I smiled. “Ah. So what you’re telling me is that you need a piece of Joanna’s flourless chocolate cake.”
“Oh, that would be grand, mo stóirín, if it’s not too much trouble.”
“Of course not,” I said. “I’m heading out to Asbury. I’ll stop by on my way.”
“Are you going out then?” she asked.
I smiled and shook my head. My mom was ever hopeful I’d find a nice man and settle down. “Yeah, Mom. I have a date.” Jeremy’s brows rose and he gave me his cute, shy smile that made me want to drag him back upstairs.
“Well, now, I don’t want to make you late for your date,” Mom protested.
“No worries, Mom. He’s already with me.”
“In that case, make sure you bring him in so I can meet him,” she said firmly.
“Mom,” I objected, “I don’t think…”
My mother’s voice grew stern. “Sean Michael O’Neil, are you telling me that you’re embarrassed by your own mother?”
“No, that’s not what I meant,” I said. Ugh, leave it to my mother to use Irish guilt. I looked over at Jeremy and saw his eyes sparkling with amusement. “Hold on, Mom.” I pressed the mute button and turned to my date. “I guess you heard all that?”
“Most of it, Sean Michael,” he admitted with a grin.
I rolled my eyes but felt a warmth fill my chest at hearing my name on his lips. I cleared my throat. “So, are you okay with meeting my mom? If not, I can make some kind of excuse.”
“It’s fine,” he replied with a wink. “You can make it up to me later.”
All my blood started to rush south. “Okay, that’s just not right. I can’t talk to my mom with a semi.”
Jeremy snorted. “You should probably get back to her before she wonders what happened to you.”
“Right.” I hit the unmute button. “Okay, Mom, we’ll be over there in a little bit. Love you.”
I hung up and turned back to Jeremy. “Are yousureyou’re okay with seeing my mom? Is that going to be weird for you?”
Jeremy took hold of my arms and looked me right in the eye. “Everything about this—whatever this is between us—has been weird from the beginning. Me meeting your mother is not going to change that.”
“Truth.” I cupped his cheeks and kissed him softly. “Let’s get going. Don’t want to keep Mom waiting.”
Since it was Friday night, the kitchen was bustling with activity. Chef Joanna was standing in the middle of the controlled chaos, blond hair pulled back in a tight bun. She saw me standing in the doorway and motioned me in. “Good evening, Mr. O’Neil. What can I do for you?”
I smirked at her formality in front of the staff. She and I were friends in high school. She went off to culinary school in France and I went to Rutgers. “Mom had a rough day in the ER,” I said.
She nodded knowingly. “Ah. Then that calls for a slice of flourless chocolate cake, obviously.”
“Obviously.” She instructed one of her staff to pack up a slice and then her gaze slid to Jeremy. I drew him closer. “Joanna Turner, this is Jeremy Fitzgerald. Jeremy is staying here for a while.”
Her eyes went wide. “You’re the pianist. The whole staff has been talking about how sweet you are.” She held out her hand to him. “Nice to meet you.”
I saw a blush creep into his cheeks as he took her hand. “It’s good to meet you as well. I had dinner here last night, and it was exceptional—especially the lava cake.”
She gave him a brilliant smile. “Thank you. That’s high praise coming from a world traveler.”
One of the staff came over with the slice of cake boxed in a clear plastic container. “You added whipped cream. She’ll love you forever.”
Joanna winked at me. “You know I’m her favorite.”
“Yeah, okay,” I replied. “We have to head out now. Thanks for the cake.”
