It looks wonderful, pup. You two set the display up nicely.
I looked up when a new black 4Runner pulled into the parking lot. A man who was probably Chase got out of it and headed toward the restaurant.Modest SUV for the youngest brother of the wealthiest MMA fighter.That’s not a bad thing, though. I took a deep breath, got out of the car, and went inside too.
I pulled the door open and noticed Chase standing off to the side, looking down at his cell phone. He was close to my height and had light brown hair with blue sunglasses resting on top of his head. The hostess had just taken a couple ahead of us to their seat when the door behind me closed. Chase looked up.
My God, he looks just like Brandon with those bright blue eyes.
“Chase?” I asked as I stepped forward. He smiled, and the line on his forehead disappeared.
“Yes, I’m Chase. James?” Knowing that I was going to say yes to his question, Chase held his hand out to shake mine. As the hostess reappeared, Chase said, “Thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me. I can’t tell you how much it means to me.”
Nervous.
Excited.
“Two?” the hostess asked.
“Yes. Something quiet by the window if you have it, please,” I answered. She nodded, picked up two menus, and led the way.
“I’ve always thought this place looked cool on the outside, but I’ve never been here,” Chase said as we followed the hostess. “I’ve been in some retro diners and restaurants, but this is cool.”
Was he nervous? Being extra talkative is something many people do when they’re nervous. But I wasn’t sure he was chatty because of nerves. I thought that perhaps Chase was just a hyper, energetic guy… just like his son.
“Hey, they have milkshakes!” Chase said as he plucked the dessert menu out of the metal display holder beside the salt and pepper shaker. He looked up at me and smiled. “It’s been forever since I’ve had a good old-fashioned milkshake. Have you had them?”
“I have, and they’re good.”
“Hello, I’m Janice. I’ll be your server. May I get you anything to drink?”
I gestured to Chase to go first. He pointed to the milkshakes.
“Can I get a chocolate milkshake? And a little extra whip cream?”
“Of course.” She wrote on the pad of paper and looked at me. “For you, sir?”
“Iced tea with lemon.”
Janice left the table, and I looked at Chase, and what I’d been thinking tumbled right out.
“You look like him.”
He smiled and looked down for a moment. He brought his head up again and looked more serious, but the line on his forehead was back.
“Haley, his mom, had told me that his resemblance to me was why she kept him.” Chase hung his head for a moment, then looked up out the window. His eyes moved from side to side for a moment before he turned to face me. “Haley and I were both very young when she got pregnant. We were seventeen when he was born. I finished high school, but she was home schooled when our parents learned of the situation. She was going to put him up for adoption, but then I learned from the newspapers that she kept him.”
We paused when the server came back with my tea and his milkshake.
“Are you ready to order?”
“I’ll have the bacon burger. No onions. Actually, just the bacon and cheese,” Chase requested.
“Are fries okay with that?”
“Are they plain or seasoned?”
“They have salt.”
“I’m good with salt. Fries, please.”
