"I am so sorry I missed what you said. I am a bit distracted today."
"What, no! That's not...don't worry about that. You know I am way too easy going to be upset you didn't hear me."
"Oh. What's wrong then?"
"Um, nothing is wrong. I hope you are not blind to what is going on here." Jasinda spoke just above a whisper. The guys were in the kitchen, but there was an opening and the music and televisions were off.
"It's going well, right?"
"You didn't notice the way he was looking at you?" Jasinda looked at her sideways. "He is totally into you."
"Me? No way, he watched me practically fall on my face yesterday. I need a drink. Did you make any tea by chance?" Ginger started to walk toward the bar to grab a glass.
"Don't try to change the subject. I think he bought that coffee for you because he wanted to buy you a coffee. Maybe he didn't see you fall."
"Oh he saw me all right. The old lady working there told me that he wanted me to have a better rest of the day, or something like that."
Jasinda brought her hands into a prayer position over her nose and pressed her brows together. "Oh, that is so sweet. I might start to cry." She started to fan herself.
"You are hilarious and overly emotional. Are you pregnant?" Ginger thought she may have stumbled on something.
"Me, no way, I don't think so. We certainly are not trying to be." She opened the cooler next to the sinks and pulled out a large pitcher. "Here is some peach berry tea. Pour me a glass too please."
Jasinda heard the door swish open behind her. She turned to see the guys coming back out still heavily in conversation about the ovens and prep area.
"Can I offer you guys some iced tea?" Jasinda pulled out two more glasses and Ginger kept herself busy by filling them with ice and straws.
"Yes please, that sounds terrific," Redford answered.
"Hey did Steve tell you that Jasinda makes homemade mead and fresh brewed teas. They don't currently serve either, but I think they are amazing and something you definitely can't find anywhere else. Jasinda and I were talking the other day about constructing some kind of tasting menu around her meads, maybe some local craft beers could be incorporated into the mix as well."
"No, actually we haven't gotten that far. I was supposed to be here for a few days, but we decided the best thing would be for me to take everything that we have talked about today and the floor plans back to my design team and then come back next week. At that time I will have a full business plan for you all to consider." He looked at Ginger and his ice colored eyes sent chills up her spine. "Ginger, I understand that your attorney wants to read through it before you decide to move forward with investing?"
"Yes, he does. But either way, I am here to help them in whatever capacity that I can."
"Isn't she great. You know when you guys were in the back, Ginger was telling me about this really amazing pizza place like twenty minutes from here. Do you have plans for dinner yet Redford?"
"No, as a matter of fact I was just going to grab a salad and head back to my hotel, maybe catch up with a local friend if he answers the phone later. Do you guys want to show me what Blue Beach County pizza is all about?" He took his iced tea from Jasinda, he pushed the straw off to the side and held it back with his pointer finger as he took a sip from the glass.
"Oh, Jazz, we actually have plans tonight," Steve mentioned without missing a beat.
"Oh shoot, I totally forgot about that thing." Jasinda was a terrible actress. "Ginger, if you're not busy maybe just the two of you could go check it out. Maybe Steve and I can make it out there later in the week."
"Huh? Pizza, us, ok sure." She shifted her weight back and forth; she probably looked like she had to pee. "Can we go sooner than later? I am starving. What time is it anyway?" Ginger looked down at her watch it was only three o'clock.
Chapter Twelve
IT WOULD BE AN EARLY dinner, but Ginger's stomach wasn't going to complain about it. Besides it felt less like a date going before the actual dinner rush started. Because it wasn't a date, was it?
She told Red to follow her there, that way they wouldn't have to deal with any awkward goodbyes when the meal came to completion. On the way over she tried to discreetly touch up her lip gloss. She wanted to touch up the rest of her makeup and her hair, but she didn't want him to get the wrong idea thinking she was doing it for him.
She pulled in only a few moments before him. She promptly got out of the car and waited by the entrance. She enjoyed watching him get out of the car. He no longer wore his suit jacket and his collar was further unbuttoned exposing the top of his sculpted chest. The dark shirt had a sheen to it that accentuated the stacks of muscles as they moved beneath the fabric. He pushed the button on the key fob and waved to her.
"So this is the spot, huh?" he asked with a twang in his dialect that she couldn't quite place.
"It is, at least until Jasinda and Steve start serving up something as good if not better." She winked at him as they walked into the joint.
"I thought you said they didn't serve beer at pizza places?" he asked when they sat down at a corner booth.
"What I said is most pizza places don't serve alcohol. I didn't say that there weren't any bars or restaurants that serve pizza. This place happens to have my favorite pizza. They serve other traditional Italian meals as well. I usually get a small salad and a small pie to go." She looked around the room hoping the waitress came over quickly. She didn't want to sit and not have anything to talk about.
"So what led you to restaurant consulting? That's not a common career choice." Ginger finally thought of a conversation starter.
"Great question, I'm not completely sure. My father was an architectural engineer and my grandfather was the president of Redford Savings and Loans. So I actually had a trust account. I have never considered a life that I wouldn't work my ass off for my own success.
"I didn't get access to the money until I was twenty five so I had to finish college and start my career before I was allowed to touch the money." Redford fiddled with the coaster that was on the table as he spoke, but his eyes never lost contact with Ginger's.
"My grandfather had plenty of money and invested it well. He purchased enough properties so that each of his eight grandchildren had enough of an income to sustain us along side of our trust. We were all truly blessed with a silver spoon our mouths."
"Really? I can't imagine what that would have been like." Ginger hoped that it didn't sound like she was judging him or coming off snotty, it wasn't her intention. She truly couldn't imagine that. "And seven cousins, wow I don't have any."
"Some of them are my siblings, not all cousins. It's been really awesome having such a large family. We don't all get along all the time, but there is always someone there for you. As for the money, it's funny; I know some people would think that having enough money to get through life would make a person lazy and content. It actually had the opposite effect on me.
"I felt a strong need to prove my worth and prove that I could succeed on my own. I made a promise to myself that I would not touch that money until I found my own way. I intended to use it for my retirement."
"I'm sure that is some nest egg you have there. It looks like you succeeded at proving yourself. You have this successful consulting business. Your parents must be very proud of you."
"Hey folks, sorry to keep you guys waiting," the waitress came over and interrupted. "Are you set to order?"
"I think so, I didn't even look at the menu, but I think we are going to just order salad and pizza. Unless you want something else, Ginger?" Redford passed the ball to Ginger.
"No, that sounds perfect. Can we have a large house salad? What kind of toppings do you want? We can order two pies," Ginger asked.
"I'm open, I eat pretty much anything on my pizza except anchovies and I don't care for the whole pineapple and ham thing."
"Well, you don't have to worry about that, we don't have those options here. Oh and also what can I get you guys t
o drink?"
"I will just have water for now. Let's do a sausage and peppers pie and a plain pie half black olive. Does that work?" Ginger ordered.
"Sounds great and I will have a club soda with a lemon and a lime please," Redford added to the order. The waitress was gone in a flash; the dinner crowd was starting to filter in.
" My parents are ok now with what I do, but they would have preferred if I had gone a more traditional route. For me I was affected by watching my mother's father struggle through life. He had to get a job at a very young age. He never finished high school so all he had to work with was his hands. It took its toll on him and his body started to fail with age.
"He went on disability and social security younger than he would have liked to admit. He was happy that my mother married into money. He said he could die knowing that she and his grand children would be provided for. He was a proud man and would never let my mother use her husband's money to take care of him."
"Wow really? How awful, yet in a strange way respectable." Ginger opened the straw that the waitress delivered with their drinks.
"There were times I could see the sadness in his eyes when I was young. He could not afford to give us the things that my father's family could. But he taught me about hard work and about having pride in what I do. I learned true inner strength from him. He also taught me about humility. He was a true role model.
"My family's wealth on each side was like polar opposites. I saw growing up how money affected people. I tried to take away from both of my grandfathers the best qualities I could. When I have the chance, I try to give back to others who are less fortunate. I have been volunteering with the Big Brothers organization since I was in college. I have also been getting involved the past few years with the NFL play organization. I coach a summer flag football team for grade schoolers."
Redford squeezed the fruit slices into his seltzer and took a sip. He didn't waste his time with the straw.
"How do you find time for all that? I am impressed." Ginger really was. This guy was way too good to be true.
"I'm single, so I don't have a wife or family to come home to. It leaves me with a lot more free time than my friends and family that have families of their own. Don't get me wrong it would be nice to have my own family it just hasn't happened yet." Redford looked down into his glass swirling the ice in a circle before taking another sip.
Ginger felt the mood of the conversation shift. It was a little heavier than she was ready for.
"So you are a Chicago fan?" she asked bringing it back to something lighter and something she knew that they had in common. Wait until he found out.
"Bear down baby!"
"I assumed you wouldn't wear a Bears shirt if you were not really a fan. That must make living in Chicago even better."
"It comes along with the territory for sure. My family actually chips in and we have an executive suite for the year for all the home games. Believe me, they never go to waste. There is always someone that wants to go or needs to entertain clients. On a rare occasion we have to duke it out."
"No you don't, do you?" Ginger heard her stomach rumbling and she hoped that he couldn't hear it. She looked over to see if their waitress was anywhere in sight with their food.
"It has come pretty close." Redford laughed.
"It was my dream to go to Soldier field with my father."
"If you guys come up, you will have to let me know. If you give me enough notice I will get the boxing gloves out if I need to, you guys can be my guests." Redford looked up as the waitress put the salad down at the center of the table and two side plates. "Thank you."
Ginger felt her chest tighten up. She cleared her throat and rubbed her purple nails across her forehead.
"Everything ok? I thought you were hungry." Redford asked as he piled up the salad on his plate.
"Yeah, I am. I'm sorry it's just that I wish I had met you six month ago."
"Why?" He poured a very calculated amount of dressing over the crisp lettuce. Ginger was suddenly unaware of the noises of the busy restaurant around her.
"It's just that my father and I... I... lost him a few months ago. It is still kind of fresh for me." Ginger used the two forks to fill her plate with some lettuce and a slice of provolone cheese.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Losing a loved one is never easy. But it sounds like you had a great relationship with him. Is that how you became a Chicago fan?"
"Yes, it wasn't completely on purpose though. When I was a kid I loved to watch TV. I could watch hours of cartoons or whatever the hot new kid friendly sitcom was. I even loved to watch re-runs of shows long before my time, you remember Nick at Night, right?"
He nodded as he shoved a large forkful of salad into his mouth.
"I loved the magic of television. It was like reading a book without the same amount of effort. I could get lost and escape my own world. My world wasn't really all that bad, but what teenage girl doesn't have angst and non-reality-based drama to worry about. It all faded away when I watched television.
"Then Sunday or Monday night would roll around. We only had one television in the house. My dad had it tuned in long before kickoff. What he said was what went. I had no say in what we watched, there was no way he wouldn't have the Bears games on. On a rare occasion he would let things slide if the Bears weren't on the local channel that day."
"It was like that in my house too, but we did have more than one TV, but the games were on all of them. Football is a part of my life."
Ginger watched as he pushed the plate off to the side. His hands were large and they looked strong. His skin looked smooth, she wondered if he shaved or if he naturally didn't have hair on his fingers. Roger had hair on his fingers and it always annoyed her.
"There was a time, and I remember it clear as day, when I hated football, I hated that I had to watch football. My dad would quiz me Sundays at dinner on the teams and what city they belonged to. He would ask me to recite the teams that were in each league. I knew the football teams better than I knew the state capitals or how many presidents we had."
The pizza finally came to the table. Ginger wanted to stuff her face, but she still could feel a lump in her throat so she picked at her salad moving the lettuce around the plate.
"So if I ask you where the Eagles are from you could tell me?"
"That's an easy one, everyone knows it's Philadelphia. Some of the girls I went to school with thought it would be a good idea to cheerlead to get closer to the football players. I had a much better idea. I took the knowledge of what my father force-fed me as a small child and applied it in high school. I became the assistant trainer slash glorified water girl. This was where I developed my interest in sports medicine.
"I thought for a long time that I would go on to graduate school to become a physical trainer or occupational therapist. But then when I had to find a way to make the most amount of money I could to pay my way through school, that didn't involve taking my clothes off or selling illegal substances, I started working in restaurants. My first job was as a server, I then took on many roles like bartender, hostess, line cook, I even handled the banquet bookings at one establishment. I fell in love with food.
"That is how I became a sports nutritionist. It is also how I developed my love for the Bears. I spent many Sunday afternoons trying to learn everything about football and other sports when my dad was up for it."
There were a few shaky minutes she was afraid she was going to lose it, but talking about her dad actually started to make her feel less upset How else could she celebrate than by a bite of crispy pizza?
"Sounds like you and I have a lot in common. Now I wish I wasn't going back to Chicago so soon. It would be really nice to go out again. I am really enjoying your company."
"It's fun, other than the fact that you almost made me cry." Ginger looked up at him with slightly hooded eyes and batted her eyelashes at him.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." He reached across the table and put his hand on top of
hers. She felt a shiver course through her spine. She wished that it wasn't so obvious, but her shoulders quaked at his touch. "I don't usually make girls cry on a first date."
Ginger's head cocked up and he looked at him with questioning eyes. A date, who said anything about a date. Her cheeks got hot. With her complexion she was sure that they were extra pink.
"Oh, I didn't mean. I guess this isn't a date right. I would have to actually ask you out. Which I would really like to do." Redford's lips curled up into one of the sexiest smiles she had ever seen.
The moment was abrasively interrupted by her phone ringing. She hit ignore on it and sent the call to voice mail without looking at it.
Ginger smiled back at Redford. "I don't even know your last name. How is your pizza by the way."?
"The pizza, if you go for this sort of thing, is delicious. The crust has the right amount of chew to it so it is not tough, but thin and drippy, very easy to eat. You said you thought it would be less calories since the dough is so thin, but I could probably eat this whole pizza by myself."
"You mean this whole pie," she corrected him and double raised her eyebrows at him. Before he could respond her phone started ringing again. She took a bite of her pizza and sent it to voicemail again.
He looked over at her phone. And before she could take another bite of her slice, the phone started to ring again. Ginger took a deep breath and pulled her lips in between her teeth. She picked up her phone it was the third time that Roger called her.
She was pretty sure that Redford could see that her phone said Roger. So much for him thinking about a date when some guy kept calling her.
"It might be important. Perhaps you should answer it. I won't be offended."
Ginger hit ignore again. "I'm sorry, I should have turned my ringer off before we came in here. It's not often that my phone rings so much. "And again it began to ring again.
Redford's pinched his lips together and opened his eyes. He looked back to the phone again. "I have to use the little boys room anyway. Will you excuse me for a minute?"
Jack and Ginger (Sacred Heart Coven Book 3) Page 9