Matt was wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, trying to look as casual as possible when he pressed the doorbell. "You better not mess this up, or help me, God!" He growled at the delivery man behind him. Simon was also there with a very large bouquet of wildflowers. He took a deep breath and smiled as he heard the door open.
Instead of Lisa, it was a furious Emily, who dragged Will out by his shirt to interpret. "I told you not to mess this up! She is furious and is taking it out on the poor oven. I have never seen her so upset over a man! Is it true that you have more than one woman? If it is true, then I will... no love, I am not saying that! " William said, shocked.
"She is deaf, boss?" Simon asked, surprised. Matt had not mentioned anything about Lisa's sister being deaf, giving the flowers to the delivery man.
"Yes, I am! Is that a problem? Because if it is... " Will interpreted.
Simon began to sign, "No Madam, I am sorry if my signing is bad. I am fluent in Brazilian Portuguese only. "
"You sign?" Emily replied with a broad smile.
"Yes, my cousin is deaf. We learnt to sign for her, " Simon signed.
"My estimation of your boss has gone up!" Emily replied with a smile that made William growl.
"There has been a misunderstanding. I assure you that I am only seeing Lisa. " Matt said, cursing himself. How could he forget that Simon could sign?
"And the gifts? Were they really to make sure she didn't embarrass you? How dare you even suggest that? She saves your life and you chased her, even after the date! " Will interpreted.
"No, no! It was not like that at all! I wanted to treat her like the Goddess she is! " Matt blurted out without thinking. Emily felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned.
"Goddess hey? Emily, are you going to invite our guests? Or have you not finished asking questions about my love life? " Lisa said and signed.
"No, I am done. We are going upstairs and leaving you to it! " Emily signed it with a smile. She nodded to Matt and Simon before leading William upstairs.
"What can I do for you? I thought I made my feelings very clear. " Lisa said as she leaned against the door frame with her arms folded.
"Lisa, can we please come in?" Matt asked. He noticed her cheeks were still flushed from scrubbing the oven, giving her an enchanting complexion.
"Nope."
"But you just said that we could come in!"
"I was setting a good example. At least one person I see in your party is not welcome here. In fact, if I recall, I stated that if I ever saw him again, I would kill him. "
"A bit dramatic, don't you think? This is quite shocking behaviour for a teacher."
"Is this a very funny way to apologise or are you here to antagonise me? Oh, I know, you want to evaluate my fighting skills! " Lisa said sarcastically.
"You are not going to make this easy, are you?" Matt said with a sigh.
"Yes, I am. Leave and forget about me. Trust me when I say it would be best to do that now. "
Matt stepped closer to Lisa and leaned closer. "Not going to happen, Amoreco. I thought you would have got that message by now! " he whispered in her ear. Lisa silently cursed her body as she felt her heart beat faster. Matt took a step back and waved his hand. "Someone wants to apologise to you. Please try not to kill him. He is a good man with a family. "
The delivery man stepped forward, and Lisa suddenly felt sorry for him. He was pale and frightened, as he bowed his head. "I am very sorry for any offence I caused madam. Please forgive me!"
"And?" Matt demanded.
"And, whatever impression I made, my boss is only interested in you! " The delivery man said, making Lisa blush.
"Do you accept his apology or do I need to give you an inch of flesh?" Matt asked, and the delivery man gasped.
"You are joking, of course! Yes, I forgive him and no human skin is required. " Lisa said with a sigh. She carefully watched the delivery man's reaction and was shocked at the level of relief that flooded through his face. It reminded her of…..
"Are you OK?" Matt asked in a concerned voice.
"Yes, of course. Do you want to come in? " Lisa asked, trying to change the subject.
"I will with pleasure. Can I just introduce Simon? " Matt asked.
Simon came closer and bowed, "It is a pleasure to meet you. I can see how you have captured Matt's heart! "
"Wow, I can see I am going to have to keep an eye on you!" Lisa said with a small flirty smile. Matt suddenly felt jealous, which was unlike him. Some of his past women had paid attention to Simon before. Normally, when they realised that they were getting everywhere with him. It had never bothered Matt before.
"You don't need to watch out for anyone, as I will protect you," Matt said, and Lisa chuckled. "I am serious. Now, shall we go in? "
"Do I have a choice?" Lisa teased, and Matt let out the mental breath he had been holding. His good-humoured lady was back.
"No!"
"Then why bother asking?" Lisa asked as she turned around and walked into the house. Matt chuckled as he took the flowers from the delivery man.
"Go and don't let me see you again for the rest of the week," Matt growled, and the delivery man nodded.
"Good luck, Boss; she's a fierce woman. I can see why you are taken with her! " Simon said in Brazilian Portuguese.
"Are you coming in or are you going to let all the heat out?" Lisa called.
Matt smiled and walked in. He shut the door and walked into the kitchen. Lisa was already back scrubbing the inside of the oven. "These are for you," Matt said.
Lisa looked up and smiled, "They are beautiful, and I love wildflowers. Their imperfection somehow makes them even more beautiful. Would you mind putting them in water for me? There is a vase under the sink. Thank you. You should have spent so much money, especially after I lost my temper. "
Matt went to the cupboard and took out a vase and filled it with water. "You deserve this and so much more. You are special, Lisa, you should know that. "
"I am no more special than any other woman on this planet," Lisa said as she started to scrub again.
"Not any woman would jump in front of a car to save a total stranger. Do you have some spare gloves? " Matt asked.
"Gloves?" Lisa asked, confused.
"Yes, to help you, amoreco."
"You want to scrub the oven with me?" Lisa said, shocked.
"I want to help you, amoréco, with whatever you want to achieve."
"You are a smooth talker, aren't you? It's no wonder you have women lining up to date you! " Lisa remarked. Matt saw a flash of hurt cross her eyes before it disappeared. He realised she had been hurt at the thought of him dating other women at the same time. He found some gloves under the sink. He put them on and picked up a brush as he knelt and started to scrub.
"I am not seeing anyone, apart from you, Amoreco. I have seen multiple women in the past, but as I said, I am looking for my soul mate. "
"And you think I am that woman because I saved your life?" Lisa asked.
"No. Not just because you saved my life, but for many other reasons."
"Such as?
"You are brave, kind, honest, smart and make me laugh. Not to mention beautiful. "
"I am not who you think I am," Lisa said, looking at the ground. "If only he knew." She thought sadly.
"Why don't you let me find out who you really are then?"
"You will regret it!" Lisa warned.
"So, is that a yes to the date tonight?" Matt asked carefully.
"Depends, where are you taking me? I'm guessing somewhere posh. "
"I was planning to take you to the Ivy for a meal," Matt admitted.
"The Ivy? Wow. Tell me, do you honestly enjoy going to those sorts of places? "
"What do you mean?" Matt asked, confused.
"Don't you find them a little restricting?" Lisa said, tilting her head as she looked at him thoughtfully. Matt stopped for a minute and thought about her question. He remembered in his youth how he loved relaxed BBQs on the beach or meals around the family table. As his family fortune grew, those times became less frequent and he became used to high-class dining. High-class dining with rules and shallow conversation. The truth is, he missed the more relaxed dining experience, but how did Lisa know?
"Truth be told, yes! But how did you know? " Matt was shocked.
"I am good at reading people. Why don't I pick a place that I think you will enjoy? " Lisa asked.
"How could I resist such an offer?" Lisa laughed as Matt said this with a smile.
"Well, my choice will depend on how well you scrub this oven." Lisa teased.
"Then I better get scrubbing," Matt said, making Lisa laugh again. He then realised that they were flirty for the first time, and his body filled with excitement. He could not wait to see where she would lead him.