Free Surprised by Love: A Contemporary Romance (The Armstrongs Book 4) by Jessica Gray Page B

scattered across the rooftop were both casual and inviting.
    She heard Patrick’s shocked voice behind her. “Why didn’t you tell me...” and turned around. He was deathly pale beneath his suntan and had grabbed his brother’s arm to steady himself.
    “Are you okay, Patrick?” she asked.
    He tried to answer, but his trembling voice failed him. Toni was now severely worried, trying to figure out what could have happened when Douglas solved the puzzle and said, “He’s scared of heights. It’s the glass railing that makes him shaky.”
    Then he addressed Tricia, “I’m sorry. Do you think we can get one of those tables in the middle with the screens?”
    In the same moment a uniformed waiter greeted them, “Good evening, please follow me to your table.”
    Tricia spoke with him briefly and from what Toni understood, he wasn’t too pleased about her request. Then he headed off and Tricia turned to the others. “They’ll get us another table ready. It takes just a minute.”
    Toni saw the relief on Patrick’s face when he fixed his eyes firmly on the ground and whispered, “Thank you. Sorry for the trouble.”
    Minutes later, the waiter led them to their table that had been shielded from the gorgeous skyline with extra screens.
    The smells of delicious food filled the air and Toni realized she was starving. After they were seated and their drink orders had been taken, they lapsed into silence as they each perused the extensive menu.
    Since the restaurant served food in a traditional Malaysian style, they chose a variety of seafood dishes and then sat back to talk while they waited for their food to arrive.
    Toni was too nervous to talk much, but Tricia managed to keep the conversation going by asking lots of questions about Patrick’s assignment in Nepal.
    “So, I’ve never been to Nepal. What’s it like?”
    Patrick was happy to talk about his work. “Very different. Isolated. I just spent the last three months living in a remote village where they didn’t have electricity or running water.”
    Tricia grimaced and then asked, “So, you do what? Take pictures and stuff?”
    “And stuff. I’m a photo story journalist. So I use pictures to help educate people about others. Think National Geographic and that’s close to what I do.”
    “He’s very good at it,” Douglas added.
    Patrick looked at his brother and tipped his glass him. “Thanks, bro. So, Tricia, what do you do here in Kuala Lumpur?”
    “I manage several serviced apartment buildings like the one you all are staying in. There are lots of foreigners who come here to work for weeks or months at a time, and they would much prefer to stay in an apartment than a hotel.”
    “I can agree with that,” Toni chimed in. “Since I rarely stay in one place more than a few months at a time, I can’t imagine living in a hotel room all the time.”
    A small silence settled over the group as they sipped their drinks and waited on their food to arrive. They had ordered cocktails with Toni choosing a Singapore Sling and Tricia going for a Tequila Sunrise. Douglas and Patrick had stuck with a traditional Gin and Tonic, neither of them big drinkers.
    The alcohol helped to soothe Toni’s nerves and before dinner arrived, she felt a lot better. There was nothing to be afraid of. She’d chosen to sit opposite of Douglas, so there was no risk of her accidentally touching him and setting herself on fire.
    Dinner arrived and it tasted simply delicious. People raved about this restaurant for a reason. Seafood had definitely been the way to go. True to Asian customs, they shared their dinner selections by putting the plates in the middle of the table and taking bits from every plate into their bowls.
    Fried shrimp and fried calamari. Mussels with a black bean sauce. Satay chicken, and fried potstickers stuffed with a delicious mixture of meats and vegetables. Her favorites were the Nyonya Campur – a Malaysia take on sweet and sour with squid, shrimp and