.
Something else occurred to him.
Maybe Jasmine was having second thoughts about owning her grandmother’s restaurant. That would make it easier for their relationship to succeed beyond the lover zone.
Lucy would be forced to sell the restaurant to someone else. He wouldn’t have to worry about the effects his restaurant’s success would have on Jasmine.
He knew she would never completely abandon her grandmother, but what would she do if Lucy’s closed? Would she go back to New Orleans?
She’d talked about a catering business for her pies and baked goods, but was that sustainable in a town as small as Bay Point?
As far as he knew there were no advertising or marketing agencies close by, so she wouldn’t be able to get the kind of job she’d had in her hometown. He supposed he could hire her in a marketing role, but feared she would be offended if he offered.
Besides if she didn’t want to be with him, she wouldn’t want to work with him either.
Micah got out of the cab at 57th and Madison, and headed west toward Fifth Avenue. A few minutes later, he stepped through the doors of Tiffany & Co.
Although greeted warmly by the store employee, he frowned. He needed to think about what he was about to do.
No, he told himself, he needed to stop thinking about it, and just do it.
Micah forced his feet to walk toward the back of the store, where he took an elevator up to the second floor.
A salesperson approached him almost immediately.
“Chef Micah?” Upon his nod, she continued. “I thought I recognized you. Can I help you with something?”
He frowned again, though he appreciated that she’d lowered her voice. He assumed his privacy would be held in the strictest confidence. He couldn’t take a chance that his purchase would end up shared over social media.
“Is there somewhere I can shop without being around all these people?”
The woman nodded. “Certainly, follow me.”
She led him to a private salon, where he told her what he was looking for and she scurried off. He hoped she would hurry up so he wouldn’t change his mind. Fifteen minutes later, she returned and slid a tray of glittering diamond rings onto the counter, and he broke out into a cold sweat.
“I’m just browsing,” he insisted, as much to himself, as to the clerk.
She gave him a knowing smile as she extolled the virtues of carat weight, cut, color and clarity of each ring. She didn’t bother to ask him if he could afford it, and he didn’t bat an eye when she told him the price of each one.
He was too busy trying to calm his heart, which pounded in his chest as if he were about to skydive from an airplane. Something he told himself he would never, ever do.
He reminded himself that he also said he would never, ever get married. Now he was seriously thinking about it.
“Who’s the lucky lady?”
“I’ll let you know when I find her,” he replied, deciding to play it coy.
Micah held up a ring at eye level, all five carats of glittering beauty in a platinum setting.
It was as perfect as the woman who would wear it.
Maybe wear it, he corrected inwardly.
His phone rang, and he saw Gregory’s name on the screen.
“I’ll take this one.”
He handed the ring and his credit card to the saleswoman.
She nodded. “I’ll get it wrapped up for you.”
When she was gone, he caught the call.
“What’s up, bro?”
“You tell me,” Gregory countered. “I’m hoping for some good news.”
Micah thought about the ring, and wondered if he should confide in his brother, but quickly squashed the idea. It would be better for both of them if he kept their conversation strictly business.
“You win,” he said.
“Does that mean—?”
“Yes, Society Red will be opening in our dear town in less than a month.”
“Well, all right brother!” Gregory exclaimed. “Where are you? What made you change your mind?”
Micah hitched in a breath, not trusting himself to speak. He’d tried to keep his emotions out of the decision, but he’d be lying if he didn’t admit that Jasmine had played a significant role.
“New York City,” he said. “Earlier, I had a meeting with my production team, but right now I’m at Tiffany.”
Gregory chuckled. “Are you scouting locations? I can’t imagine how management would feel about you rolling a couple of giant grills down the aisle.”
Micah replied in a dry tone, “Ha-ha. Stick with your day job.”
“So you’re not going to tell me what you’re doing in the most famous jewelry store in the world?”
“Nope.”
“Does Jasmine know you’re there?”
“Ditto, and she’s not going to find out.”
“So you’ve finally come to your senses. It’s about time. You need a good woman who will give you a reason to put your wheels down and stay in one place for a while.”
“Maybe I came in here to get out of the cold,” Micah replied.
“Yeah, right,” Gregory snorted. “And someday I’m going to run for president. When will you be back in Bay Point?”
“Soon. I have a few more details to work out here.”
“Does she know about Society Red?”
“I’m going to tell her tonight.”
Micah hung up a few minutes later. The salesperson slipped into the room and handed him his credit card receipt. He glanced at the price, paused and then signed. She gave him a Tiffany gift bag with his purchase inside, and left him alone in the room.
He sat there for a while, his heart racing with excitement over the decisions he’d made. Though the future was still uncertain, Lucy and Jasmine’s life was about to change, and soon everyone in town would know it.
Chapter 11
Jasmine tightened her seat belt as she listened to the pilot announce that the plane would be landing in ten minutes. Curling her hand behind her neck, she attempted to massage the knots out of it, but the problem wasn’t stress. It was worry about what might be waiting for her when she got home.
Earlier that morning, she’d been asleep in Micah’s arms when she received a call from her grandmother. Alarmed, she grabbed the phone from under her pillow and swiped it on.
“There’s something you need to see,” Lucy said right away, dispensing with her usual pleasantries. “Please come home as soon as you can.”
She asked if Lucy was sick and was relieved to hear that she wasn’t. Jasmine knew better than to press her for more details. She just got out of bed and called her airline to see if she could change her flight.
She wasn’t supposed to be coming home until the following day, but Lucy needed her. Although she hated to leave Micah, in Jasmine’s mind, family always came first.
The plane eased through the white, billowy clouds on its descent into San Francisco International Airport. Even though she was aware of the principles of aerodynamics, the study of forces, of motion, lift and drag, there was still something otherworldly about flying.
It was kind of like being in love, she thought. The heart soars to unfathomable heights and all you can do is hope that once the clouds fall away, you don’t take a nosedive, but instead land in one piece.
Jasmine popped a stick of gum in her mouth, closed her eyes and tried to ignore the baby fussing behind her. At that moment, she wished she’d had the courage to ask Micah if he wanted children. They hadn’t discussed their future, and maybe they would have, if their time together hadn’t been cut short.
And though he promised they’d see each other soon, it bothered
her that he wouldn’t nail down a specific date or time. Jasmine didn’t believe that absence made the heart grow fonder. In her case, absence from Micah made her heart just ache.
Tears sprang to her eyes and she chided herself for not telling him how she felt when she had the chance. She knew he didn’t want her to leave, and she was grateful he didn’t ply her with questions she couldn’t answer anyway.
Jasmine smiled at the memory of the night they’d shared. Micah had taken her to a Broadway play, and then an intimate dinner in the West Village. After returning to the hotel, they drank expensive champagne that tickled her nose and made her laugh as they soaked in a hot bubble bath.
The playful preamble turned into a long, lovemaking session that turned her inside out. As he brought her to multiple orgasms with his lips, his tongue, and his slow and easy thrusts, she wanted to cry out how much she loved him. But she held her feelings locked away, even as she begged him for more.
They’d fallen asleep, her on top, him still inside her, just before dawn. Jasmine squeezed her thighs together, remembering how he’d filled her inside, the exquisite pleasure he’d given her.
How she missed him right now, and she knew that her longing for him would only get worse. Just thinking about his taut, muscular body and the way his skin felt under her hands made her almost go crazy with sexual need.
She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, forcing herself to relax.
The time she’d spent with Micah in New York City had been magical, but would it always be that way? She could see herself married and having children with him, but they’d discussed none of those options, perhaps because they didn’t want to break the spell they’d both had a hand in creating.
Jasmine knew that it was important to come down from out of the clouds and land in a reality of their very own. It remained to be seen if they could be a full-fledged couple, without sacrificing their individual dreams.
Thirty minutes later she stowed her bags in her car and began the long trek home. Bay Point was a ninety-minute drive from the airport, so she wouldn’t be there until nightfall.
It was after six o’clock and the rush hour traffic was slow and heavy. After two connecting flights and eight hours in the air, she was bone tired and starved.
Winning Her Heart Page 14