It Must Be Love - Jacob and Connie

Chapter Fifteen

She smiled and took his hand, happily walking down the cobbled path towards the house. They thanked the driver, and he drove away, and for a fleeting second, Connie wondered why he wasn't waiting to take them back home again, but she didn't have long to dwell on that before she was swept away by Jacob. He pulled her into his side, and walked with his arm around her. They strolled in companionable silence for a few minutes, and soon they reached the house. A waiter, dressed in a black and white tuxedo, greeted them, and asked for their names.

"Masters," Jacob said, and they waited while the waiter checked the list.

"Jacob?" Jacob nodded, and the waiter tore a piece of paper from his clipboard, and handed it forward. "I just need you to sign this, Sir. Would you like a menu?"

"Please," Jacob replied while signing the letter, and the waiter pulled out two menus from the back of his clipboard. Jacob handed the paper back and they were escorted to a table inside - it was warm outside but the light breeze would've gotten a little chilly, especially as the night was getting colder. Besides, Jacob had reserved the table for two by the window, that was complete with a vase of roses, champagne, and the most picturesque view of the gardens.

"I'll come back to take your order soon," the waiter announced once the two of them were seated, and Connie didn't seem to be able to comprehend what was going on. She'd expected a small meal in a small restaurant, and instead she was being offered this amazing opportunity with this even-more-amazing man. "If there's anything you need, please let one of our staff know." With that, the waiter walked away, and Jacob handed one of the menus to Connie.

"I expected a quiet meal out, Jacob." Connie muttered, while looking down at the menu. His eyes flicked up and watched her intently - that gorgeous woman - and he smiled to himself.

"Like I said, I want the most outta my life now, and that's you." She closed the menu and set it on the table, and he mimicked her actions, the pair of them leaning in to whisper across the table.

"I know I said you had to please me, Nurse Masters, and I'd like to inform you that you're doing a very good job, but you do realise that you're setting a very high standard for yourself."

"Oh, Mrs B, I know. This is nothing compared to what I've got in store for you. So, what d'ya want?" He moved back to sit upright in his chair, and reopened the menu. She did the same, and looked across it for several seconds, trying to ignore his last comment. She wanted to know so desperately exactly what he had in store for her.

"I don't know yet, what are you having?" She really couldn't decide - everything seemed so posh, which meant expensive, and she felt awful having Jacob pay for everything.

"I think I'll go for the Ribeye of Gower beef - one of the only things on the menu I've ever heard of. And it's served with salad and chips - can't go wrong." Connie smiled, but she tried to hide it, and continued to look over the menu.

"I never saw you as a salad man," she said, never looking away from the menu. "Or is the chips that you want?"

"You can see right through me, Mrs B." She rolled her eyes, and continued to stare at the menu, as if what she wanted was going to magically pop up out of nowhere. In all honesty, she could've eaten anything, as it all sounded delicious, but it was still hard for her to make a decision.

"Oh, I'll go for the pan fried fillet of monkfish," she smiled, trying to remember the last time she had had proper fish (that wasn't from her daughters' favourite chippy). The monkfish was served with borlotti beans and chorizo, garden kale, and lemon dressing, and sounded like a lovely meal to have for her evening. The waiter returned soon, and Connie and Jacob had had a pleasant conversation, mainly about Grace, but other things too.

"Have you decided what you would like?" The waiter said upon approaching them.

"I think we're having the fillet of monkfish, and the Gower beef please," Jacob replied, and Connie was surprised at how much she was smiling again.

"Have you decided on a drink?" The waiter asked after writing down the previous order. Jacob looked over at Connie, who picked up a menu.

"I'll let my lady choose that," he said coolly with an amused smirk.

Connie loved to be called his lady and it made the butterflies take flight in her stomach once more. She looked over the menu, and her career had meant that she'd become quite knowledgeable regarding different wines, as she had to go to several conferences and staff meetings over the years.

"Go for anything," Jacob said to Connie. "Bordeaux, Rosé, whatever you want." She saw her favourite on the menu, and disregarded it as the price per bottle was ridiculous. She wished she was paying, so then she wouldn't feel so guilty, but she also knew that he'd be upset if she didn't get what she wanted because of the price. She decided to settle for her second favourite, presuming that Jacob liked it, which was a little more reasonable in price.

"Oh, alright... Do you like Rosé Champagne?" Jacob nodded. "We'll go for the Mercier Brut Rosé then, please." The waiter took the order, asked if they'd like anything else, and told them to expect a wait of approximately 15 minutes.

"You do know you could have ordered the £250 ones and I wouldn't have cared," Jacob said. "I know you're worrying over how much this will cost, but trust me, it's covered. And I never picked you as a champagne sort of girl, I was expecting you to go for the red."

"You don't mind, do you?"

"Connie, no, I don't. I would've said something if I didn't like it." She smiled, and he took her hands in his across the table. "Anything beats a can of beer, eh? Oh no, you wouldn't know."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She feigned to be insulted, and sprung back to rest back in her chair. "I'll have you know I've drank a lot of beers in my time!"

"You have?" Jacob was completely astounded. "Woah, Connie, I'm seeing a whole new side to you!"

"Didn't really have much choice where I grew up." She didn't mean to say it, but it just slipped out, and she knew now that Jacob was going to ask her all the time about where she was from, and the truth was that she wasn't ready to reveal that yet.

"Where did you grow up?" He asked with a smile on his face. The smile was contagious, and Connie's mouth began to curl at the edges. She looked down, to avoid making any eye contact, and bit her lip to keep her mouth shut. "Oh, come on, where was it?"

"I'm not telling you!" She protested.

"Can I guess?"

"No!" Just then, two waitresses - young, blonde and had the perfect figure - came over to give Jacob and Connie their cutlery. Connie felt jealous as the one woman moved behind Jacob to set the table, even though the other was doing the same for her, but she noticed that Jacob's eyes never left her. He reached out to her again, and she took his hands, looking at him across the table. She could get lost in his eyes - they were so gorgeous. She looked at him, and he looked at her, and she knew that he was trying to decipher his way into her mind, so he could find out where she was from. Her icy exterior that she usually had around her staff shattered when he was near, but it seemed he was unable to get through the walls she had on the inside. Not long after, the other waiter came, holding two plates, and one of the women was behind with the bottle and glasses. The waiter set Connie's plate down first, then Jacobs, and the woman put the chilled champagne in the middle.

"Thank you," they said as they received their plates.

"Is there anything else you'd like?" The waiter asked, and both Connie and Jacob shook their heads.

"No thank you," Jacob answered, and with that, the waiter (and waitress) left. Connie was the first to take a bite, and she hummed in approval. The sound went straight through Jacob, making him wish he could get her to hum like that later on. "Good?" He managed to ask, and then took a bite of his meal.

The place that Connie and Jacob are in this chapter is based on Fairyhill, a place in Reynoldston (South Wales) so the food they order is based from the menus there, and the description is from a picture I've seen of the place. I thought it was so fitting for them, and it's nice to see this side of Jacob, so I hope you liked it!