Katherine was a little surprised. She’s been under the impression that Joseph and his family didn’t have much money. Cape Cod was fine dining at its best. It was quite an expensive restaurant.
“Would you like to join us?”
Katherine chuckled nervously. “No. Thank you. I wouldn’t dream of imposing on your family dinner.”
“Nonsense. It’s no imposition.” When he smiled, she was hit with a strange realization. Usually, Joseph’s nearness sent an undeniable jolt of need to her core. Her face burned and her heart raced. Yet, she had no such reaction.
“Joseph?” she questioned, studying him through narrowed eyes.
He grinned and stretched out his hand to shake. “Jonathan. Jonathan Storm. It’s nice to meet you.”
Katherine ignored his hand and crossed her arms. “Not nice,” she said with a frown.
Jonathan laughed. “But it was fun. Besides, you were upset. I was gonna tell you once you calmed down.” He grabbed her hand and urged her along. “Come on. Let’s get some dinner.”
* * *
JOSEPH
Joseph raised his fork but froze before the ribeye reached his mouth, put off by the sight of Jonathan and Katherine walking hand in hand toward their table. He placed his fork on the table and glared at his brother.
For some reason, the smirk on his brother’s face as they approached the table pissed him off. The glint in Jonathan’s eye proved that he knew it.
“I ran into a friend of yours,” he announced with delight.
For seconds, Joseph was tongue-tied. Katherine was stunning. She was wearing a tight, white dress and tall, red heels. The bottom of the dress was short and pleated, highlighting her long, shapely legs. Her long dark hair was pulled into a high ponytail, enabling her beauty to brighten the entire restaurant.
Joseph stood and found his voice. “Mom, this is Katherine Chase. We go to school together.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Katherine,” his mother greeted with a smile. “Will you be joining us?”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Storm.” Katherine smiled, but Joseph could see the sadness in her beautiful, blue eyes.
“Yes. Join us,” he prompted, pulling out the chair next to him.
“Okay,” she acquiesced. “Thank you.”
Katherine took the seat that was offered and placed her hands in her lap. She seemed anxious, but Joseph could tell it was more than that.
“Katherine, is everything okay?”
She nodded. With an appeasing smile, she responded, “Yes.”
“Sooo, are you studying law as well?” his mother asked, breaking the ice.
Joseph was thankful for his mother’s presence. He didn’t know how to deal with her sadness. Hell, he didn’t know how to handle his own emotional shit. But thanks to his mom, ten minutes later, Katherine was soon laughing, fully engaged in a conversation about her failed attempt at cooking.
Joseph sat quietly and watched as she interacted with his family. He loved to see her smile, and her laugh warmed his heart. So, when her smile faltered, he followed her line of sight across the room to Larry Crane leaving the restaurant with her father and some other people. Crane glared at them both with pure hatred.
Joseph, sensing that she was uncomfortable, covered her hand with his. “Relax, Katherine. Enjoy your dinner.”
When Jonathan turned to see what they were looking at, Crane was still shooting icy daggers at them. His twin turned back to him with raised brows and a question in his eyes—Joseph’s answer would determine whether Larry Crane was going to catch a beating.
Joseph shook his head, urging his brother to stand down. Crane was a weak, entitled rich boy not worth the effort it would take to ball a fist.
Joseph heard Katherine exhale as soon as Larry exited the restaurant. He didn’t like her reaction to him. He didn’t like anything that made her feel unsafe.
“Enjoy your dinner,” Joseph repeated, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
