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He tilts his head slyly, giving me a small smile and I try to return it. His hand falls down by his side and I do the same, brushing my fingers against his and shivering at the contact. The man affects me on every level, even the brushing of our knuckles.
The elevator arrives at the main lobby and Warren has to go down to the mail room, I give him a slight squeeze and start to step away. “Have a good day.”
His eyes blaze and he smirks, knowing that he’ll see me at my place in a few hours. “You too, Ms. Leads.”
That promise in those words will keep me going for the rest of the day, and suddenly the end of the day can’t come soon enough.
The place we meet is a pretty common spot for my mother to pick. The food is immaculately put together—and costs as much as my electric bill—the white linens are pressed, the cloth napkins held together by a ring on the table that’s set for three courses.
And I still wish I was back at the bar and grill with Warren.
I push the thoughts aside as I watch my mother stand and grin, holding her arms out to give Jasper a hug like they’re old friends. I frown. I had no idea that Jasper and my mom were so close and seeing their easy affection with each other has my hackles rising in suspicion.
“Jane,” my mother says primly and—much to my surprise—gives me a similar hug. One that I relish.
My mother and hugging don’t go hand in hand. She wasn’t the affectionate type of mother who would have wiped boogers with her sleeve and would hold me when I cried, she was tough and stern, she was hard on me and most of the time I was grateful for that, I mean, I’m successful… it feels like.
But there were many times I wish I could have that hug, that “you’re doing great” comment without trying for it, that easiness that friends had where they could pick up the phone and call their mothers without having the fear of rejection.
I shake my head and shove out the thoughts, focusing on the scene in front of me. Jasper says something I miss but makes my mother laugh, I frown deeper. The waiter comes over and takes our drink orders, I’m tempted to order a vodka soda, but I refrain, keeping my order to a simple iced tea.
“No wine for you, dear?” I look up from the menu to my mom and note that she and Jasper are both watching me with expectant, excited faces.
“No, thank you,” I answer politely, giving them looks.
They turn their attention to their own menus and start gushing over some appetizer I can’t pronounce. It reminds me of other “fancy” items I can’t pronounce that I have to avoid saying in front of people when we’re at events and things.
I think of Warren, of April and their other friends—hopefully my friends too, someday—and think that they would likely joke over not being able to say the words either.
We place our orders and Jasper and mom start discussing the housing market, apparently Jasper is looking for something to buy, but the whole thing is weird, and I just can’t take it anymore.
“Okay, what’s happening here?” I demand, setting aside any notion of subtlety.
“What do you mean?” Mom asks, giving me a quirked brow.
“I’m just… confused,” I phrase carefully. “I didn’t realize Jasper was joining us today, is there something that needs discussing?”
They look at each other and back to me, my mother’s expression is determined while Jasper’s is decidedly reluctant.
“Nothing is going on, just lunch with a family friend.”
“Family friend” is a bit of a stretch, considering we’ve never really taken the time to spend with each other, only running in similar circles.
“Ah, and Jasper, you weren’t too busy, I don’t know, running a company, to have lunch withfamily friends?”I specifically emphasize the phrase because even if Jasper has been expertly hiding his feelings on whatever this is, he’s going to catch my meaning.
“Ah.” He chuckles and casts a glance at my mother—a nervous glance. Interesting… “You know, in Italy, they frequently take long lunches like this. It’s good for the frame of mind. Healthy even.”
I raise a brow and watch as the two of them lapse back into a conversation about Italian workers and how it impacts work performance to have a more evenly balanced work/life schedule.
But I know my mother. I know her antics. She’s easing me into Jasper being around, because she wants it to become something that I choose for myself.
Too bad for her, I’ve already chosen the man I love.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“That was her gift,
She filled you with the words you didn’t know were there.”
