“Lily?”Jack asked.
Biting my lip, I leaned across the table.“Are you sure this is okay?Everything is really expensive.”
Jack reached across the table and touched the back of my hand.“Trust me.Don’t even worry about it.”
Relief softened my shoulders, and I sat back.“Um, I guess I’ll have the Free Range Pesto Chicken Breast over Linguini, please.”
The waiter nodded once more, then collected our menus and left.
I reached for my glass and took a sip.The taste was familiar to me, considering my job, but I watched Jack’s face.He took a drink, and his eyes fluttered shut as he savored the flavour.
“Oh, that’s good,” he said.
It was.
We both placed our glasses back on the table.
“So, what about family?”Jack asked, resuming our conversation.“Do you have any brothers or sisters?Do your parents live here?”
“Nope, no family for me,” I replied, keeping my tone light and airy.This was a topic I did not want to broach.And now I was starting to see why I’d avoided dating for so long.It wasn’t like I could admit who my father was or tellanyonethat he’d killed all my brothers and sisters long before I was even born, and my mother not long after.
Jack cocked his head and regarded me quietly.“No family at all?”
I shook my head.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice soft.“That…must be hard.”
“Nah,” I said, waving a dismissive hand.“Trust me when I say I’m better off without them.”
Well, better off without my father.My mother…I would have loved to have known her before she died.But some things just weren’t meant to be.It was easier to accept her death when I couldn’t remember a single thing about her.
I took another sip of whisky, then said, “How about you?”
“Oh, a whole slew of them,” he said, though his voice was incredibly soft, as though worried he might upset me.“I actually have three brothers and two sisters.All of whom live here.As do my parents.”
“That sounds wonderful,” I said.“It must be nice living so close together.But with that many people, I bet your family gatherings can be a bit…”
“Lively?”Jack said, laughing.“It’s chaos, really.”
Ah, my favourite word.
“Especially during the holidays,” he continued.“My mom insists that everyone come over for Thanksgiving and Christmas.Seeing as how three of my siblings are married and have kids, the house can get a little cramped.”
“Do you all get along?”
“For the most part,” Jack replied.“There’s the usual sibling rivalries and occasional spats.There’s been a few fights that I’m sure would scandalize you?—”
Oh, unlikely, considering some of thefightsI’d been in with my father’s lackeys.
“—but all in all, I wouldn’t trade them for anything.We’re really tight.My parents did a great job raising us and keeping us all together.My dad’s the peacemaker, always stepping in before things get too heated.”
“And your mom?”I asked, grinning as the image of his family solidified in my mind.
“She’s more likely to start the spats,” Jack said, chuckling.“She isn’t a redhead, but we’ve always said she has the temper of one.”
I laughed aloud, though a pang of envy hit my chest at the mention of his mother, one he must have sensed from the way he watched me.
“But enough about my family.You said you don’t have one, but what about friends?Anyone you would consider close enough to be family?”
