Sherelle Green - Nights Of Fantasy

Once they were in the car, her nervousness eased. “You know, the girls laughed when I told them about the bet.”

“Considering our track record, I’m sure they did,” Jaleen said with a laugh. “But I’m really looking forward to today.”

“Me, too. Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

Jaleen glanced from the road to her. “Did you bring an appetite, like I asked?”

At the time she hadn’t known if he’d meant an appetite for him or an appetite for food. Luckily, she’d brought an appetite for both.

Jaleen smirked. “Your mind is so dirty, Danni.”

She waved her arms in innocence. “What? I didn’t say anything.”

“Yeah, well, I can read what you’re thinking.”

She observed him as he drove. “Probably because you’re thinking the same thing I am.”

The rest of the twenty-minute drive was in silence. As they parked in a lot in Little Havana, Danni was still clueless about the day date.

“Since you grew up in Miami, I’m assuming you already know where we are.”

Danni turned to face Jaleen. “You remember that I grew up in Miami?”

He opened his door and went around the car to open hers. “I remember everything you tell me,” he said as he helped her out the car. “Just like I remember that you’re a vegetarian.”

Danni squinted. “Little Havana is known for its Cuban cuisine and doesn’t exactly have many vegetarian options.”

“See, that’s where you’re wrong,” he said as she looped her arm in his. “I happen to have a friend who specializes in vegetarian Cuban cuisine.”

“You’re kidding,” Danni said with a smile. “Why haven’t I heard of a vegetarian chef here before?”

“Probably because she doesn’t advertise it. Her vegetarian dishes are by special request only.”

“How do you know her?”

“I flipped a house a few years back that she brought. She also gives cooking lessons out of the guest house on the property, so we kept in touch.” Jaleen led her to a small restaurant that already had people lining up on the sidewalk despite the fact it wasn’t even the afternoon yet. Instead of getting in line, they bypassed the people and entered the restaurant.

“Jaleen, honey, so nice to see you again.” Danni unlinked Jaleen’s arm so he could hug the eccentric woman who was wearing about ten different vibrant colors. Danni knew exactly who she was and had watched her cooking shows when she was on the Food Network channel. Artemela Rojas wasn’t only known for her unique Cuban cuisine, but also her flamboyant personality and fun-loving spirit. There weren’t too many people who rendered Danni speechless upon meeting them, but Artemela was one of those people.

“Hello, Danni. I’ve heard so much about you.” She pulled Danni in for a hug.

“Nice...to...uh, meet you,” Danni finally got out. “I’m...so...uh, so honored.”

A quick glance at Jaleen proved he was amused by the situation. “Artemela, Danni isn’t aware of everything we’re doing today and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Oh, I love surprises,” Artemela said, clasping her hands together. “We have to open the restaurant, but I have the perfect spot for you.”

Danni and Jaleen followed her to the rooftop where there sat a table in the corner with the perfect view of Little Havana. Two mimosas were waiting for them and a plate of spinach empanadas.

“Enjoy this appetizer while I get to work in the kitchen. Carlos will come check on you soon and I’ll be back up later.” After they both thanked Artemela, Danni was finally able to soak in what had just happened.

“Oh, my goodness, I can’t believe I just hugged Artemela Rojas. She’s legendary here in Miami. I knew she had some signature vegetarian dishes because I’ve followed her recipes for years, but this is beyond unbelievable.”

“She’s one of your favorite chefs, right? You used to watch her shows on television.”

How did he know that? “Yes, she’s one of my favorite chefs.” She shook her head in disbelief. “I really have no idea how you knew that... I don’t think I’ve ever talked about her before.”

Jaleen took a sip of his mimosa, never breaking eye contact. “Do you remember the time we were at Ajay and Autumn’s house discussing their wedding plans right after they got engaged?”

“Of course,” she said, taking a sip of her mimosa, as well. “Winter and Taheim were trying to convince them to have a big wedding. But they were both insistent on not having an elaborate wedding.”

“Exactly. We spent all night trying to dwindle down their wedding list to under one hundred people.”

“Which was almost impossible,” Danni said. “We decided to shelve that conversation for later.”

Jaleen nodded his head in agreement. “So we all went to Ajay and Autumn’s living room to watch a basketball game that was on and you offered to wash dishes in the kitchen. I eventually went to the kitchen to help and you were watching reruns of Artemela’s show and unloading a bag full of groceries.”

“Oh, right,” she said, taken aback that he remembered. “When I was picking up food for the wedding planning session, I had picked up ingredients for a new dish that Artemela was making on the rerun that aired that night. You asked me if I loved cooking shows and I told you—”

“Only if it’s an Artemela Rojas cooking show,” Jaleen finished. “I wanted to tell you then that I knew her, but I was too wrapped up in observing your behavior.”

She looked into his eyes, trying to process everything he was saying. “And what did you see that night? After observing me?”

He slightly squinted. “I’m not sure you want to know.”

“Oh, come on,” she said, playfully hitting his arm. “Now I’m curious. You have to tell me.”

He didn’t say anything for a few moments and she feared that he’d never tell her what he’d observed that day.

“I noticed a couple things,” he finally said. “But the most important was the way your eyes lit up after you finished creating the dish. It couldn’t have taken you any longer than thirty minutes, yet the way your eyes gleamed with excitement, you would have thought the dish had taken hours to complete.”

She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat, determined to maintain eye contact. “You watched me for the entire thirty minutes?”

He gave her a sheepish grin as he shifted in his seat. “If I say I watched you for longer than that, would it creep you out?”

It doesn’t, but maybe it should. “It actually creeps me out more that I didn’t notice you watching me. I guess I’m more passionate about those cooking shows than I realized.”

“I have a feeling that you’re passionate about a lot more than cooking shows,” Jaleen said in a low voice. “But don’t worry. I plan on finding out just how deep that passion goes.”

* * *

The five-course vegetarian meal that Artemela had prepared had been everything Jaleen had hoped it would be. With each course, Danni’s eyes had lit up more and more. After the meal, he’d taken her to his favorite gelato place in Miami. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun on a date. He glanced over at the woman who was responsible for one of the most carefree and enjoyable dates he’d ever had.

“So what’s next?” she asked excitedly. “I’m not sure I can eat much more food, but I’d like to try.” The sun was setting, which meant it was the perfect time to execute the last part of their first date. He hadn’t had a chance to talk to Danni about the bucket list she’d mentioned to him months ago, but he didn’t need to bring it up during this date. He knew at least one item on the list, but he was hoping his next suggestion would be something off her list. He’d be able to tell based on her facial expressions.