“Oh.I asked Max for some information.I wonder if it’s him…”
And from the look on her face, it clearly wasnotMax.
“What?”he asked.“What’s going on?”
“It’s Liv,” she replied.“Do you have dinner plans for tomorrow?”
Jason thought about it, and then realized he knew better.“No?”
The look on her face made it clear that Naomi was about to drop what she considered a bombshell.He mentally prepared himself.Whatever her sister could deliver, they could handle.Together.
“Apparently,” Naomi finally said, sounding as if she had, in fact, processed the bombshell her sister had dropped.“Liv and Artur are inviting us to join Abe and Batya for dinner.I don’t know what that means or what it’s for, but…?”
Immediately, Jason nodded.“Of course I’ll come with you,” he said, answering the unspoken question.“For whatever reason you want me there.”
Naomi smiled, apparently glad for his answer despite the fact that he’d jumped the gun.
But going from a conversation about business plans, to a family conversation, to a conversation that could possibly be about the deeper ways the two of them fit into each other’s lives?That gave him trouble, where sometimes he didn’t know which end was up, which part of himself was supposed to be at the forefront and how he was supposed to react.
Not that he didn’t enjoy how he was intertwining his life with hers; sometimes it was just harder than he’d expected to remember the role he was playing.
“I appreciate it.”She paused, and once again her expression seemed like she was having trouble navigating territory.“I’m not sure why they want us there—Liv said she’ll call me tomorrow morning to tell me more details, but in the meanwhile, we have to be careful in terms of wedding things.Liv knows, as does Artur, but I don’t know if I want the information to cross over.”
“Well, if we can convince Abe to cater, it might be worth it to look pitiful.”
Naomi laughed.“That makes sense,” she said with a grin.“We can look pitiful and sad and maybe convince him despite his conflict?”
“Maybe we can also see if there’s actually a conflict as opposed to something else?”
Once again, Naomi giggled.“I love that idea,” she said.“Though I wonder if it was just the thought of working an event Ida was involved with.”
“That’s entirely possible,” Jason said.“Ida had a bit of a reputation, and I know that people didn’t like working with her, which sometimes didn’t matter because she had an exclusive list of people she liked.But Abe is a particular case.”
“You mean because he started as a tax accountant?”
Jason didn’t answer immediately.“Partially,” he said.“That plus the contents of his contact list give him a larger degree of freedom than most.”
It took a second, but the light of recognition ran across Naomi’s face.What he’d meant, was that Abe, like Jason himself, was friendly with a bunch of influential people.Which meant people like Ida, who had decided to be in charge of her own fiefdom, didn’t have much sway over him.
“Makes so much sense.I’m hoping that’s the case.”
“You and me both,” he said, thinking for a minute.“I might offer to help if he’s on the fence.”
“Sweeten the pot,” she said, the sound of her voice making him gooey inside.“I love it.”
“And of course,” Jimmy added as he came to deliver the food, “it’s time to enjoy the fruits of my labor.”
The aromatic flavors of the chicken and the rice with its sauce made his night.And watching Naomi’s reaction would be even better.
*
“That was good,”Naomi told Jason as they left the restaurant in the early morning hours.“I was really expecting to go to bed earlier, but I’m glad I didn’t.Thank you.”
There was a grin on Jason’s face, as if the man had expected something else entirely from her.
But she’d always loved his adventures, whether they were trips or whether they were a late-night outing to a restaurant he thought she’d like.It was one thing about knowing him, spending time with him.
“I’m glad you liked it,” he said.“I’ll keep my eyes open for other adventures.”
