“Thanks.”
She watched how he eased into the booth seat and wasn’t prepared for the jolt of lust that raced through her. Where did such a thing come from and why was it affecting her with this man and not Tanner? Swallowing, she looked up to find him staring at her. Why? Had he said something and was waiting for a response from her? “Did you say something?”
He smiled as he shook his head. “No, and I apologize for staring. I was just thinking how much you and Christy resemble each other.”
His words reminded her that Christy was his godsister. “People tell me that all the time. Only thing missing on my end is the red hair.”
“True, but I think your brown hair is pretty.”
She thought that was a nice thing to say. “Thanks, Senator.”
He leaned across the table and in a low voice said, “For the next three weeks I’m here to rest and relax so can we forget the ‘Senator’? I prefer if you call me by my first name.”
“Roman.”
“Yes, that’s me. That’s also my dad, which is why some people call me RJ. I’ll let you decide which you prefer.”
“I like Roman.”
He nodded. “Then Roman it is.”
She decided she liked him, even if he was a politician. At that moment, a waitress brought him a menu and a glass of water. It was then that he glanced back over at her and asked, “What are you having?”
She picked up her menu and realized that after all this time she hadn’t really looked at it to decide what she wanted. But she already had an idea. Placing it down, she said, “I got a taste for crab cakes tonight.”
He nodded. “Are they good here?”
“Yes, they are delicious.”
“Then I think I’ll get the crab cakes, too,” he said, smiling.
“You get to choose two sides with it.”
His smile widened. “And what two sides are you getting?”
“Fries and slaw.”
“That’s sounds good to me, as well.”
“You won’t go wrong,” she said.
“I’ll take your word for it.”
When he set aside his menu and began drinking his water, Victoria decided Terica had been right. There was something sexy about the way he drank water. Was it the way his throat muscles moved, working in unison with his mouth? Or was it the way his lips hugged the rim of the glass? She wasn’t sure what it was, but it was definitely arousing.
Arousing? Yes, to her dismay, she found it pretty darn arousing to sit across from him and watch. Now she wondered how it would be when he ate his food. Would it have the same effect? For crying out loud, she did not understand her strange reaction to him. And she wasn’t imagining it. Not when she was beginning to feel hot all over.
Quickly taking a sip of her own water, she decided to ask him about his accommodations. “So are you staying at Shelby by the Sea or an Airbnb while in the cove?”
He placed his glass down and looked at her. “Neither. I’m renting a yacht.”
“A yacht?”
“Yes, and it’s docked right off the marina—” he nodded in the direction of the pier “—and has everything I need. A spacious bedroom, bath with shower, galley and sitting area. However, my favorite spot is topside.”
“I can imagine. Have you gone out in it?”
“I arrived two days ago and went out both days. You were right. Catalina Cove is a nice place. Quiet and quaint. Somehow it’s been able to retain its small-town charm.”
Victoria’s lips stretched into a big smile. “You can thank Reid Lacroix for that.”
“Who?”
“Reid Lacroix,” she said. “He’s one of the wealthiest men in town and owns the blueberry plant that employs a lot of people. I understand he stopped a multimillion-dollar tennis resort from setting down roots here. I’m told he hates change and has worked with the zoning board to block a lot of the new, more progressive developments from coming to town. His goal is to keep Catalina Cove as a small town. He doesn’t mind the tourists—he just doesn’t want large businesses coming in and overtaking all the mom-and-pop establishments. Some of those businesses have been here for generations.”
He nodded. “You seem to know a lot about it.”
“Only because I covered their seafood festival one year. It was my first time here and I was amazed by how this town was such a well-kept secret, free from rampant commercialism. I asked several locals about it. People around here see Reid as a hero for his vision to retain a small-town atmosphere. He’s always looking out for the local business owners, making sure big businesses don’t shoulder their way in and eventually shut down the smaller establishments.”
They stopped talking when the waitress arrived to take their order. When she left, he asked, “When was the last time you saw Christy?”
“A little over a week ago. She was in New Orleans for a journalism conference. I talked her into staying the last night here with me in the cove and we had breakfast the next morning at Witherspoon Café. She fell in love with their blueberry muffins.”
“The blueberry muffins are good there?”
“Yes, you’ve got to try them. Catalina Cove is considered the blueberry capital of the world. The blueberry plant ships berries all over the nation and abroad.”
He nodded. “Do you eat at that café often?”
“I grab breakfast there a lot. Now that I do the noonday show I don’t have to be at the station as early. That’s how I got to meet so many of the locals. A number of them go to the café for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s a nice place. You need to eat there at least once before you leave.”
He smiled. “I think I will.”
After taking another sip of water, she asked him, “When was the last time you saw Christy?”
“At that fundraiser Jake gave me at his ranch last year. Before that, I hadn’t seen her or Alex for a couple years. Of course, I’ve been keeping up with her through Mom and Marilyn. I understand she has three kids now.”
“Yes, she does, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they want a fourth.”
“She always said she wanted a big family,” Roman said.
He was right. Christy always said that. “You’ve gone fishing both days since you’ve been here. How’s the fishing going?”
“Great. I toss them back.”
“And then you catch those same ones the next day,” she said in amusement.