Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75481 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75481 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“Anyway, thank you. I’ll take you up on that offer.”
They wouldn’t know this was just how we interacted and that he drove me so bonkers that I almost quit several times. And apparently, I’d opted to kiss him instead. Christ.
Mom stepped forward. “Shae mentioned we’ll be grabbing dinner somewhere tonight. Would you like to join us?”
“No, Mom, Rowan wouldn’t—”
“I’d love to,” he said, and I could see the amusement in his eyes. “Where do you have reservations?”
“Oh, just at a pizza place in the Village,” I replied. “They have really good—”
“Nonsense, I can easily get you reservations at Lotus Flower. Say, seven tonight?”
“I’m not sure if that’s my parents’…” I almost said style, but I didn’t want to be rude. “Their type of cuisine.”
“Do you enjoy Asian food?” Rowan asked them.
Mom nodded. “We have a Chinese place in Stockton that we order from sometimes. They have good egg rolls.”
True, but it certainly wasn’t very often.
“Well, there you go. You’ll love this place.”
I curled my hand into a fist as he pulled out his cell and began texting someone regarding reservations.
I turned to my parents. “Are you sure? You don’t have to agree if you don’t—”
“It’ll be fun. We can get pizza another night, no?”
“Yes, of course. I’ll just let Casey know we’re—”
“You should invite your roommate too,” Rowan said.
“I…sure.” I tried to temper my breathing. “Casey would like that.”
“Great, then we’re all set.” He placed his cell on the table. “Would you like a driver to drop you back at your apartment?”
What in the fuck was Rowan doing? I was perfectly capable of arranging my own transportation.
I clenched my jaw. “We’ll take the subway.”
“But it’ll be crowded this time of day,” he pointed out.
“Which is why I don’t want to be stuck in traffic,” I countered. “It’ll be fine. An adventure.”
Before he could argue, I ushered my parents toward the elevators. “I’ll just grab my things. Be right back.”
When they were out of earshot, I rounded on Rowan. “What was that all about?”
“Why does it have to be about anything? I’m just trying to show your parents a good time.”
“I don’t want to overwhelm them with…with…”
“Good food and excellent company?”
“Excellent company? It would be like dining with…Miranda Priestly.”
I knew he’d get The Devil Wears Prada reference. He and Kendall gushed about the movie featuring an uptight fashion editor so much that I had to watch it one night. I’d admit it was pretty good.
“I might just take that as a compliment.” His blatant enjoyment of the analogy didn’t surprise me. “The reservation is already set, so how about you enjoy dinner with your parents, and I’ll pass. I shouldn’t have intervened.”
Why was I letting this get to me so much? It was just that I wanted to show my parents my own idea of a good time, and that didn’t necessarily match his. Besides, this weekend was supposed to be a break from the office and my grumpy boss.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” My stomach felt unsteady. “I’m just surprised you’d want to go at all. Don’t you have some glitzy event to get to?”
“As you well know, my life isn’t all that glamorous. Some nights, I’m just alone in my apartment with takeout.”
He sounded so lonely right then that my chest ached. “Okay, fine. Thanks for arranging the dinner. See you at seven sharp. Unless you’re early.”
“Unless you’re late,” he called after me, and I chuckled uneasily.
I quickly grabbed my things and headed to the elevator.
Was this really happening?
“Let me show you where I live, and we can talk to Casey about dinner.”
Mom glanced at me out of the corner of her eye as we rode the elevator down but didn’t ask any questions about my interaction with Rowan, thankfully.
They seemed tired, so after dinner, an early night would do them good.
I walked with my parents to the nearest subway station and got them weekend passes, which would be way cheaper than taking a taxi or car service everywhere. That might’ve worked fine for the likes of Rowan Abernathy but not for peons like me.
It was hot underground as we waited for the train to pull into the station, but Dad seemed fascinated by all the people. The car was standing room only this time of day, so I warned them to hold on as the train jolted forward.
But they held their own. I could almost picture them visiting more often. Almost.
Walking up the stairs to street level in my neighborhood, Mom marveled at the flower stand on the corner of my street. “It looks like one of those photos you see in magazines. There’s so many arrangements to choose from.”
“Let’s get a bouquet,” I said, leading her to the display.
Mom never really indulged, so I wasn’t surprised when she protested. “No, I really shouldn’t.”
“I think you should,” Dad said with a chuckle, and I smiled at him.