“It is.” Then I thought of something. “So does your business have a name?”
“Ah.” He blushed and sat back in his seat. “It does. I think. But it might sound stupid. I don’t know yet. I’ve had a logo done but I’m having second thoughts . . .”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “It might be . . . immature. I dunno.”
“What is it?” I was more than curious now.
“Kopi Kat.” He tapped his fingertip on the table and chewed on his lip. “The cat is just an outline of a few lines. It’s quite stylish but . . .” He thumbed his phone screen and showed me a picture of his logo. It was gorgeous.
“Oh, I love that. I think it’s a standout.”
“Really? You’re not just saying that?”
“No, not at all. It’s easily identifiable, sleek, and the product merchandising options are limitless.” I smiled at him. “I see hundreds of logos a day. This is good.”
His grin was real and I could feel the relief roll off him. “Thank you.”
The waiter returned and Bryce took the liberty of ordering. We’d eaten together enough times for me to trust his judgement. I was famished and it probably wouldn’t have mattered what he ordered, I would gladly eat it.
“So, was your boss pissed at you?”
“Yep. But I was so busy this afternoon we couldn’t really duke it out. I left a message for the owners at the wharf property that I had a tenant ready to move forward.”
“You did?”
“Yes. And I’m sure Natalie will have something to say about that tomorrow.”
“I don’t want you to get into trouble,” he said gently. “That was never my intention.”
“It’s nothing,” I assured him. “She’s just pissed that I found you what you were after. It’s a dog-eat-dog industry. She understands that. And she’ll see that when she’s over the butthurt. Our priority is the customer’s satisfaction.”
“Well,” he said suggestively. He leaned in and whispered, “We both know you keep me very satisfied.”
I rolled my eyes at that.
“Can I ask you something?” he added, serious again. “What would happen if she found out about us?”
I let out a breath. “I don’t know.”
His eyes widened a little. “Should we be out together in public?”
I chuckled. “We knew each other before today, and she asked me to take your appointment. It wasn’t my idea. It’s not like I lined this up.”
He chewed on the inside of his lip. “I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
“If it’s an issue, I’ll hand your file back to Natalie. I probably should anyway. Once I hear back from the owners and you’ve signed the agreements, she can have you.”
He snorted. “Thanks.”
“She’s very good.”
He nodded. “But she wouldn’t have offered to show me the wharf store. She wouldn’t have asked me all the questions about my business. She wouldn’t have . . . cared, I guess, for the want of a better word.”
I sipped my water, ignoring the heat in my cheeks. “Can I ask you a question?”
There was the tiniest flinch in his eyes. “Sure.”
“How old are you?”
He smirked, and he took a long moment to answer. “I’m twenty-six.”
That surprised me. He seemed older. “How long have you and Terrence been friends for?”
“Since we were eighteen. We met in business college and we just clicked. He’s the smartest guy I know. He’s funny as hell. And he . . .” Bryce frowned. “He works for his father’s business, so we have a lot in common.”
Hmm. Another mention of his father, and again it was not a good vibe. I wasn’t going to bring it up though. I didn’t want to sour the mood.
“He’s clearly very fond of you,” I said. “Terrence, I mean.”
“God, do I even want to know what he said to you when I left you two alone? He wouldn’t tell me when I asked.”
I chuckled. “It wasn’t the ‘you hurt him and I’ll hurt you’ speech exactly, but he was fairly direct. And full respect to him, honestly. He was just looking out for you.”
He groaned. “Well, he likes you. Whatever you said to him, he said you were okay. And he’s never said that about anyone I’ve been seeing.”
Oh wow. So now we were seeing each other?
Well, I guess we were. To some degree. It was just weird to hear him say it. My belly tightened and I couldn’t deny the thrill that rushed along my veins, and I was relieved when our meals arrived.
Bryce wasn’t kidding when he said the food was amazing, and I ate way more than I should have.
“How did you hear about this place?” I asked, putting my cutlery on the plate. I literally couldn’t eat another bite.
“Massa, a friend of mine. How he heard about it is anyone’s guess.”
“Well, thank him for me. That meal was amazing.”
He laughed. “I’m not telling him. He’ll ask if I blindfolded you to get here. It must remain a secret.”
I laughed at that. “The Fight Club of restaurants.”
Bryce chuckled. “Is that what me bringing you here says about me? I should have chosen Aria’s.”
“Hell no. You wanted to bring me to a place that told me who you are. This place is all you.”
“I’m Blade Runner?” He pretended to be offended. “Guess it could be worse.”
“That movie was epic, by the way. But this place is very you.”
He leaned back in his seat and met my gaze. “How so?”
Oh god. How to phrase this? “Well, you want to fly under the radar, no fanfare, no pretences. You’re fine dining without the signage and pretentious advertising. Understated, a little eclectic, but genuine.”
He let out a small laugh and a bloom of blush crept down his neck. That was new.
Maybe that was too serious. Maybe what I’d said gave too much away. So I leaned in and whispered, “And like the meal sizes, you’re also bigger than I thought I could handle, but I managed to fit it all in.” I leaned back and rubbed my belly, though we both knew I wasn’t talking about my stomach or food.
He barked out a laugh. “You do handle it very well.”
I chuckled. “Why, thank you.”
He stared at me for a long moment with a happy smile. “So, what’s the Michael Piersen story?” he asked. “Given you made a point of spelling Piersen, is that Dutch?”
“My grandparents came from the Netherlands,” I explained. “People usually spell it wrong. And the Michael Piersen story is quite boring, to be honest. I went to Knox Grammar and started at CREA the summer I graduated. They paid for me to get qualified, and here I am.”
“So, entry-level, and you worked your way up.”
“I worked my arse off.”
He nodded. “Considering your apartment is overlooking Darling Harbour, I can see that.”
“What about you?”
“I went to Sydney Grammar,” he replied.
“Oh, sorry to hear that.”