A Pretend Proposal. Jackie Braun

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СКАЧАТЬ to do with your preference?” He opened the containers and scooped out a clump of white rice onto each of their plates.

      “Well, maybe just a little,” she admitted on a grin as she levered herself onto the chair opposite his. “He’s also the reason I love To Catch a Thief.”

      “Grace Kelly.” Thomas sighed. “She starred in that one with him.”

      “She starred in few Hitchcock movies, including your favorite.” Elizabeth arched a brow. “Am I sensing the reason behind your preference?”

      “Guilty. So, what about Psycho? Fan of that one?” He made a slashing-knife motion with the corresponding sound effect that had turned the simple act of showering into the stuff of nightmares.

      She couldn’t help it. She shuddered. “I saw it once, as an adult no less, and that was enough for me. I found it a little too intense.”

      “Twice here. Also as an adult. Both times while out with women. Based on my dates’ reactions, they also found it intense. I didn’t mind.” His smile, accompanied as it was by a pair of bobbing eyebrows, had her laughing.

      Feeling the need to redeem herself, Elizabeth side, “I’ve watched The Birds again and again.”

      “A cult classic,” Thomas agreed.

      She helped herself to some Kung Pao chicken. “I will admit that, as a kid, it made me look at seagulls in a whole new light. Going to the beach was a traumatic experience for a time.”

      He went for the Kung Pao chicken as well once she set the carton back on the table.

      “Definitely dry.” At her blank expression, he added, “Your sense of humor.” He motioned with the serving spoon. “Back to The Birds, how about that scene at the elementary school? All those crows perching on the monkey bars?”

      “Creepy in the extreme.”

      “Wasn’t it, though? I was nine the first time I saw that movie. It was on television one rainy Saturday afternoon, and I watched it while Nana Jo was hosting her bridge club. I was awake all night long.”

      “I was eleven. Slept on the floor in my parents’ room for a week.”

      “I wouldn’t admit this to just anyone, but seeing as how you and I are engaged …” He shrugged. “I slept on my grandmother’s floor for two.” They both laughed. “It came to a head when she tried to take me to the playground and I begged to stay home.”

      “What did she say?”

      “Well, she was mystified.”

      “Understandable.”

      “But she didn’t press.” His smile turned nostalgic. “That’s her way. Or at least it was back then. She’s run out of patience, apparently. As for The Birds, I eventually confessed all.”

      “And?” Elizabeth broke apart the wooden chopsticks that had come with their meal.

      “Nana Jo took me to the local pet store and subjected me to an hour in the bird aisle. Even with every last one of those birds confined in cages, it was terrifying.”

      “Did she really do that?”

      Thomas glanced at the fork she’d set out for him before picking up his pair of chopsticks and breaking them apart. “She felt it was the best way for me to confront my fear. In fact, she bought me a cockatiel.”

      “Did it work?”

      “Yes. I was cured thereafter, but hopelessly hooked on Hitchcock.” He attempted to pick up a bite of his meal. Chicken and rice slipped from between the chopsticks. His expression reflected his dismay.

      “What did you name the bird?”

      His frown of a moment before turned into a sly grin. “What do you think?”

      “Hitchcock.”

      “Exactly. Confronting fear head on, remember?”

      They both laughed. Then Elizabeth took a bite of the food. The hot peppers in the Kung Pao chicken made her eyes water, even as her tongue caught fire. She set her chopsticks aside and fanned her face.

      “Oh, my God! I need a glass of water.” She scooted off her chair. “I never thought to ask if you wanted something to drink. I have wine, Cabernet Sauvignon.” It was a date-night staple, or so Mel always claimed. Elizabeth added, “Or some diet cola if you’d prefer.”

      “Water’s fine.”

      “Tap?”

      “With a couple ice cubes if you’ve got ‘em.”

      When she returned to the table with their glasses, he was again struggling to pick up a piece of chicken with his chopsticks. This one wound up in his lap after leaving a trail of sauce and bits of rice down the front of his shirt. His smile was sheepish, and all the more appealing because of it, as he blotted the fabric with a napkin. “I’m not as good at this as you are, I’m afraid.”

      “But you just keep trying.”

      “That’s me. Once I set my mind to doing something, I don’t give up easily.”

      “I’m the same way. Determined.” She laughed. “Mel calls it being stubborn.”

      “I guess we both are, then.”

      His smile was warm, yet she had to suppress a shiver. Elizabeth cleared her throat.

      “You’re holding them wrong.” She picked up her pair again and demonstrated. Even though Thomas did better this time, his grip was still a little off.

      “That’s an improvement, but it’s more like this.” She reached over to adjust the placement of his middle finger between the two sticks. Just that little bit of contact sent a spark of heat zipping up her spine, every bit as potent as the previous evening’s kiss. She snatched her hand back and glanced up to find him watching her. His dark eyes were narrowed and had grown hooded.

      Was he recalling that kiss as well?

      She was being foolish, she decided, when he made a couple of pinching motions in the air.

      “I think I’ve got it,” he declared before attempting to pick up another piece of chicken. This time he brought it to his mouth without incident. He raised his empty chopsticks in triumph afterward.

      “Very good,” she said.

      “Well, you’re a good teacher.”

      She wrinkled her nose at the compliment. “Nah. You’re a smart man from what I’ve observed. You would have figured it out for yourself eventually.”

      “Still, you deserve a reward.” He picked up a second piece of chicken and, after making sure it wasn’t going to fall from the chopsticks, offered it to her.

      Elizabeth must have lost her mind, because she leaned closer and opened her mouth. All the СКАЧАТЬ