Follow Your Heart (Catalina Cove #4) - Brenda Jackson Page 0,34
her, but they did, anyway. “You miss having someone to fish with?”
He chuckled as he glanced up from his menu. “Yes. The silence was unnerving.”
She tilted her head. “Roman Malone, is that your way of saying I’m talkative?”
“No, it’s my way of saying you have a knack for keeping things lively. Besides, I think the fish like you, which is why they hang around the boat. I haven’t caught a single thing in the past two days.”
“Change locations.”
“I’ve tried that and still nothing. So you know what that means, right?”
Her eyes twinkled with a teasing glint. “No, what does that mean?”
“I need you for my fishing partner again this weekend. You game?”
“Yes, I’m game.”
“Good.”
At that moment Bryce returned with his coffee and to take his breakfast order. He ordered eggs, toast and Cajun shrimp and grits.
“Are you hungry this morning?” she asked him when Bryce walked off.
“Just a little,” he said, grinning. After taking a sip of his coffee, he said, “By the way, I caught your show several times and enjoyed it.”
“Thanks. I enjoy working with Debra Morris and Icelyn Crews on Talk It Up. I’m learning a lot from them. We have fun every day with our guests.”
“I can tell. And you look good every day.”
“Thanks.”
He took another sip of coffee, then asked, “Are we still on for the rest of this week? To view the fireworks from my boat?”
“Yes, I think that will be awesome.”
“I do, too, and I’m looking forward to spending more time with you.”
His words made her feel good inside. At least he was willing to spend time with her when Tanner wasn’t. It was then that she decided to ask him something. “Roman?”
He looked at her. “Yes?”
“Why is it so hard for men to accept their fate?” He didn’t say anything for a moment, and it was as if he was giving serious thought to her question. She appreciated that because his answer was important to her.
He finally said, “By accepting their fate, I assume you mean falling in love?”
“Yes.”
“You want straight facts and not BS?”
She nodded. “Just straight facts.”
“It has to do with our makeup. Most men, but not all, are realists. Whereas most women are idealists. Most men are practical, sensible, levelheaded, and we like to think we’re rational. We see everything in black or white. We like to think for ourselves and don’t want others thinking for us.”
He took another sip of coffee. “We never go looking for love. In fact, love isn’t on our radar. It’s our attitude that if it happens, it will happen. If it doesn’t, it won’t. We don’t worry about biological clocks ticking.” He grinned, then added, “As long as certain body parts are still functioning, we’re good. Whereas most women are romantics, dreamers and visionaries. They are optimistic, and falling in love comes natural for them.”
She nodded, pretty much agreeing with what he said. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. But just keep in mind that although it might take a man longer to fall in love, when a man does, he often falls harder than the woman. That’s why heartbreak could be devastating to a man. Most men don’t handle pain of any kind very well. And pain to their heart is something they rarely get over and seldom want to try love again. Whereas a woman will eventually get over it and move on.”
He didn’t say anything for a minute and then said, “Take my sister Summer, for instance.”
Victoria knew he had twin sisters, Summer and Spring, who were older than him by a few years. Both were successful physicians living in California and, as far as she knew, were still single. “What about Summer?”
“She met a guy last year and fell head over heels in love. They broke up. I’m not sure why, but when she came home for Christmas, we could tell how unhappy she was. That was less than a year ago. I talked to her last week and she’s met another guy who she really likes. Of course, she’s being cautious with her heart, but at least she’s willing to try love again, whereas most men would claim to be one and done.”
Victoria sipped her coffee. “I can understand Summer being cautious. I dated a guy in college. In fact, Karl McDowell was my best-kept secret, at least for a while. We dated seriously for a little over six months and no one—not even my brothers and older male cousins—knew I had a boyfriend. I preferred it that way since the males