Match Made In Paradise by Barbara Dunlop (black female authors TXT) 📕

“The food is fabulous. You should try the scallop and citrus salad.”

“You think?” An odd expression pulled at his face.

She hadn’t meant to push her preferences on him. “Or whatever you want. They have a nice filet mignon. I like it with the blue cheese crumble.”

He glanced pensively around the room again, and Mia followed his gaze—the party of businessmen laughing at a large table with a couple of them surreptitiously glancing her way, the staid-looking older couple near the rock feature, the young lovers in the alcove booth gazing into each other’s eyes.

“Do people recognize you when you’re out like this?” he asked.

She suspected he’d seen the businessmen looking. “Sometimes,” she said. “But they’re not nearly so hostile lately.”

His frown deepened.

“Is something wrong?” she asked him.

“No,” he said, switching his frown to a faux smile. “Nothing.”

She drew back. “You’re lying to me again, Silas Burke. Why are you lying to me?”

His smile turned sheepish. “Okay, total honesty. This isn’t exactly my kind of place.”

“You don’t like frou-frou food,” she guessed. She could understand that. The portions here were quite small, and they did tend to doll them up with garnishes and exotic sauces.

He shook his head. “It’s more the atmosphere.” He gave a little shudder. “It’s not exactly the kind of place where you kick back and relax.”

She gathered her purse.

“What are you doing?”

“We’re leaving.”

He reached out and covered her hand. “No, that’s not what I meant. If this is your favorite place, we’ll eat here. I really don’t mind.”

The waitress arrived with a beaming smile. “Can I offer either of you a cocktail tonight?”

“We’ve had a change of plans,” Mia told her with an apologetic smile.

The waitresses smile disappeared. “Is something not right? Would you like to change tables? Something a little quieter, perhaps?”

“It’s not the table,” Mia said.

“We can stay,” Silas said.

“Nothing’s wrong,” she said to the waitress. “We’ve just changed our plans.”

“All right.” The waitress withdrew. “Have a great evening.”

“I didn’t mean for us to leave,” Silas said. “This is not exactly a hardship. Let’s order drinks.”

Mia rose from her chair. “LA has about five thousand restaurants; it’s really no big deal. What did you have in mind?”

Silas quickly stood.

“No lying,” she admonished.

He grinned sheepishly then, looking like his usual self. “Burger. Maybe nachos. Someplace with comfortable chairs where your fancy dress won’t fit in and I can take off my tie.”

“You okay with a water view?” she asked, thinking she knew just the place.

“I’ve got nothing against the ocean.”

They grabbed a cab and moved a few miles down the road toward Santa Monica.

Mia showed Silas into a laid-back bistro with wide open windows, bare wood tables and lively chatter.

He stripped off his jacket and tie as the waitress showed them to a table.

“Better?” she asked as they got seated.

“Perfect,” he said, draping his jacket over the chair and pocketing the tie. He looked over at her with a smile and squeezed her hand. “Thank you.”

She smiled back at him, happy that he looked more relaxed. The evening was about both of them enjoying the city, and she loved this little bistro.

The sun had set, and the lights in the garden below illuminated the shrubbery and the palm trees.

“Beer?” she asked as the waitress approached.

“Whatever you’ve got on tap,” Silas said to the woman.

“Light or red?” she asked.

“Red.”

“Same,” Mia said.

Silas looked at her in surprise.

“I’m having French fries too.”

The waitress gave them a grin as she walked away.

Mia opened the menu, flipping through all the pages, not just the salads. Everything looked delicious.

“Mia?”

“Hmm?” The pulled pork wrap looked very tempting. But so did the bacon burger.

“Mia?” he repeated.

She looked up and gasped, all thoughts of food forgotten.

Silas had reached across the table. He was holding out a small box—a ring box.

Her heart skipped a beat as she took in the recessed round diamond nestled in a swirl of diamond chips set on a woven band.

She was speechless for a moment.

“Mia, you are my everything. I love you so much. . . . Will you marry me?” he asked, his deep tone totally sexy and romantic.

She looked into his eyes that were peering hopefully at her. “You . . .”

He cocked his head.

The waitress approached with their beer, saw what was happening and abruptly backed away.

“It’s a yes-or-no question, Mia.” But he didn’t look worried. He looked happy. He was glowing.

She was glowing too, everything from her skin to her eyes to her heart. “Yes. Absolutely yes.”

He took the ring from the box.

“It’s perfect,” she said as he slid it onto her finger.

“I asked for something low-profile. LA elegant meets Alaska practical.” He kissed her ring finger. “We’re going to make this thing work, Mia. I promise.”

“We will,” she said. “Oh, I know we will.”

*   *   *

Mia wore a loose-fitting soft cotton blend T-shirt, steel gray with short sleeves, tucked into a pair of khaki cargo pants. Overtop, she’d layered a breathable cotton black-and-white-checkerboard shirt, buttoned and tied at her waist, the cuffed sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She and Silas had stopped in Anchorage to pick up a few necessities, so she had practical weatherproof leather boots laced on her feet. They were super comfortable for walking in the woods.

Her hair was up in a ponytail, threaded through the back of a WSA baseball cap. No need for a handbag. Bear spray was strapped to her belt, and her phone was in a pocket of the cargo pants. Silas’s truck keys dangled in the ignition where they’d parked it on the road between the airstrip and Paradise.

“This is where I was thinking,” Silas said as the pathway led them to a grass-and-wildflower-strewn meadow on a bend in the river.

Mia paused and smiled, breathing the fresh, fragrant air and feeling the sunshine on her face. Wind whispered softly through the trees, and birds chirped all around them. The river rolled past with an understated rumble, while the mountains rose sharp against the sky beyond.

“It’s nice,” she said, thinking the view was spectacular.

He took her hand and they started walking again.