"Chinese? How did you know to bring exactly what I was craving?" Sesame chicken sounded like the most delicious thing I could imagine at that moment. Well, at least as far as food went...
"I'm just that good..." He smirked like it was true, but it quickly crumbled into a guilty grin when I raised my eyebrows. "Emma told me it was your favorite. I was going to get us reservations at a French restaurant, but she made sure I knew that you could be a grouch at the end of your shifts and I would be risking my life taking you anywhere nice in scrubs. So, I have comfort food and a bottle of wine in the car."
I shook my head. "As much as I hate to admit it, she's right. I probably would have killed you in a horrible and gruesome fashion if I was expected to go out tonight. Chinese gets you extra brownie points."
Owen laughed. My night was infinitely better now, the stresses of the busy shift drifting away
on the the last of the winter winds. This was the best way to end a shift. A large black limousine loomed up out of the darkness, purring softly in a corner of the visitors' lot. Owen opened the door and I slid in, the smell of delicious food steaming the tinted windows.
"Oh my god, it smells amazing in here! What all did you get?" I wriggled out of my jacket and bent over one of the brown paper bags, tearing into it like a rabid badger.
"Sesame chicken, lemon chicken, shrimp lo-main, spicy beef stir-fry, wontons, dumplings, egg-rolls, and egg fried rice. I hope I got something you like."
I paused long enough in my frantic opening of the bag to grin up at him as he shrugged gracefully out of his coat. "Something I like? You got everything I like!"
He relaxed into the seat, rolling his shirt cuffs up, his blue eyes watching me with a twinkle. "Good. I'd hate for you to starve."
I popped a dumpling into my mouth and made a funny face at him, enjoying the way his face crinkled when he laughed. He leaned over and dug into one of the bags until he pulled out a box of fried rice and a pair of chopsticks. He easily started eating the rice with the cheap wooden sticks.
"How'd you learn to do that?" I asked, my mouth full of chicken and dumpling.
"I travel a lot. Japan is a big market and there are a lot of business meetings over dinner." He easily maneuvered the tiny grains of rice into his mouth like it was easy to get them to stick together and not fall all over the leather seats.
"Japan? That must be exciting," I said, taking another bite of sesame chicken. Owen nodded and continued eating his rice.
"I don't get to go there often. I mostly travel to the Middle East and recently to growing parts of Asia and Africa."
"Aren't those parts of the world dangerous?"
"A little. But, it's my job, so I do it. If I go to Japan sometime soon, would you like to go with me?" He lifted his chopsticks neatly to his mouth without a single grain of rice falling off.
"I don't know. Emma's wedding was the first time I've ever left the country. I'm not really big on traveling." I avoided his eyes and dug around in the bag for the egg-rolls.
"What? I thought everyone liked to travel." I could feel the question dancing in his blue eyes as he looked at me. His smile made my heart race. I swallowed my food down hard.
I didn't want to tell him how traveling made me nervous. How I didn't do well away from home or that I loathed the idea of getting on an airplane. The trip for Emma's wedding had taken four shots of whiskey just to get me okay with the idea of the plane taking off. Coming home hadn't been much better.
"I guess I just like home. I like having my life in one place and knowing where everything is. I like road trips to see old friends, but all my favorite things are right here. Why would I want to leave?" I said, a wry smile on my face to disguise the nervousness I felt at even talking about it.
Owen nodded thoughtfully before shrugging and giving me one of his trademarked smiles. "The invitation still stands. I would love to take you to Japan."
"How about you just come with me back to my place?" I held my breath for a moment. I wasn't the one who was usually so bold, but the man did fly out and bring me flowers in a limo.
Owen's face darkened and he set the now empty box of rice down carefully on the seat.
"I can't, Kaylee. I want to, I really, really want to, but I can't. I have a meeting in the morning."
"Oh," I said. I shrugged. "You sure?" I felt a small twinge of rejection, but I knew he didn't mean it that way. I still felt it, though.
"Kaylee, I wish more than anything I could stay with you tonight, but my flight leaves in an hour and I have to be on it. I'll probably be late for my meeting as is." Owen's blue eyes held mine and I could see the wish reflected in their depths.
"What do you mean, you'll be late as is? It can't be any later than nine and New York is, what, a three hour flight?" I asked slowly.
"The meeting isn't in New York. It's in Abu Dhabi. And I guess technically the meeting isn't tomorrow, but the time changes just get confusing." He looked up apologetically. "I really just wanted to see you again."
"You flew three hours in the wrong direction, just to bring me Chinese food and flowers?"
"Basically."