Parker lets out a sigh of relief followed by a laugh.
“Of course. You’ve been kind enough to be my date for the gala, and I wanted to make sure you had whatever you needed. I told you I would take care of things. Never doubt that.”
The deep timbre of his voice sent shivers down my spine, and warmth bloomed in my chest. What kind of man spent that typeof money on a dress for a date that was basically a stranger? It was one night, and I knew those gowns had to be in the thousands easily.
Parker’s kindness was overwhelming and completely unexpected.
“I’ll find a way to pay you back. I promise.”
He sucked his teeth at that. I already knew he would say it was nothing.
“I’m going to act like you didn’t say that. I’m still waiting on your list, by the way. Let's talk about it tonight. Now go have fun with my sisters.”
Before I could get another word out, he ended the call.
I stared at my phone for a moment before looking up.
The twins stood there with knowing looks on their faces before beckoning me over to join them.
Janae hollered, “Let's get brunch! We’re treating. You’re going to love this place, Lo.”
When we walkedthrough the doors of La Selva, I could tell why this was the twins' favorite brunch spot. The restaurant was bustling with people. On one side, there was a dining area, and on the other, there was a medium-sized ballroom where people were dancing. The DJ was playing the music loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear. The people dining bobbed their heads and swayed to the music as they ate.
This place reminded me of Salsa con Fuego off of Fordham Rd in The Bronx. Celeste and I would go with our families together. We would eat, and then after the meal, the party would start. We would dance all night into the early hours of the morning, then head home.
La Selva was lovely. Vines and flowers with brass pendant lights hung from the ceiling, a mirror of crystals lined the wall of the bar, the tables were made of dark oak, and there were suede garnet booth seats.
The hostess greeted the twins as if they were regulars, familiar and jovial. The hostess led us to a booth towards the back of the restaurant, steps away from the entrance of the ballroom. The restaurant was comfortably packed, the DJ was playingNo Letting Goby Wayne Wonder, and people were singing along.
We took our seats and started looking at the menu. There was only a moment of silence before the questions started rolling out. I knew that Aja and Janae would have questions and anticipated that I would have to open up, even if only a little.
“Are you and Parker dating?”
The question caught me so off guard that I choked on the water I was drinking.
The question came from Aja, who I was quickly learning was the twin that lacked the filter. I imagined Janae would look slightly embarrassed if she wasn’t dying to know the answer too.
I swiped my napkin across my mouth and choked out a shocked, “No, we’re just friends.”
I thought I saw a look of disappointment on their faces, but they quickly covered it up with smiles.
“So, how did you two meet, then? Parker hasn’t been home in years, and while we’re super happy he’s back, it’s all so strange,” Janae said.
“We chat almost every day—so imagine our surprise when out of the blue, the former heir to the empire decides to come home, and everyone is hush-hush about it,” Aja said in a sing-song voice.
She was smiling, but I heard a tinge of bitterness in her voice. They’ve done nothing but praise their brother since I’ve beenwith them, but maybe they aren't as unaffected by his distance as they let on.
“Well.” I paused as I searched for the right words. While I didn’t think the twins would ever intentionally put me in harm's way, I didn’t want to risk telling them too much. So I went with a half-truth.
“Parker saved me. I lost my home to a fire, and your brother offered to help me while I get back on my feet…”
If the twins saw anything wrong with my story, they didn’t show it. Somehow, they weren’t shocked to hear that their brother was helping a complete stranger.
“Oh, that is just horrible,” Janae said.
“That must have been terrifying,” Aja agreed.
“It was. I woke up, and there was just smoke, flames, and of course, your brother telling me we had to leave.”
