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Authors: Nell Dixon
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for a short time in his heart.
* * * *
Jenni felt a little deflated as she clambered into Nate's car and buckled her seatbelt. She'd got what she wanted, hadn't she?
More to the point, why had she agreed to go out to lunch with Nate? When she had opened her mouth she had planned to politely and tactfully decline his offer.
She had to get a grip. Nate still loved Cerys. He had made it quite clear in the past how he viewed Jenni, as a mate, not a date. He had jumped at her plan to return to normal working partnership.
"Everywhere will be busy. Where are we going?" She wondered if they would be able to find anywhere with a free table at the last minute.
"I thought we'd go to the Langstone. Test-drive the restaurant before the party next week." He glanced at her.
Jenni raised her chin, remembering the disagreement of Friday when he had scuppered her date for the party.
"Sounds good. But I thought you'd been there before?"
68
The Cinderella Substitute
by Nell Dixon
"I joined just after it opened. It was Nathalie's idea. She goes there quite often. She recommended it when I was after a venue for the staff party. I've only been a few times myself."
They turned off the main road onto a long, tree-lined private driveway. Jenni recalled the glossy brochure she had received on booking the party. The large stone portico led into a marble-floored entrance hall, where a glittery crystal chandelier twinkled overhead.
The restaurant was huge. On one side of the room floor-to-ceiling picture windows afforded a panoramic view of the Japanese water gardens and gazebos. Dark oak paneling divided part of the room into smaller booths for more private dining. The waiter showed them to a quiet table with a view of the gardens.
As the man pulled out her chair, Jenni noticed the huge array of cutlery on the snowy tablecloth in front of her. A ball of panic rose in her stomach.
"I wasn't expecting it to be this," she struggled to find the right words. "Glamorous."
"This is the member's restaurant. The staff party will be in one of the function rooms. I believe this place is popular for weddings now." He smiled at her. "We could always go back to the pizza restaurant if you prefer."
She smiled back at him. "No, this is fine. It was just a surprise, that's all."
The waiter returned with a wine list.
"Jenni?"
69
The Cinderella Substitute
by Nell Dixon
"Mineral water will be fine. I'm not used to alcohol in the middle of the day," she explained. A curious expression crossed Nate's face before he closed the list and handed it back to the waiter with a request for two mineral waters.
The food menu appeared more problematic. Most of the dishes were written in French and Jenni's rusty schooldays translations were not up to the mark. Nate helped her translate some of them and pointed out the ones Nathalie had recommended to him.
"You must think I'm a real idiot," she remarked after they had placed their order and the waiter had departed.
"Why would I think that?" He fiddled about with the stem of his glass, twisting the crystal around.
"Well, I bet you're used to women who often come to this kind of place. You know, fancy menus and all this kind of thing." She couldn't help noticing the movement of his long supple fingers on the glass. The same hands that had held her so closely just a few hours ago.
"Jenni, some of the women I know who could read that menu could only read a menu. In the same way that the only math they can do is in relation to the limit they have on their credit card." He caught her gaze and held it. "Don't put yourself down, Jenni. I'm proud to take you anywhere."
She was glad when the waiter returned with their starters.
"This looks good." She admired the artistic arrangement of fish on her plate. She had never been anywhere so nice before. Not long before her father's death, her parents had taken her to a steak restaurant as a reward for passing her exams. It had been a rare and unexpected treat. It had been
* * * *
Jenni felt a little deflated as she clambered into Nate's car and buckled her seatbelt. She'd got what she wanted, hadn't she?
More to the point, why had she agreed to go out to lunch with Nate? When she had opened her mouth she had planned to politely and tactfully decline his offer.
She had to get a grip. Nate still loved Cerys. He had made it quite clear in the past how he viewed Jenni, as a mate, not a date. He had jumped at her plan to return to normal working partnership.
"Everywhere will be busy. Where are we going?" She wondered if they would be able to find anywhere with a free table at the last minute.
"I thought we'd go to the Langstone. Test-drive the restaurant before the party next week." He glanced at her.
Jenni raised her chin, remembering the disagreement of Friday when he had scuppered her date for the party.
"Sounds good. But I thought you'd been there before?"
68
The Cinderella Substitute
by Nell Dixon
"I joined just after it opened. It was Nathalie's idea. She goes there quite often. She recommended it when I was after a venue for the staff party. I've only been a few times myself."
They turned off the main road onto a long, tree-lined private driveway. Jenni recalled the glossy brochure she had received on booking the party. The large stone portico led into a marble-floored entrance hall, where a glittery crystal chandelier twinkled overhead.
The restaurant was huge. On one side of the room floor-to-ceiling picture windows afforded a panoramic view of the Japanese water gardens and gazebos. Dark oak paneling divided part of the room into smaller booths for more private dining. The waiter showed them to a quiet table with a view of the gardens.
As the man pulled out her chair, Jenni noticed the huge array of cutlery on the snowy tablecloth in front of her. A ball of panic rose in her stomach.
"I wasn't expecting it to be this," she struggled to find the right words. "Glamorous."
"This is the member's restaurant. The staff party will be in one of the function rooms. I believe this place is popular for weddings now." He smiled at her. "We could always go back to the pizza restaurant if you prefer."
She smiled back at him. "No, this is fine. It was just a surprise, that's all."
The waiter returned with a wine list.
"Jenni?"
69
The Cinderella Substitute
by Nell Dixon
"Mineral water will be fine. I'm not used to alcohol in the middle of the day," she explained. A curious expression crossed Nate's face before he closed the list and handed it back to the waiter with a request for two mineral waters.
The food menu appeared more problematic. Most of the dishes were written in French and Jenni's rusty schooldays translations were not up to the mark. Nate helped her translate some of them and pointed out the ones Nathalie had recommended to him.
"You must think I'm a real idiot," she remarked after they had placed their order and the waiter had departed.
"Why would I think that?" He fiddled about with the stem of his glass, twisting the crystal around.
"Well, I bet you're used to women who often come to this kind of place. You know, fancy menus and all this kind of thing." She couldn't help noticing the movement of his long supple fingers on the glass. The same hands that had held her so closely just a few hours ago.
"Jenni, some of the women I know who could read that menu could only read a menu. In the same way that the only math they can do is in relation to the limit they have on their credit card." He caught her gaze and held it. "Don't put yourself down, Jenni. I'm proud to take you anywhere."
She was glad when the waiter returned with their starters.
"This looks good." She admired the artistic arrangement of fish on her plate. She had never been anywhere so nice before. Not long before her father's death, her parents had taken her to a steak restaurant as a reward for passing her exams. It had been a rare and unexpected treat. It had been
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