Brandon (Anderson Billionaires #3) - Melody Anne Page 0,66
a first and last date, but for some reason it really did matter.
“It’s good to see you, Jen. How’s school going?”
“Blah. School bites,” she said with a grin. “But I graduate in five months, and then my real adventures begin,” she said.
“Don’t grow up too quickly. You’ll soon be wanting to turn back time,” he told her.
She rolled her eyes. “That’s what my dad says all the time. I think you guys are all just old and set in your ways,” she assured him.
Brandon laughed. “I’m not that old, little girl,” he said as he puffed out his chest. This made both Jen and Chloe laugh.
“I’m Jen,” she said as she looked at Chloe. “I hope you can manage this guy. He can be a pain. Every time he comes in here, he asks about homework and boys. He’s become an honorary uncle.”
“That doesn’t sound like such a bad thing,” Chloe said with a real smile. She liked the kid. She was a sweet girl.
“Well, when you work at your mother’s restaurant and have half a town of relatives, it makes it hard to get into trouble,” Jen said. “Add my honorary family members, and I’ll never get to do anything fun.” Though she was saying it like a complaint, Chloe could see real affection in the girl’s eyes as she talked about all the meddlers in her life.
“I’d love to have a messy, meddling family surrounding me,” Chloe told her.
Jen leaned down and spoke in a mock whisper. “I love it, too, but I can’t let them know that.” This made all of them laugh again. “Okay, I’d better work before the boss comes running. What would you guys like to drink?”
Brandon ordered a nice white wine, which was her favorite, and appetizers. She wasn’t paying much attention. She was trying to look at her menu as Jen moved away, but her mind was spinning. Brandon surprised her often, and tonight was just another example of that. He really was a good man. Was she really going to walk away from him and not give it even a little chance? She was beginning to hope she wouldn’t do that.
There was a small piano in the back corner of the room, and as their apps were set before them, someone sat down at it and began playing Christmas music, reminding her that the holiday was two days away. It was easy to forget when you weren’t surrounded by family or children. There were times she wouldn’t have celebrated it at all if it hadn’t been for her friends. Her parents were wonderful. She loved them a lot, but they weren’t that messy, emotional family she’d thought would be so great to have one day. But it was better than having horrible, abusive parents. She needed to be grateful for what she did have.
“Do you think those in the world that don’t have family or relationships bother celebrating Christmas?” she asked as she put a stuffed mushroom on her plate and took a bite.
One taste, and she knew the restaurant wasn’t lacking for business because of the food quality. It was delicious. But even as they sat there, the door opened several times, and the tables filled up. Maybe they’d just gotten there really early.
“I can’t imagine not celebrating. Even all the years I’ve been single, I have. When I was in the military, we celebrated, too. But I guess there are some people who don’t care,” he said with a shrug. “That’s pretty dang depressing to think about.”
“If you really think about it, it’s just another day. And the weeks leading up to it are usually stressful for a lot of people. You have gifts to buy and don’t want to forget anyone. You have decorations to put up only to take down again, and there never seems to be enough time to get it all done,” she told him.
He laughed. “I guess I’ve been pretty spoiled in that sense. My mother always did all the decorating when I was young. Then when I did get my own place, I didn’t bother, because I knew I was going home for the holidays. As for buying presents, I haven’t really done a lot of that, either. If I see something cool throughout the year for a sibling, I’ll grab it and put it away until the holidays, but I don’t go out looking for a gift,” he said with a shrug.