She gave me a side-eye and shook her head. “Wait ‘til the ladies at church hear about this one.” She got up, reaching for my lemonade glass. “Only water for you tonight. Lemonade is for the granddaughters dating billionaires.”
“But I’m your only granddaughter!” I cried, reaching for my cup but missing it.
“More lemonade for me,” she called over her shoulder as she took it to the kitchen.
So maybe I should go on a date with Bryce,I thought.Just to get lemonade privileges back.
At least that’s what I was telling myself. Because dating had never gone well for me before. Especially when I told them the odds of me carrying a child were next to none. As soon as I made the confession, they lost interest and ended things.
Maybe dating would go better once I cleared forty and there were less expectations on a woman’s body. Besides, I had plenty on my plate now with Glamma and my new job. For now, I was happy with one-night stands when I had an itch to scratch.
Glamma came back to the table carrying a glass of water—without ice—for me and a glass with fresh lemonade, ice cubes to the brim.
Damn, that looked good.
Women had gone out with men for less than a glass of lemonade and their grandma’s approval, right?
“Alright, alright, I’ll go out with the guy,” I finally said, giving up the struggle.
Glamma shimmied her shoulders. “Good. Let’s look in my closet for something to wear!”
I drew my eyebrows together. “I’m still eating! And my clothes are just fine.”
She gave me a look and started walking back toward her bedroom.
With a sigh, I followed behind her.
“I don’t even have a date for this date yet,” I called after her.
She was already in her closet, flipping through hangers. “You’ll have the perfect outfit when you do.”
The woman was a force of nature; I was just a piece of paper to her hurricane, and she was gusting me right toward Bryce Madigan.
9.Bryce
Although I’d plannedto be sitting on the rooftop terrace dining with Jada, I was currently sitting at a private table, a votive candle flickering between Rei and me. The city glittered like a million stars below us while the city lights blocked out the real stars above.
I’d seen Rei around The Tower, since she was typically in charge of the lobby. But now I knew more about her. Like the fact that she kept a black dress and heels in her locker in case the need ever arose. Or that she could fill half an hour worth of conversation without pause. Seemingly, oxygen was just a perk to her, not a necessity like us lesser humans.
When the server came to the table and asked what we’d like to start with, Rei said, “I’d like the first course, please.”
The guy looked confused at first, until he realized she was asking foreverythinglisted under first course. “Right away, miss.”
I couldn’t blame her.
The first time my brother Ford took me to this restaurant, I’d wanted one of everything. And it tasted so good I ate my face off. Back then, I was a broke college student, still wearingmy brothers’ hand-me-downs and living off ramen noodles and sandwiches made with mayo packets stolen from truck stops.
All those years ago, I’d felt so out of place here. I could feel people looking down on me, even dressed in the best vintage suit I could thrift. Ford acted like their judgement was no big deal, but it bothered me.
Why did people act like vintage items were worth less? Because they came out of a machine longer ago?
Rei looked up at me, dabbing a napkin at the corner of her mouth. “Here I thought Quentin was the quiet one.”
Her observation surprised me. “You know Q?”
She nodded. “He eats at the café more often than you do. Today was only the third time I’ve seen you down there in the last few months.”
I eyed her more closely now. “You pay attention to the C-suite?” Most people just knew we were the “big bosses” but didn’t take care to learn more than that. “Why are we of interest to you?”
