The Baby Pact (Babies and Billions #5) - Holly Rayner Page 0,5
“You do an immaculate job, sir.”
“Your facility is really beautiful,” Lincoln said. “It’s a genuine pleasure to spend time there. How long have you been in the whiskey business?”
“Oh, generations,” Rhea’s father said. “It was my great-great-grandfather who first established the label. And no doubt my children will go into the family business themselves. Stephen here graduated college last year, and he’s taking a gap year to travel before starting to work in the marketing department. You know how young people are.”
“Oh, not really,” Zach’s father said with a merry chuckle. “I’m sure Zach will be going right to work after graduation. Well, I hope so, at least!”
Zach couldn’t have been any more embarrassed if his father had blatantly said that they just didn’t have the kind of money to pay for the luxury of a gap year. To make matters worse, Rhea looked as if she wanted to crawl under the table and die.
He reached over and gave her hand a quick squeeze. She had to know that, as weird as this dinner was, it didn’t change anything about the way he saw her. He wasn’t going to start thinking of her as some rich girl who was too far above him to relate to now.
I just hope she feels the same way. I hope she doesn’t think less of me.
She looked over at him, and he saw the gratitude in her eyes. He offered her a wry smile.
“At least they’re all getting along,” she murmured quietly.
That was true. As uncomfortable as this was, it would have been much worse if their fathers weren’t being friendly with each other.
Maybe I’m making too much of the whole thing, he thought. After all, he was used to having friends who were better off financially than his family was. That wasn’t new. It was only the fact that Rhea’s father directly employed his that was making this extra weird.
His thoughts were interrupted by Rhea’s brother.
“So what’s the deal with you two?” Stephen asked.
“What do you mean, the deal?” Rhea said.
“You bring this guy along to dinner with the folks, and his father,” Stephen said. “You can’t expect me to believe there’s not something going on.”
“Stop it, Stephen.” She blushed scarlet.
“What?” Stephen protested. “You talk about him all the time.”
She did? That was news to Zach.
“I talk about him because we’re friends,” Rhea said. “He’s one of my best friends.”
“Mm-hmm,” Stephen said. “I don’t talk about my friends like you talk about him, though.”
“Stephen,” Rhea’s mother chided. “Leave it alone. I’m sure Rhea will tell us anything she needs to tell us when the time is right.” She grinned knowingly and winked at her daughter.
“There’s nothing to tell, Mom,” Rhea insisted. “Zach is my friend. And I brought him along tonight because he and I always celebrate our birthdays together. It’s a tradition.”
“Sounds friendly,” Stephen teased.
“It is friendly!” Rhea said. “We invited his father so you wouldn’t make him feel completely uncomfortable, like you’re doing right now.”
“I’m all right,” Zach said. “It’s okay.”
Actually, Rhea was right—he felt as if he was about to catch fire with embarrassment. He grabbed his water glass and downed half of it in a single gulp.
“Okay, okay,” Stephen said. “No need to freak out about it. I’m just saying, I think the two of you would make a pretty cute couple.”
“Stop teasing your sister, Stephen,” Tom interjected. “It’s her birthday. Be nice.”
“I’m being nice,” Stephen said. “I’m just encouraging her to admit she likes this guy.”
Their mother swatted him gently on the back of the head, then fished in her purse and pulled out a credit card.
“Go to the bar and buy Rhea a cocktail,” Dana ordered. “Pick out something nice, please. Something fancy. Go on.”
Stephen rolled his eyes, but he got to his feet and made his way over to the bar.
Rhea turned to Zach. “I’m so sorry about him. He’s absolutely the worst.”
“He’s a big brother,” Zach said. “I hear they’re like that.”
“That they are,” Rhea’s mother said with a smile. “That’s very understanding of you. Do you have any siblings, Zach?”
“No,” Zach said. “It’s just me and Dad.”
He waited for the awkward questions that always followed the reveal of that information—questions about who his mother had been and what had happened to her—but none came. Instead, Dana just smiled.
“Well, we’re very glad the two of you could join us for dinner tonight,” she said. “And thank you so much for allowing us to treat you in honor of Rhea’s birthday. She so rarely introduces us