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“Wow.” Her eyebrows shot up. “That’s a big family.”
I nodded. “Two of those boys took over their father’s construction business, who we partnered with, two more are cops in this town, and the other three run a security company, Elite Securities.”
“I’ve heard of that company.” Her eyes flicked back and forth between mine. “One of my father’s business associates used them.”
“Not surprised.” I lifted the fork to my mouth. “They’re good.”
“So where does Bree fit in?”
“She’s their cousin. Jack has a brother, Joe, and he has four kids, three girls and a boy. Bree has a twin who works for the construction company.”
Her head tilted to the side. “And she’s a girl?”
“They’re identical, so yeah.” I jerked up my chin. “Why do you look so surprised? Don’t you have any friends who would work in construction or even want to?”
She snorted. “Umm, no, not any of the girls anyway.” She lifted her fork to her mouth. “This is a lot of people to remember.”
“That’s only the tip of the iceberg.” I smirked when her eyes met mine. “Have a feelin’ you’ll get to know more when you go out with them.”
“If.” She corrected me, and I watched her take a bite and swallow, but she kept her head down this time.
“What do you mean, if?”
She shrugged a shoulder. “I’m not sure if I will or not.”
“Look at me.” I waited for her to lift her eyes to mine before continuing. “Why don’t you want to go?”
“Maddie was nice, and Bree seems nice, but I don’t have anything in common with them.”
“How do you know that?”
She tilted her head. “Do any of them live off their trust funds?” She didn’t let me answer before continuing. “Obviously not. They all work. They’re all passionate about something, and that’s what they’ll want to discuss. What am I going to talk about?”
“What do you talk about with your friends?”
Her cheeks flushed, and she looked over my shoulder. “I don’t really have friends. I mean, I have Rachel, and she’s my best friend, but she’s the only person I do anything with.”
She doesn’t have any friends. I knew she was struggling with some shit, but I had no idea she was completely alone in those struggles. I thought she at least had friends since her family was garbage. “What about friends from school?”
“I went to private schools. Everyone I knew was exactly like what I grew up around. Most of the girls have degrees but very few use them.” She laughed without any humor. “It sounds so old-fashioned, doesn’t it? But that’s how it is. We grew up privileged. Our mothers didn’t work. They volunteered, planned parties, and ran charity events, which, trust me, is a lot of work, but they don’t get paid or any acknowledgment for it. It’s to show off your social standing. The higher you are on the ladder, the better.”
“Better for who?”
She looked confused by my question, but then shook her head. “I don’t know. In the end, it doesn’t matter, but in the moment, it does. My mom has spent her whole life on top. She came from a wealthy family, she married into a wealthy family, and she expects the same for her daughters. Emily accomplished that, while I obviously haven’t. I jeopardize her reputation just by being single and thirty.”
She took another bite of food, and I did the same. I didn’t even know what to say to that shit. If someone told me this shit was going on a few towns away, I’d have called them a liar. But here I am, sitting with this girl who has everything and absolutely nothing at the same time. She doesn’t even have any fucking friends. Hell, I wouldn’t have made it this far in my life without my friends. They were my family.
When sadness slid into her expression, I closed my eyes. She was looking for someone to help her find herself, but that wasn’t me. I didn’t know how to help her, and the more time I spent with her, the more I wanted to. Even if we did have some kind of relationship, she wasn’t the kind of girl who had one-night stands or did booty calls, and I wasn’t a guy looking for anything long term.
“I think you should go out with the girls,” I said, and she startled. We’d been silently eating, and I had my doubts she expected me to say more than I had. She also seemed a little embarrassed by what she’d shared.
“Why?” she asked quietly.
“Because you’re trying to figure shit out for yourself, and I think they might be able to help you more than I can.”
She studied me for a moment and then straightened her shoulders. “I understand.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Understand what?”
