“I insist.” He’d said the same thing this morning. I narrowed my eyes.

“You are very insistent, aren’t you?”

He didn’t bother denying it. I sat a little straighter in my chair.

“Well, I insist too. You’re not buying lunch.”

He watched me with amused but determined eyes. I cocked a brow, enjoying our silent standoff. Eventually, he realized I wasn’t going to back down and relented with a nod before drawing back his chair and sitting down.

“What’s good here?”

“The fries, the guacamole, the crab. Honestly, everything is delicious. I usually order the special of the day.”

“I’m going to trust you.”

A waiter stopped by, and we both ordered the special and sparkling water.

“How was your morning?” Carter asked once we were alone.

I grimaced. “I don’t want to think about it at all. Tell me about yours. How come you decided to move to this area?”

“My law firm outgrew our old offices, and this area is getting a lot of attention.”

My shoulders slumped. He was a lawyer? I felt extremely deflated that my sexy stranger wasn’t so far removed from my troubles as I’d thought. Was he a ruthless lawyer? Possibly heartless? What kind of cases did he take? Was he the type who would represent a large multinational trying to crush a smaller player to enhance their profits?

I inwardly chastised myself. After the morning I’d had, I wasn’t feeling very friendly toward lawyers. But that wasn’t fair to Carter, so I tilted my lips in a polite smile.

“It’s becoming very popular. I moved my business here years ago when it wasn’t nearly as lively. I love it. Has a sense of community.”

“Speaking of community, Kate invited me to the charity event. I’ve looked it up. That’s a great cause.”

“It is. Are you coming?”

“Yes. I cleared my calendar.”

I smiled. A heartless man wouldn’t look up the details of a charity, right? Right?

***

Carter

Our order arrived, and we dug into our food in silence. I used the opportunity to observe Val as I’d done at the coffee shop. She’d caught my attention when she stood in line in front of me, and I had had an excellent vantage point. She was stunning and funny as hell. The fifteen minutes I’d spent with Valentina this morning had been the highlight of my week.

When I entered the restaurant just now, I noticed her hair first—those long, thick tresses cascading down her back. I could only imagine what it would feel like to sink my hands into it, tugging while I pulled her closer.