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Brock laughs. “Are you kidding me? Have you seen how hot your sister is? Getting it up is never a problem.”
Caleb groans and closes his eyes, as if in physical pain. “Get out of here before I rethink my entire stance on letting you live here, Williams.”
“Good night, Caleb,” I sing, taking Brock’s offered hand and walking toward the door.
“Night,” he grumbles, muttering something about horrible best friends who sleep with his sister.
The night air is perfect as we head to Brock’s car. He opens the door for me, but before I can slip inside, I’m spun against the side and kissed soundly. “There. Now we can go,” he whispers the moment he lets me come up for air.
The ride to the restaurant takes a little longer than usual. Thanks to a charity event at the museum, there’s extra traffic downtown, so by the time we arrive, I’m feeling extra nervous. Brock senses it and has kept the conversation light and his hand on mine the entire time, but as we stop in front of the valet stand, I can’t help but sense impending doom.
“Hey,” he says, taking my hand and bringing it to his mouth. “It’s going to be okay, Sunshine. We got this.”
I nod and give him a quick smile. “I know.” I take a deep breath and add, “I don’t know why I’m so uneasy about tonight.”
He ignores the valet standing outside of his door and turns to face me. “Have you ever brought a man home to meet your parents?”
I swallow hard, recalling the one instance I did. It was my senior year in college and my then-boyfriend, Kobie, came home with me for Thanksgiving. It had been a train wreck from the beginning. My dad and his then-wife fought the entire meal, and when we left to go have dessert with my mom, she kept hitting on him and talking about whipped cream. The next day Kobie broke up with me, stating we weren’t really compatible. But I knew the truth.
He couldn’t deal with my crazy family.
Not that I blamed him.
“Once. It didn’t go well.”
He offers me a small, reassuring smile. “This time it’ll go better. Do you know why?” When I shake my head, he continues, “Because I’m not going to be scared off by either one of your parents. I’ve known your dad since college, remember? And even though I’ve only met your mom on one other occasion, I’ve heard all the stories from Caleb. There’s nothing you can tell me that’ll make me change my mind, okay? So, try to relax. Let’s go inside and have a nice dinner and try not to worry. I’m not going anywhere.”
I offer the best, most reassuring smile I can muster. “Okay. Let’s go.”
Brock flashes me that panty-melting grin I love before climbing out of the driver’s seat and handing his keys to the valet. He waves off the second man, opening my door himself and helping me out. We walk side by side, while I try to appear as confident as any woman would, being on the arm of Brock Williams, but deep down there’s still a touch of dread.
When I don’t spy any cameras pointed our way, I start to relax just a bit. Inside, a pleasant man in a suit greets us. “Good evening. Do you have a reservation?”
“We’re meeting Richard Henderson.”
“Ahh, yes, Mr. Henderson has just arrived. This way to your table,” he instructs, walking through the dimly lit restaurant and heading for the back corner table. I’d expect nothing but the best, most private table for my dad.
He spots me coming, and the moment he sees Brock behind me, a surprised look crosses his face. “Josephine,” Dad says, standing up and kissing my cheek. “I assumed you were bringing your brother with you tonight.”
“Sorry, I didn’t think to clarify with Marcy when she scheduled our dinner,” I state.
“Brock, good to see you,” my dad says, extending his hand.
Brock takes my dad’s hand and gives it a firm shake. “And you as well, sir.”
“Well, shall we?” Dad says. He reaches for my chair at the same time Brock does, and the result seems to be a slight stare down, with neither of them making the initial move to release their hold on my chair. Finally, my dad lets go and steps back, his eyes watching and assessing our every move.
When I take my seat, the other two do the same. There’s a slight awkwardness hanging over us, and I know it’s only a matter of time before my father asks what’s going on. I glance over and notice a fourth place setting, and my heart instantly drops. I really don’t want to add Candi into the mix.
Clearing my throat, I say, “I thought Candi was out of town this weekend.”
My dad glances at the seat, his face not giving anything away. “Yes, she is. I ran into someone else today and invited her to join us for dinner.”
My interest is piqued instantly. “Her?”
“Joey.”
My jaw drops when I hear her voice behind me. Slowly, I turn and find my mother directly behind me in a skin-tight dress, barely containing her largely enhanced boobs. She flashes me a wide smile, her lips painted the same color of red as the dress she wears. “Mom.”
