He shrugged. "Is that a bad thing?"
"Yeah, it kind of is."
Jordan just drank as the kitchen got quiet, the only sound the hum of the fridge. This was normal for their table talks, a time to go back to their emotional corners and regroup. It usually led to one of them bringing up their parents, and Ethan was as predictable as always.
"When mom left—"
"Really?" Jordan growled.
"When mom left, she damaged both of us," Ethan insisted, softer this time. "But if you really like this girl, you need to take a chance on her, and it can be a real chance and not some one-night thing if you want more than that."
Jordan dropped his glass on the table, a little heavier than he expected. "Why do you keep pressing me on this? What makes you think some woman who bought dinner with me at a charity auction is now my one true love or something else fantastically stupid?"
"Because you've never been this defensive about a woman."
"She paid a lot of money at a charity auction to have dinner with me. I can't help if that was flattering."
Ethan flashed him a mischievous grin. "Why do you always act like I don't know you as well as I do?"
Jordan slouched in his chair. He was losing this battle, but this was a conversation he already had with himself. Charlotte was beautiful and unique and there was just something about her, but she was also a well-known New York socialite. Forget the prying press in Detroit. Being with someone like her would make those issues even worse. Could he actually date a woman during the best season of his career? Would the added issue that it was Charlotte Stone, the Charlotte Stone, cause more problems than a potential relationship was worth?
"What's going on in your head, brother?" Ethan asked.
"First, I'm thinking I need to finish this drink."
"That's not what I meant," he said sternly. "What about Charlotte?"
Jordan drained his glass and set it down on the table. "I'll see what happens at dinner."
Chapter 4
She shouldn't be nervous about this dinner, especially since everything was going according to plan so far. Chef Marco was in her kitchen with his crew whipping up what smelled like an amazing meal while Charlotte had set up her dining room table so it would look perfect. Her friends had been texting her all day and seemed to be just as excited as she was.
Can't wait for the best dinner I've ever had.
Can I come over a few minutes early and go through your shoe closet?
You're going to be the prettiest date of all the dates!
She saved her biggest smile for that last one, which came from Aiden via his father.
It was all good and fine so why was she so nervous? She wracked her brain, thinking about something she may have left off her list or forgot to do. But every thought kept going back to one person: Jordan King.
To say she had been enamored with him would be an understatement. She had paid for dinner with him and had invited her friends to join her. It wasn't like this was some romantic candlelit meal. And yet, she couldn't stop thinking about the way he had jumped off the stage and gallantly swooped in to plant a kiss on her hand, or the way he smiled and winked at her, leaving her breathless.
But every time she thought of Jordan, her mind jumped to that stupid Boyfriend Box in the back corner of her storage closet with that stupid helmet from Declan Reed. The thought made her angry at both Declan and herself. She needed to let go of that someday.
The sound of the doorbell broke her out of her latest trip down memory lane, and she did one last quick check of herself in her bedroom mirror before heading through the living room to answer the door.
"Charlotte!" Aiden exclaimed cheerfully as soon as she opened it. "I brought these for you!"
The little boy stuck his hand out with a bouquet of roses almost as big as him.
"You are the perfect gentleman, Aiden," she said, grabbing them before he could drop the heavy bouquet.
"My dad told me I was supposed to bring you flowers since you were my date, so I picked those out."
She gave a smile to Adam, who was standing behind his son. "Your father was absolutely right and you did an excellent job," she told the young boy, holding her hand out to him. "Should we put these in some water?"
