Loyal Lawyer - Jeannine Colette Page 0,16
different brands, finding the flavors I enjoyed, and I learned fast that not all chocolate makers are alike.”
“Any favorites?”
“Godiva and Lindt. Prestat and Montezuma. Pierre Marcolini. Milène Jardine.”
“But you knew you could do better.” There’s a gleam in his eye that makes me smile.
“I hope I can. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do. I’ve always admired the miniature artistic masterpieces that emerge from a box.”
He nods like he appreciates and understands my words. “Did you go to culinary school?”
“College wasn’t for me, so I decided to go learn from the ground up. I’ve worked in Paris and Belgium, New York and here, in Philadelphia.”
“Do you speak French?”
“Oui.”
“Azez-vous un café préféré à Paris?”
I bite my lip as I try to think of my favorite café in Paris, which is what he just asked. There was one, an impressive pastry cart with rich hot chocolate that was so thick that the spoon slowed with every stir.
“Les Deux Magots. Les déserts étaient magnifiques,” I reply and then add, “You speak French beautifully, by the way.”
“You’re kind, but I know it’s rusty. I’m better at Spanish. I learned French in high school and took Español in college. It comes in handy in my line of work more than French does.”
“What do you do when you’re not saving the world one wrong at a time? Impressionnant,” I say in French.
“I’m not the impressive one. You’re the one who has followed her dreams by traveling the world and running your own business. I’m captivated.”
“Do you mean, you’re more like shocked that the woman who texted you on accident, telling you off, isn’t a mental patient?”
“I told you, I wanted to see if you were as charming as I hoped.”
“You mean, crazy.”
“I mean, enrapturing. You, Amy, have surpassed everything I could have ever imagined you’d be. More than anything, I’m glad I offered to meet you for coffee the next day.”
His charm is impossible to shy away from. Sebastian Blake is easy on the eyes and easier to talk to.
“I know you run marathons and have Duke. What else makes you tick?”
“That’s like opening Pandora’s box.” He raises his eyebrows as he takes a sip of his beer.
“I still have half a drink, and I’m open to getting a second. I’m here for the box. Open the box, Sebastian.” I use my most jovial yet tempting voice.
“Okay. Well, I love documentaries and am an avid History Channel buff. If it’s a film, I’m a sucker for anything where someone has to overcome an obstacle. Rocky and Rudy being two of my favorites.”
“Rocky is a town legend. Even if he is fictional.”
“Don’t knock it. That movie is a classic. Plus, I might have taken a picture in front of the Rocky statue outside the museum.”
“That is the most charming thing about you.” I grin as I lean in a little closer.
“Okay, so that’s what you’re looking for? Anecdotes that aren’t so flattering?”
“Your buck-tooth story is the reason I hired you as my attorney,” I say with a shrug, not afraid to admit it.
“The can-opener story impressed you?”
“What can I say? I, too, am a sucker for someone who has to overcome an obstacle,” I use his words and mean every single one of them.
“More embarrassing things about me then …”
He grins, and it’s the cutest thing ever. If I wasn’t sure if this was a date or not, I definitely am now. His flirting is apparent and almost unnerving. I don’t think I’ve ever had someone be so obvious with their feelings toward me. I like it.
He continues, “I sprained my ankle last year, so my mother sent me one of those adult coloring books. It has profanity words engraved in lotus flowers and rainbows. I’ve definitely finished more pages than any man would care to admit. Is that charming?”
“Forget charming. That is the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard,” I say with a chuckle.
“Then, this is going to drive you wild. I know how to sew.”
I place my hand on my chest and fake a sexual pant. “Do go on.”
“As an only child, my mother made me do everything with her. Sewing the holes in my socks was one of my chores. I happen to have a perfect stitch.” He shakes his head from side to side, acting hoity-toity.
I laugh but not at him. I’m laughing because I enjoy him. Sebastian is fun and sweet. His stories are cute, as is the way he smiles more on one side of his mouth than the other,