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“Yep, I’m loving this already. I hope the reservation isn’t really close.”
“Consider your wish granted.”
12
Lainey was glad they chose to eat out on the deck here at the Severn Inn. It was her night to try new things, and with the heat lamps and umbrella, it made their table seem extremely intimate as they gazed over the river. Okay, they might have spent more time gazing at one another. She didn’t think she had ever laughed more. Mateo’s friends on his soccer team were a hoot.
“So how long have you been playing together?” she asked.
“They’ve been a team for seven years. I transferred from another team four years ago, and I have to tell you, I’m glad I made the change.”
“I would say so. Just the stories about Jase are enough to keep me entertained all evening. Sixteen brothers and sisters? Are you sure you’re not pulling my leg?”
They were sitting kitty-corner from one another, and as Lainey leaned in, Mateo’s leg settled against hers under the table. She liked it.
“I swear, I’m not. His mother and father are remarkable people. I’ve met them twice. Once when they came to visit them here, and once when I went to his and Bonnie’s wedding. For the wedding, every single one of the siblings showed up. Then there were all of his nieces and nephews, and Jace knew every one of them by name.”
“It sounds like you have some great friends. It almost sounds like you’ve created a family of your own.”
“You’re right, in a sense I have.”
“What about you? Tell me about your friends and family.”
“Mine is boring compared to yours. I’m the youngest. I have two older brothers and an older sister. I come from a long line of prominent Southern families. The Simpsons and Winstons. That’s a big deal down in Charleston. I’m considered the rebel because I wanted to go to college.”
“Why would that be rebellious?”
She liked how Mateo leaned in as she was talking. He was really listening.
“My job, as a female, was to marry one of the young men from Dad’s law firm and produce three children, and one would have to be a son. College was only supposed to be for my brothers.”
Mateo frowned. “That sounds like the thinking my mom was up against in Argentina forty years ago. It doesn’t make sense.”
“That’s what I thought. But then again, who names their girls Bennett and MacLaine?”
Mateo grinned. It was a glamorous smile, and she saw his lips move, but she didn’t hear his question.
“What?”
“That’s your name? MacLaine?”
“MacLaine Taylor Simpson. At least these days, girls are named Taylor, so not that big of a deal. But Taylor was another family name. My sister Bennett has it worse. Her full name is Bennett Parker Simpson. I blame that name for her being the way she is.”
“How is she?”
Lainey bit her lip. She didn’t want to air all of her family’s dirty laundry. But she could give him a small little slice. After all, her mother would be haranguing her for the next two to three months to return to the fold.
“Bennett married Frederick Laughton III, and of course he goes by the name of Trey. She hosts all the charity luncheons and galas with my mom. These are the approved ones. Things like sponsoring the symphony, or getting money for the arboretum. God forbid we earn money for a homeless shelter or for kids going hungry. Anyway, Bennett is pregnant with her third child. The first two were girls, and after she found out that this baby was a boy, she told me Trey had to get a vasectomy. Which I think is a good thing, considering what a player he is.”
Lainey sighed.
So much for only telling him a slice.
“And your brothers?”
“They all became lawyers. They work with my dad. They’re all married. One of them happily.”
Lainey shook her head. “I’m really talking far too much. I blame the lemon drop martinis.”
