Escaping Christmas (Contemporary Romance) by Charlotte Ashwood Page B

beside her table, looking annoyingly sexy in a blue-and-white-striped work shirt tucked into black slacks. The sleeves were rolled up, exposing his forearms.
    “Hi.”
    “Hey.” His eyes smiled at her and she felt her pulse speed up. “Mind if I have this seat?”
    She shrugged, and he sat down elegantly in the chair opposite her.
    “Where’s your friend?” Angie asked.
    “My sister decided she did not like my inattention and went shopping.” His eyes sparkled with amusement.
    The ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. “I would choose shopping, too.”
    “She’s my baby sister and incredibly spoiled. Some inattention is good for her.”
    Angie heard the affection for his sister in his voice and felt a pang of regret. She’d often wondered what it would be like to have a brother or a sister. It had always been just her and her mom. Her dad hadn’t even stuck around long enough to get to know her, and his family had refused to acknowledge her altogether. She shrugged off the feeling. She’d done well for herself, and her life had been great, until recently. She missed her mom terribly.
    “What’s going on behind those beautiful eyes?”
    She raised an eyebrow. “Are you flirting with me?”
    “Would you like me to flirt with you?” he asked.
    Angie shrugged, which just made him chuckle.
    “Why aren’t you at work on a Monday morning?” she asked.
    “I’d rather spend the time flirting with you.”
    “Oh, please, spare me. Do those doe eyes actually work on any real human women?”
    He blinked once then laughed. “You have a way with words, did you know that?”
    “Thanks, but that doesn’t answer the question.”
    “Hmm, you must not have been in Malaysia long if you don’t know about makan. ”
    “Makan?” Angie was intrigued.
    Alex smiled, his eyes glittering with mischief.
    “Well, literally it means food or a meal . You interfere with makan at your peril. However, I like to think of it as a philosophy.”
    “How can food be a philosophy?”
    “It’s more than just a question of food. Makan is when families get together during the day and friends sit down and catch up with each other. Makan also means to party or to feast. Anyway, lunch break is a serious event here.”
    Angie was impressed. She was surprised to find such depth beneath his stereotypical good looks. Then again, maybe it was a fluke, or maybe he’d studied anthropology in college. Besides, she knew firsthand that depth of knowledge did not always translate to depth of feeling.
    Alex watched her drift off again, lost in her thoughts. It would have been a blow to his ego to see her attention wander if he was not so fascinated by watching her. She was a beautiful woman, and she was getting more than a few looks from the male patrons of the café. But it was more than her beauty that drew him to her. The first thing he’d noticed about her was the haunted look in her eyes, like she’d been very badly hurt. Watching her, he wanted to gather her in his arms and make her sadness disappear.
    He felt his mouth curve into a rueful smile at this thought. His cousin Hussein would say his Sir Galahad complex was showing.
    “You’re staring,” she said.
    “It’s hard not to. You went off somewhere inside your head, and I didn’t want to interrupt.”
    She frowned slightly and turned to look at him. “Interrupt what?”
    “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “What were you thinking about?”
    She picked up her mug and absently took a sip, then made a face and placed the mug back on the table.
    “I was just wondering why on earth I decided to experiment with a caramel latte of all things.”
    “I can show you where to get real coffee, not this fancy stuff. There’s this place I can take you to…. What are you doing this evening?”
    She hesitated, and then shook her head. “I’m busy tonight. I’m sorry.”
    “That’s okay. Maybe another time?”
    She smiled that small half smile that barely reached her eyes.