Chocolate – especially fine chocolate – was a shared passion.

Jade mouthed, “I’ll see if I can score us some of that dessert.”

Rian nodded quickly and shot a big smile back.

As they exchanged glances, Fabienne looked from one to the other, with a slight frown on her face.

Jade caught it and explained, while looking around, trying to catch the eye of any passing waiter, “We’ll try to get some of that dessert. Was it any good?”

She caught the eye of one who was bringing a cup of a hot beverage to the next table. The lady wait staff nodded in Jade’s direction and then laid the beverage down.

“Yeah, pretty good. I don’t usually eat dessert, as you know. But this isn’t the usual molten chocolate cake. I think dad wants to interview the pastry chef. One of the waiters said she’s new and young. Did a stint in Napa – talented. Inventive,” Fabienne responded. She was familiar with her girlfriend’s weakness for chocolate. She looked again at Rian, who had struck up a conversation with the elegant couple from Brown. Seems she also has that sweet tooth. Yet another thing she shares with Jade.

Jade flashed a winning smile at the lady wait staff, and batted her emerald green eyes, while she asked if she and Rian could still have some of that “dessert that we hear is just amazing.”

Fabienne thought as she glanced at the lady wait staff, “no need to say anything else, Jade. You had her at, “Hi …”

Sure enough, in less than five minutes, two plates with heaping servings of the molten chocolate cake arrived at their table. They even had an extra flourish of an arrangement of cut strawberries arranged like a flower, topped by a drizzle of melted chocolate, on the side.

The lady wait staff was rewarded with another winning smile, plus a wink from Jade.

Fabienne shook her head as her girlfriend excitedly started to spoon the dessert. Jade. Doesn’t she know she ruins panties when she does that? Winking, smiling, batting those eyelashes.

The blonde looked again at Rian, who was also enjoying the dessert, exclaiming right alongside Jade, about it. She and Jade were taking turns explaining what had happened in DC and that Dan had left to fly back. Fabienne murmured “of course, that’s not a problem at all,” when Jade said she’d invited Rian to join them for the Christmas lunch with Fabienne and her family in one of their restaurants. She continued to look at Rian as the two friends excitedly exchanged opinions about the dessert.