“Yeah. It’s one of the highest-rated restaurants in Vancouver. I have a list of the top three places I want to eat in each of the cities we’re in, and it was on mine for here. I know there will be stops on the tour where I won’t be able to make it to a single restaurant, let alone three, but I love traveling and eating, so…” She trails off, and I have to force myself to glance around the hotel rather than stare at her face.
“That…sounds like you.” The understatement of the year for a display of the passion and intensity she has for things she cares about.
“Unlike my timing at the airport?”
I chuckle.
“Well, I’m glad you’re interested, because apparently Andre will be devastated if we end up canceling the reservation he worked so hard on.”
“Andre doesn’t…ahh. Now I see who the little liar is. Are we thinking this might be like the time Jaxon tried to set up Bryn with Ethan Harris?”
“I don’t think I know that story. I was thinking more about when he told both Shelby Richards and Pete Brown that he needed math help and then somehow never showed up at the diner—despite telling them both to order food.”
Kelsey chuckles. “It’s possible.”
“Still up for it anyway?” I ask, my heart threatening to drop down into my stomach. It’s a business dinner. That’s all. I don’t know why I’m so excited about the prospect of a meal.
She twirls one of her strands of hair around her finger as she considers the option, taking far longer than I would’ve liked.
“Yeah. Let’s do it.”
We decide to catch a rideshare, since a thirty-minute walk across Vancouver in the middle of January sounds anything but enjoyable. It’s been dark for hours now, and it’s snowed enough in the last week that everything is wet and cold. The black sedan pulls up in front of the hotel, and I grab the door first, holding it open for Kelsey. She slides all the way across the gray leather backseat, making room for me by my door, rather than having me go around like I intended.
I lower myself into the seat, resisting the urge to hold the hand she has resting on her leg closest to me. We ride in companionable silence to the restaurant; the man driving the car attempted to make conversation with us but quickly realized we wouldn’t be that kind of ride. My mom would’ve happily answered every question he asked about where we were from and would likely have followed up withsimilar questions of her own. I suppose it’s what makes her such a good waitress.
“How’s your mom?” Kelsey asks, making conversation.
I’ve talked to my mom every day since we left, making sure to call her each night around the time I would’ve shown up for dinner—trying to keep some semblance of consistency even when I’m not there. I know it’ll get harder once I’m no longer in a similar time zone, but I have a reminder in my phone every day so I’ll at least be notified, regardless of if I can call her then or not.
“She’s doing okay,” I say, never sure how much detail someone really wants to know. It’s why I don’t go out in Wild Bluffs. People ask me about how she’s doing all the time, and what am I supposed to say? “Bill, the owner of the diner, and his wife are helping my mom out while I’m gone.”
I had a quick call with Bill yesterday to make sure there wasn’t anything going on behind the scenes my mom wasn’t telling me about or didn’t remember. Despite telling me all was well, after some prying, Bill admitted my mom had a bad afternoon two days ago, getting confused about where her dad was—her dad who passed away three years after I was born. A death my mom always blamed herself for, claiming the stress of finding out she was pregnant in high school led to him having his heart attack.
Kelsey chuckles. “I know who Bill is. I’m glad you have someone who can help out. Let me know if they need backup; I’m sure my mom would be happy to stop by and say hello.”
The vehicle pulls up in front of a white building with a wall of windows, large golden doors, and the wordBiologicawritten in capital serif letters above the entrance.
The inside is just as swanky, the type of restaurant I’ve only been to once or twice in my life, and I’m suddenly grateful we’re here to discuss business so that I can put the meal on Trent’s business card. If the purple orchids filling the space didn’t give away the price point, the full table settings with multiple wineglasses per spot sure would. It’s a far cry from the Wild Bluffs Café.
“Did you know Trent was coming?” Kelsey asks as soon as the hostess leaves us sitting in our booth.
“No,” I say, telling her the truth. Trent had given me no warning he would be joining us, and after Kelsey and Jaxon left the meeting, I’d asked him if he was planning on just showing up at random locations for the tour. He’d said “Yes.” Just yes. No additional details. And when I’d pressed him on it, he’d told me he wanted me to be on my A game at all times, thinking he could show up at any moment. As if his presence is what makes me want to do my job well.
Kelsey squints at me, the disbelief evident.
“You didn’t seem surprised by his appearance.”
“I ran into him right before the meeting.” I’d been headed into the equipment closet to get one of my guys a new shirt for tomorrow and had been truly surprised to find him there.
Disbelief is written across her face. “Why didn’t you tell me he was here when we were both waiting?”
“I didn’t think you’d care.”
“And once he interjected himself into the meeting, wasted everyone’s time,andmade it sound like I work for him? Then did you think I’d care?” she asks.
“Honestly? No. I’ve learned to stop giving a shit what Trent says. I figured you had too.”
“I don’t like it when men treat me as if I’m beneath them.”
