Should I ‘order’ myself a boyfriend, knowing he’d serve himself for me?
He gave me a gentle smile, his tone lighter than whipped cream. “What would you like, beautiful?”
No wonder he earned such great tips.
I scrambled for my menu. “The…chicken madeira, please.”
“Any drinks?” he asked, collecting the menus.
“Water’s fine for us,” I assured him, gesturing to our already-filled glasses.
“I’ll be back soon, ladies.” He tucked his pen behind his ear, held snug by his arrow piercing, and winked at me before he strode away, hips swaying.
Mom nudged me. “I think he likes you.”
Kat grinned. “I think so too.”
Face flaming, I reached for the ice water. “He’s a very nice, attentive gentleman.”
Mom peered down the aisle. “Do you want me to ask if he has a girlfriend?”
“No,” I said sharply.
Kat stifled a giggle.
I took a sip of water to relieve my dry mouth, then spread the cloth napkin in my lap. “I have a boyfriend, actually.”
Kat cheered and clapped whereas Mom grasped the pendant with the family birthstones that Dad had gotten for her birthday.
“What do you mean?” she asked. “Since when? Who is he?”
I straightened my posture. “I’ll introduce you properly once we figure out this whole family thing.”
She furrowed her brow. “What family thing?”
“Jen,” I emphasized.
“Oh, yes. Jen.” Mom fluffed her napkin into her lap. “I gave her two options for when you girls visit. She can either be welcoming or sit in her room.”
“Is she grounded?” Kat asked dryly, tearing off a chunk of bread.
Mom sighed. “She’s a grown woman now. I can’t exactly take away her phone, but I did threaten to charge her rent.”
That was a good start. I wasn’t sure it’d do much to curb her selfishness, though.
Kat caught me frowning, then asked, “What about Tori’s room?”
Mom hesitated. “That’s up to Tori. She does have a bigger room, better suited for two. But Jen’s not entitled to it. She could’ve asked nicely. Or earlier in the pregnancy. Of course, she was hoping to move in with the father a few months postpartum, so I get the feeling she didn’t want to cross that bridge until she came to it. Moving twice within a year would be a lot of effort.”
“That does sound tiring.” And I’d only brought a few bags during my grand exit.
“You don’t have to decide yet.” Kat tore her bread into tinier pieces, her gaze flashing between us. “Have you met the baby-daddy?”
“Yes. Briefly.” Mom sliced off her own piece. “He's the father of my grandchild, so I shouldn’t be too harsh, but I’m not impressed by what I’ve seen.”
Maybe that meant Angel would shine all the brighter in comparison. Not that this was a competition. Victor was great for Kat, and Angel was great for me. Surely, Mom could be happy about that.
After a bit of catching up, Mom turned to me, her eyes alight with excitement. “So, tell us about your boyfriend. What’s he like?”
