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Hell no!
“Brenda, why do you get yourself in these situations?” And how do I always end up involved?
“Just lucky I guess,” she said with a smile.
Brenda somehow thought it was a compliment. There was no arguing with her. They never saw eye to eye, even as kids. “If I do this, then you need to promise me you’ll get a job and your own place to live.”
She thought for sure Brenda would back down. Instead she wrapped her arms around her and said, “You’re the best Reanna. Now, let’s go find you something to wear, because that police uniform doesn’t do your figure justice.”
Reanna followed her upstairs and said, “I’m capable of choosing my own clothes. I just need an idea of where I’m going.”
“All I know is it’s a restaurant. So dress…pretty, because goodness knows you don’t own anything sexy,” Brenda teased.
Reanna stood in the doorway to her bedroom blocking Brenda’s entry. “Just give me the details, and let me worry about the rest.”
Brenda shrugged her shoulders and said, “Fine. But it’s not every night you get a date with a billionaire.”
“It’s not every night that my kid sister blows one off,” she retorted and closed the door.
Reanna might not have wanted to go out tonight, but she was hungry and had to eat. Thankfully she knew she could talk to Shanda about her shop, Just Blown. It was always a safe topic. Now all she needed to do was find the right dress to wear. If she remembered correctly, she still had a red satin dress that was just the right amount of sexy. She wasn’t out to dress for Jerry, but definitely wanted to show Brenda she wasn’t as old and boring as she thought.
Digging out the dress, and a pair of black pumps, she laid them on the bed and headed for the shower.
When she was dressed, she took one last look in the mirror. Damn I look good. It was a shame that this wasn’t a real date. As she walked down the stairs and headed for the door, she noticed Bobby eyeing her. She didn’t pay him any mind, but said, “Don’t wait up for me.” With a grin, she left the house. If she had to do this, she might as well enjoy it.
Jerry Heart hadno idea what his brother Kenneth needed to speak to him about. Whatever it was, it seemed it couldn’t be done over the phone. It better be important, because he had a date with a smoking-hot blonde that definitely would’ve ended his night on a good note.
He pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, and scanned the lot for Kenneth’s car. Jerry half hoped that Kenneth would’ve blown it off and just forgot to call. Then Jerry could turn around and head back to Boston. No such luck; Kenneth’s car was there.
Jerry pulled into the empty space beside Kenneth’s blue Mercedes G-Class SUV. He still couldn’t believe it. That wasn’t Kenneth’s type of vehicle. That was something you put a baby car seat in. You could’ve at least gotten it in black.
He’d never have thought Shanda would’ve been Kenneth’s type. Their entire childhood, he and Kenneth had talked about the future, and it had always been about money and success. Kenneth was still driven, but now it was by his heart. He’d tried to tell Kenneth to get his head out of his ass a few months ago when he moved from Boston to Hope Valley, but Kenneth didn’t want to hear it. He said being there, being with Shanda, was what made him happy. Jerry couldn’t even predict what crazy shit Kenneth might announce at dinner. Lately, nothing surprised him when it came to his kid brother.
When he got inside the restaurant, they escorted him to the table, where he saw Kenneth and Shanda staring into each other’s eyes as though they were the only two in the place. Being around people who were so fucking happy was almost sickening. Jerry never would allow himself to fall victim to such emotions. It was a trap and once you were in, you were done.
Jerry pulled out his chair and sat down. “I assume I’m still invited to join you for dinner,” he said sarcastically.
Shanda blushed and chuckled. “Sorry. We were just discussing…well, the wedding. And you know how we get when we talk about it.”
Unfortunately I do.“Is that why you invited me here tonight? You’ve got the wrong guy if you think I’m helping to plan it,” he said firmly.
Kenneth laughed. “I’m not even sure you can say the word wedding, never mind plan one.”
Jerry smiled. “I know. It’s great. Why ruin a good thing? So what did you want to discuss?”
Shanda turned to Kenneth and said, “Maybe we should wait for Brenda to arrive.”
Jerry hadn’t noticed the fourth place setting. “Who is Brenda?” He turned to Kenneth and said, “Tell me you didn’t fix me up with someone.”
Shanda smiled and in her normal, cheery tone said, “I wanted this to be a surprise, but—”
“I don’t like surprises,” he snapped. Shanda’s mouth clamped shut, and he knew he was being too harsh. This wasn’t a business meeting, and obviously she wasn’t used to such a blunt response. Apologizing wasn’t something he did often. “Sorry. It’s been a long day.”
“That it has, and I have a feeling, it’s going to be a long night,” Kenneth said, before turning to Shanda. “I think we should tell him now.”
“Before Brenda gets here?” she asked. Kenneth nodded and added, “But then we have to start all over again when Brenda gets here.”
“From the look on Jerry’s face, he might not be here that long,” Kenneth warned. Jerry grinned. Read my mind. “Well, you know Shanda and I are getting married.”
