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“Thanks,” he said.
“You’re pacing,” his mother said. “I guess you are more nervous than you wanted me to believe.”
“It’s not nerves,” he said. “I just know that Jasmine doesn’t always have the best or most positive opinion of her parents. I don’t want anything to upset her.”
“If it does, then you’ll cheer her up like you always did with Noelle.”
He remembered that now. That when Noelle had a bad day or her parents annoyed her, he was the one that made her feel better.
It was his protective instinct back then. He supposed he never lost it either if he was worried about this visit making Jasmine upset.
Or maybe it had more to do with the fact that he didn’t want anything to shake up their dynamic and had been worried his father’s visit did that last week. When it hadn’t, he felt like he got away unscathed but then had to remind himself that Jasmine wasn’t the type to judge.
He’d been sitting at the bar when Jasmine walked in and he got up to go greet her. He wasn’t sure what he expected of her parents, but they seemed so much older than his mother though he knew they weren’t.
Then he had to remind himself that the luxuries his mother had for the majority of her adult life weren’t things the Greenes were exposed to.
“Mom, Dad, Chase, Dahlia. This is Wesley Wright. My boyfriend and one of the two owners of the grounds you’re on.”
He shook hands with everyone. “Nice to meet you. Why don’t we go in the back where I’ve got a table set away from the noise and crowd.”
“It’s busy in here,” Ivy said. “Busier than last time.”
“Friday night and a holiday weekend,” Jasmine said.
They all followed him to the back and their table, his mother coming over. What a difference between the two mothers. Mona Wright had her usual trousers and feminine shirt on, small heels and not a hair out of place with her shoulder length bob.
Andrea Greene was wearing jeans and a cotton shirt, her long brown hair was half gray blended in and was parted to the side, the rest of it falling down her back. He could see the resemblance in the entire family, but the children definitely had American influences in their appearance compared to their parents.
He’d have to say if he were to guess, he’d never suspect Tim Greene was a doctor. He looked more like someone that lived on a farm and had a simple life with his wife.
Appearance didn’t mean anything to him though. He was more interested in how they interacted and just hoped they didn’t look at him as having a privileged upbringing when it was obvious none of them did.
“I’m Mona Wright,” his mother said, shaking hands with everyone. “Please, order what you’d like. Dinner is on us. Take your time and enjoy the evening. I put us back here so that the noise level wouldn’t be too much. I hope that was fine.”
“It’s lovely,” Andrea said. “We don’t often go to restaurants. More like cafes. Not that we don’t enjoy it, but oftentimes where we are living, there isn’t a lot to choose from. It’s nice to just have my family together again and be able to relax.”
Wesley smiled, glad to hear that, but Tim had yet to say much.
They ordered their drinks and placed orders for appetizers and their meals.
“Jasmine told her mother that you haven’t lived here long?” Tim said to Wesley
It told him that maybe Jasmine didn’t talk to her father that much. Or he got the information on his kids through his wife.
“Yes,” he said. “We moved here from Tampa in the spring. Starting a new career in the Northeast. So far it’s been a great adventure.”
He looked over and winked at Jasmine and saw her blush.
“That’s so sweet,” Ivy said. “Jasmine never blushes.”
“No, she doesn’t,” Andrea said. “Jasmine has always been one of the most vocal of the kids. And if she was embarrassed she’d kept it to herself.”
“She’s the one that wants everyone to think she has it together,” Tim said.
“It’s because she does have it all together, Dad,” Chase said. “You know it.”
“Mark has his life in another country. He’s doing well,” Tim said. “Chase, he’s going to take after me and save the world. My daughters seem to all be still finding their way.”
