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“I guess it makes sense that your nieces and nephews are a lot older; you’re one sister is eight years older than you. So, the rest must be older than that.”
“Yes,” she replied. He was being understanding about it. Most people over the years had a lot of questions. Nobody just accepted the truth for what it was.
CHAPTER16
“Did you get the text back?”He pointed to her phone with a fry. Math had been surprised how her expression had changed when she talked to her family. She was guarded but also just excited. Her childhood seemed very happy from the little she had actually said about it.
She and her niece were so close; he was surprised they rarely saw each other. But they seemed to have an ongoing conversation. He had no idea how to maintain a relationship like that.
Picking up her phone again, she read the text out loud to him, “First time I drink was probably close to eight when we met at that big party. Alex said yes, he drank then too. First time drunk was, of course, Ilya’s wedding.” She showed him the phone after she had read it.
He took the phone and slipped the fry he was holding into her mouth as he did it. After reading the text, he looked at her over the phone. She was just chewing the fry, looking at him.
It had been the look on her face that made him take her sandwich from her and let her eat his. He wanted her to look at him with the same look she had given that burger—like she had been waiting her entire life to eat that sandwich.
Dragging his eyes from her face and back to the phone, he saw the text was from Nat, just like on her birthday night. Nat had called Tess sweetie. “Why do you have her listed as Nat in your phone?”
“Her name is Natasha,” she answered in confusion.
He handed back her phone. “Who is Mike?”
Putting the phone on the table, she looked at him. “Mike, who?”
“You were talking to him the night at the bar on your birthday. He was trying to control you.” He wanted to know who thought they could control her, if shewascontrollable. Because he didn’t think she was.
“Oh, Mike.” She nodded in amusement. “Mike is my brother, the oldest in the family. He tries to control everyone. How do you remember I was talking to Mike?”
“Because it seemed odd that anyone would try and control you or that you would let them,” Math said, dropping his napkin on his empty plate.
“I do not let him. Now you see why Mike and I do not get along well.” She pushed her plate away from her. It was still half full.
“Is he the drinking contest brother?” He wanted to know if that was the reason for the contest in the first place. He could see a young Tess challenging an older, controlling brother.
“Yes, I have been pushing back against him for a long time now. One day I will win.” She laughed a little.
“Why do you think you will win one day?” He wondered what she could do that she hadn’t already done? She was a bank president.
“Because he will die first,” she stated as the waitress brought the check. She moved to grab it, but he was faster and took it from the waitress. She said as she eyed the check, “I will pay. I invited you out, and you drove.”
“Only because I wanted to get here, and I don’t trust that car of yours. I will pay because I lost the bet.”
Her gray eyes questioned him. “What bet?”
“You were drunk at ten,” he replied, slipping his credit card into the envelope and handing it back to the waitress.
“When did you get drunk for the first time?” she asked.
“Probably fifteen or sixteen. I can’t remember. It wasn’t a big event like a wedding.” He really had no idea. He could tell her the place and the time of year, but not how old he was.
“So old,” she said as the waitress returned, and they got up to leave the restaurant.
“Just a late bloomer,” he replied with a shrug. Then he picked up her leather jacket and slid it onto her soft shoulders before they left the restaurant. It was the same jacket she had worn to the bar on her birthday.
Opening her door for her, he watched as she climbed into his pickup with her heels on. He hoped she would take them off during the drive home. She was a good-looking woman at all times but was even better looking when she was relaxed.
Once he was in the driver’s seat and heading out of town again, she kicked her shoes off. All the way home, he let her control the conversation. He knew he had pushed her beyond what she wanted when he was asking about her family. For some reason, she didn’t like to talk about them too much. She let them be involved just enough in her life so that they were there, but nothing went too deep. It didn’t sound like they ever came to visit her.
“How long were you married?” she asked.
