During the drive downtown, I listen to music for a little while and the rest of the time, I run through everything I’m going to say to Damien in my head. I don’t want to forget any of the important details. Once I get to the parking deck, I park my car and walk the two blocks to The Corner Café. It’s literally a café on the corner.
I walk in and the hostess seats me at a four-person table. The walls are a royal blue with gold furnishings throughout the building. It gives off an eclectic vibe, which I like. Also, the food is phenomenal.
“Hi there. Are you waiting on others?” the waitress asks. She’s young with thick-rimmed glasses and long, blonde hair.
“I am,” I tell her. “He should be here soon. I’m a few minutes early.”
She nods. “Awesome. I’ll grab you a water while you wait.”
“That’d be great. Thanks.” I hang my purse on the back of the chair and flip through all the paperwork. Almost all the tables in the café are full, but it’s to be expected. They have the best food in downtown and they’re fast. It’s not easy grabbing a bite to eat in the area in just an hour’s time for a lunch break; especially at a place with such exceptional food. The restaurant door opens and in walks Damien, dressed in a pair of jeans and plain gray T-shirt, looking almost like a college student. He takes off his sunglasses and when he sees me, he waves. I wave back, but then the door opens behind him and in comes Owen Jameson, the man I ran into and probably broke a couple of his toes by how hard I stepped on his foot. He’s the complete opposite of Damien with his dark blond hair perfectly coifed and wearing gray suit pants and a long-sleeved white button-down shirt. He could pass for a J. Crew model.
Damien waits for Owen and they both walk over to the table together. I stand and hold out my hand. “Hi. Thanks for coming.” They both shake my hand and I catch myself staring at Owen. There’s a feeling inside of me I can’t shake; it’s like I know him from somewhere.
Owen flourishes a hand toward my seat. “Ladies first.” I sit down and they each take their seats. “Hopefully, you don’t mind me tagging along. I don’t think I mentioned it the other day, but I’m the other owner of the station.”
My heart skips a beat and I gasp. “Oh wow, I didn’t know. It’s nice to actually meet you, now that I’m not stepping on your toes.” He chuckles and the sound of his laugh makes me lose my breath. I know I’ve heard that laugh before.
“It’s okay,” he says, smiling at me his pearly white teeth and bright blue eyes. “It was hard to walk the rest of the day, but I’m okay now.” From the mischievous glint in his eyes, I know he’s joking.
Damien’s phone rings and he holds it up. “I gotta take this. I’ll be right back.” He hurries outside, leaving me alone with Owen. I’m not complaining in the least.
I look right into his eyes. “I really am sorry for stepping on your foot.”
He waves me off. “It’s okay. I’m just glad I got to meet you. All I’ve heard are great things.”
That makes me feel good. “Jordan and I do the best we can.”
Damien hurries back in but doesn’t take his seat. “I hate to do this, but I have to go.” He turns to me apologetically. “Owen is the main decision maker anyway. You can run it all by him.”
I nod. “Okay.” He pats Owen on the shoulder and rushes out the door. “Hopefully, he’s all right.”
Owen smiles. “He’s fine. It’s probably just something going on at the station.”
Grabbing the papers, I’m about to hand them to him when the waitress comes back. She takes our food and drink orders and then disappears to the kitchen. “If you don’t mind, I’d like for you to look at these options.” I slide the papers toward him. “I was told to do what I wanted for the Nightmare Ball, but personally, I don’t like making the firm decisions without going over them.” He flips through the pages, but I stop him on the menu options. “The hotel ballroom has been booked and it accommodates up to seven hundred people if you want the full dinner option. If not, you can have a thousand guests and have several cocktail tables scattered throughout. We can even do light bites and desserts for the same number as well. It all depends on how many people you want.”
Owen purses his lips as he takes a look at the options. “What do you think we should do?”
I shrug. “Personally, I like the light bites and dessert option. If you’re having a singles ball, I’m pretty sure the last thing these people want is to eat a bunch of food and get sweaty on the dance floor. They’re going to concentrate more on the open bar and mingling.”
There’s a slight tilt to his lips; it’s sexy as hell. “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s just do that then.”
I show him the paper with the DJ’s information on it. “And this guy is really good. Jordan and I have used him many times at our parties. He keeps the energy going and even gets out there and dances with everyone.”
Owen stacks up the papers and steeples his hands together on top of them. “I trust you, Ensley. I have no doubt this party’s going to be a success.”
The waitress comes over with our drinks and it’s not long after when she arrives with our food. We both got the broccoli cheddar soup in a bread bowl. It’s too hot to eat so I wave the steam off. I want to talk to him about the payment, but I don’t know how to
