She twisted the fringe around one finger, let it go, then twisted it again. The last time she’d burned candles had been during a power failure. These didn’t look sturdy, but slender and frivolous. “There wasn’t any need to go to all this trouble. I don’t—”

“Do candles and wine make you uneasy?”

Dropping the fringe, she let her hands fall to her sides. “No, of course not.”

“Good.” He poured rich red wine into both glasses. Walking to her, he offered one. “Because I find them relaxing. We did agree to relax.”

She sipped, and though she wanted to back away, held her ground. “I’m afraid you may be looking for more than I can give.”

“No.” He touched his glass to hers. “I’m looking for exactly what you can give.”

Recognizing when she was out of her depth, Liz turned toward the refrigerator. “We can start on the salad.”

He lit the candles and dimmed the lights. She told herself it didn’t matter. Atmosphere was nothing more than a pleasant addition to a meal.

“Very pretty,” Jonas told her when she’d mixed the dressing and arranged avocado slices. “What’s it called?”

“It’s a Mayan salad.” Liz took the first nibble and was satisfied. “I learned the recipe when I worked at the hotel. Actually, that’s where most of my cooking comes from.”

“Wonderful,” Jonas decided after the first bite. “It makes me wish I’d talked you into cooking before.”

“A one time only.” She relaxed enough to smile. “Meals aren’t—”

“Included in the rent,” Jonas finished. “We might negotiate.”

This time she laughed at him and chose a section of grapefruit. “I don’t think so. How do you manage in Philadelphia?”

“I have a housekeeper who’ll toss together a casserole on Wednesdays.” He took another bite, enjoying the contrast of crisp greens and spicy dressing. “And I eat out a lot.”

“And parties? I suppose you go to a lot of parties.”

“Some business, some pleasure.” He’d almost forgotten what it was like to sit in a kitchen and enjoy a simple meal. “To be honest, it wears a bit. The cruising.”

“Cruising?”

“When Jerry and I were teenagers, we might hop in the car on a Friday night and cruise. The idea was to see what teenage girls had hopped in their cars to cruise. The party circuit’s just adult cruising.”

She frowned a bit because it didn’t seem as glamorous as she’d imagined. “It seems rather aimless.”

“Doesn’t seem. Is.”

“You don’t appear to be a man who does anything without a purpose.”