Then a small lull in conversation occurred, and Benji must have realized he’d been talking at length to a woman. He stammered something unintelligible, hurried to his feet, and lit out with a hasty good-bye.

Justine turned to Xavier with a question. “Did I say something to upset him?”

“No. I think he realized he was talking to a beautiful woman and got scared. Benji’s a great guy, but he’s pretty introverted. The fact that he sat here so long talking to you is amazing in itself.”

Justine blushed. “He was really sweet and very into gaming. Wow. I feel stupid after talking to him. The guy’s smart on top of smart.”

“No kidding.” He watched her for a moment, realized how much he’d missed talking to her, and leaned back. “Okay, hit me.”

“With?”

“With your Sunday dinner. I caught undercurrents of fear and dismay.” They both laughed. “The folks were on you about dating, huh? Tell you what. You tell me about your dinner and I’ll fill you in on mine.”

“Oh, the man-list for your mom.” Justine’s eyes sparkled. “You’re on.”

CHAPTER 8

Justine followed Xavier to his apartment, curious about what it looked like. In her opinion, you could tell a lot about a man by the way he lived. Was he neat or messy? Into color or black and white? Organized? Chaotic? Did he have matching furniture or an eclectic mix of pieces? Function over fashion or both?

Not surprisingly, his apartment fit what she knew of his personality. The furniture looked comfortable yet attractive and well-cared for. The unit had a light, airy feel, nothing heavy or too large for the space. Xavier knew how to decorate, or he had someone who’d helped him. She felt immediately at ease and liked the fact he had a bevy of green plants around, adding to the natural colors all around.

The few pictures on the walls were of cities and landscapes. She noticed a group of photographs on one wall, some of him and his sister, a few of his family when he was younger, and a bunch of men in fatigues. He walked into the kitchen, so she followed him after toeing off her shoes and setting her bag on a hook by the door.

“I’m starving. I’m going to make a stir fry. Have you eaten?”

“Oh, no. I just got back from work.”

“Perfect. Are you allergic to anything?”

She sat at counter, where two stools hid under the overhang. “Not that I know of. And thank you. Stir fry sounds amazing.”

“Good. How about something to drink? I have wine, beer, and a few sodas.”

“Water would be good.” The kitchen was a spacious area shaped like a U, which gave him counters for food prep and enough room to cook with a friend and not be all over him. Or her.

A surge of curiosity struck that she hastily ignored. It wasn’t her business how many friends Xavier had. For all she knew, he was already dating someone else despite his recent breakup. A guy with his looks and easygoing personality had to have a line of potential lovers waiting around the block.