Page 64 of The Romance Adventure

“See? I can be nice,” I say to Isla.

A smile plays on her lips, but she continues to reassure the server. “Your guests are here for an experience, try to read what that is. It comes with time, but some people are jokesters, others want a more formal approach.”

“That’s a good tip.”

“You worked for yours tonight,” Isla adds. “I doubt you’ll ever have a customer as grumpy as my blind date.”

“Hey,” I say, affronted.

“Seems like you two knew each other before now.”

Our eyes dart together. “Yeah, we did,” we both say at the same time.

“Sounds like a love story,” Finley says.

Isla squishes up her face like she ate a lemon. “Pshaw. It’s definitely not that.”

“More like a hate story,” I add.

“Who asked you?” Isla sticks her tongue out at me.

Finley chuckles.

“We’ll be praying for you on your mission trip,” Isla says.

“Godspeed.” The farewell is reflexive, along with the salute.

As we exit the restaurant, Isla says, “Your grandfather wrote that in his letter. What does it mean?”

I shrug. “Something we used to always say by way of departing, along with a little salute. We weren’t much for hugging. That was Mom’s department. Then again, you never knew when any one of the members of my family would get you in a submissive jiu jitsu hold.”

“You guys are like ninjas?”

I explain the difference between the martial art and the gentle art.

“Sounds deadly to me.”

“Can be.”

So can Isla’s smile. Her gaze. The way she moves. The way she laughs.

We wander outside and into the balmy night. Isla wears a dress that floats around her thighs. It also shows off the slopes and curves of her shoulders and collarbones. Everything about her is perfect except her sordid backstory involving the guys who tried to rob me blind.

Did she really break things off with Daxel? Earlier, the emotion on her face suggested that she was hurt and that she’s strong and doesn’t want anything to do with the loser. What am I to believe? I could communicate like an adult, but what if I don’t like the answer?

“Thanks for dinner,” she says.

“Glad to help fund a good deed.”

“Yes, feeding me is always a good idea.”

“Do you get hangry like Ryan?”

“No, I’m usually pretty agreeable, but that was the biggest and best meal I’ve had in a while. I typically cook at home, but⁠—”

“But you’re just visiting.”

“For a while.”