Dad looked charmed. Wait, that couldn’t be right. Sylvia was not his type of person. Not even a little. Yet he was looking at her as if she was a society maven in a couture dress and not something that had clearly been bought at Target.
I preferred my dating partners not be from the world I’d been raised in. My father, however, was a snob. Sylvia wasn’t the sort of woman I thought he would even look sideways at. Yet here they were, hearts in their eyes, pretending this wasn’t the weirdest meal ever.
“Sex, huh?” Dad smiled at Sylvia then shot Bree a dismissive look. “Well, maybe I’ll have to check one of your books out.”
Everybody at the table knew that wasn’t going to happen.
After that, Dad only talked to Sylvia, and vice versa.
I took advantage of Bree excusing herself to go to the restroom and followed her to the front of the restaurant. We didn’t say anything. Instead, we wandered outside to check out the sunset.
“So, this is weird, right?” she said when it was just the two of us and a blazing sky.
“Totally weird.”
“You don’t think they’re going to want to do this again, do you?”
“Not with us.”
She pressed her lips together and darted a sidelong look at me. “But if we’re not there?”
“I have no idea, and I’m freaked out thinking about it.”
“Me too.”
We stood there for twenty minutes and watched the sun disappear from the sky. It was a beautifully perfect stretch. When we returned to check on our parents, they hadn’t even realized we were gone.
13
THIRTEEN
Ishouldn’t have been surprised when my mother announced she was going for an after-dinner drink with Brody’s father. Rufus was exactly the sort of man my mother always chased. He clearly had money. He carried himself like a professional. Sure, it was sort of like a professional asshole but was professional nonetheless. It wasn’t hard to understand what my mother saw in his father. It was hard to understand what Rufus saw in my mother, however.
“You’re going out together?” Brody was clearly also surprised by the turn of events because he kept asking the same question over and over.
Irritation, faint as a whisper, rocketed over Rufus’s features. “I’ve already confirmed that three times.”
“Four times,” Mom volunteered helpfully.
I had to duck my head to keep from laughing. This was a surreal situation.
“Four times,” Rufus clarified.
“But… your Mercedes is back at my house,” Brody reminded his father.
“Ooh,” Mom cooed. “I love a good Mercedes.” She liked any car that cost as much as a house.
“I’ll take your golf cart. You can ride back with Bree,” Rufus said in a way that promised an argument would cause issues.
Brody opened his mouth. My protective instincts kicked in, and I grabbed his arm. When he sent me a questioning look, all I could do was shake my head.
“You can ride back with me.” I pointed at one of the valets in front of the restaurant. “And they can drive your cart back to your house.”
The valet didn’t argue. He just nodded, which was a relief.
Brody seemed to think on it for a beat then nodded. “Okay, then.” He handed the valet his golf cart key. “Have fun. I guess.”
“That’s the plan,” Rufus agreed as he swaggered toward the cart, the valet trailing behind.
