“Haley, sweetheart,” her father said as he stood up. His eyes shifted to Jason before he pulled her into a hug and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “It’s been too long. I’ve missed you.”
She just barely stopped herself from suggesting that he could pick up the telephone if he missed her so much, but she bit it back. She would not let him know that he’d hurt her when he hadn’t called like he’d promised. It was her fault for believing him since she knew better.
“This is my friend, Jason Bradford,” she said, gesturing to Jason, who extended his hand to her father.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Jason said politely.
Her father shook Jason’s hand as he gave her a curious look. “It’s a pleasure to meet one of Haley’s friends.”
Haley just barely stopped herself from wincing when she realized that Jason was the first friend that she’d willingly invited to meet her family. The fact that Jason was a man was going to be a problem, especially if they thought they were dating.
“Dad?” Haley said, drawing his attention before he sat down.
“Yes, dear?” he asked, throwing Jason another curious look.
“Where’s Grandma?”
He frowned at her. “Didn’t she call you?”
“No, why?” she asked, already having a bad feeling where this was going.
“She called earlier to say that you and your friend,” he said, giving Jason another one of those curious looks that Haley knew all too well, “were going to join us tonight, but that she remembered that she already had plans for this evening.”
Haley just bet she did.
Chapter 11
“Jason, this is my sister, Rose,” Haley said, gesturing to the woman with her hair pulled back into a tight bun that looked like it hurt. She daintily offered her hand to him.
Jason took it gently, not because he was honored or overwhelmed to make her acquaintance. No, he was simply afraid of breaking her long, thin hand. As discreetly as he could, he quickly looked over the other two women in the group and quickly noted that all three of them were tall, way too fucking skinny, and flatter than a ten-year-old boy. Although they were attractive women in their own right, they didn’t have a thing on his little grasshopper.
A few minutes later, he met Haley’s other sister Martha as well as both women’s husbands, John and Edward, before he was introduced to Haley’s mother, who looked upset for some reason. It took him a minute to realize that she was trying to smile.
Botox.
He should have known, Jason thought as he reached over and shook the woman’s hand just as gently as he had her daughters’ hands. He’d come across this expression countless times during parent-teacher conferences in the past to recognize the signs.
As he sat down next to Haley, who was fuming adorably, he couldn’t help but notice that John’s eyes landed on a waitress’s ass and stayed there as the young woman made her way around the table next to them. Rose was busy frowning at Haley to notice her husband’s wandering eye. Jason’s gaze shifted to the other two women to find them frowning in confusion in Haley’s direction, making him frown. Her father was glaring at him, which was understandable, and Edward was sipping his wine while he stared at Haley’s breasts as she toyed with a dinner roll.
“Sweetie, do you really think you should be eating that?” Rose whispered with a pointed look at the roll Haley was fidgeting with, drawing everyone’s attention.
At Jason’s confused frown, Haley mouthed, “Carbs.”
Haley muttered something softly as she placed her roll on his plate. She thought Haley needed to go on a diet? Jason couldn’t help but run his eyes over Haley’s small, curvy figure, lingering on all his favorite places. Not that he really needed to since he knew for a fact that Haley’s stomach was flat. But damn it, if carbs were responsible for all those curves, then he’d make sure to keep her cabinets stocked with-
“Mr. Bradford,” Mr. Blaine said crisply, drawing his attention.
Shit.
Judging by her father’s expression, he wasn’t too happy about Jason’s leisurely perusal of his daughter. Not that he could blame him. If he had a daughter, which wasn’t happening any time soon, that looked like Haley, he’d lock her up and guard the door with a shotgun.
“What do you do for work, Mr. Bradford?” Mr. Blaine asked, taking a sip of wine.
“I teach history at Latin Scribe High School,” Jason said, noting all the expressions of distaste from the rest of Haley’s family at that announcement. Not that he cared, but did they really need to act like he’d just announced that he picked up horse shit with his hands for a living?
Mr. Blaine gave him an approving nod. “That’s a very good school. Several of my clients’ children attend that school,” he said as he turned his attention to Haley. “Perhaps you should think about applying for a position there, Haley.”
Before Jason could open his mouth and ask the man what the hell he was talking about, Haley smiled tightly and said, “That’s a great idea, Dad. I’ll send my resumé next week.”
