hand back on top of his. "Nice guys are hard to find. Good looking nice guys, who are demi-gods in bed? They're almost non-existent. Everyone has heard about them, but no one has ever caught one. I was fortunate enough to have one on the line for a short time, but you never belonged to me."
Why in the hell couldn't they have fallen in love? An image of Amber flashed through his thoughts. Yeah, that was why. He was a complete idiot for denying Deb, but damn it, he wanted Amber. Even with all the unresolved issues between them, their past, her decisions, Gage, his anger, her fear, he still wanted to know if she'd ever truly loved him. She said she had. He wanted to know if perhaps she still did. Her reaction at work when he was talking to Deb seemed to indicate she had some type of lingering attachment. Was he being vain by hoping it was jealousy? Probably. Vain and unrealistic.
"Hey, where did you go just now?" Deb squeezed his hand.
"Sorry, thinking."
"Got it. I'm going to go powder my nose and then head home. It's been a wonderful night, Brody. Thank you for dinner."
"Let me see you out..."
"No need, the car is with the valet. Nurse your drink, and then visit with your sister. I know you don't get to see her often. I'll give you a call when the paperwork goes to the staff—and whoever she is, I hope she knows how lucky she is."
He stood as she left the table and gestured for the waiter. "Coffee."
The waiter took the dinner plates. "May I show you the dessert cart, sir?"
"No, thanks. Coffee for now." The waiter returned moments later and poured him a cup, leaving a small decorative silver pot with a delicate spout. He chuckled at the picture he must have made. Even 'dressed up' in good jeans and a button down, he got stares. He'd perfected his bad boy image. He was big, naturally so. With his frame and genetics bulking up was relatively easy, if you considered hitting the gym almost every night after work easy. He sipped the beverage and enjoyed the bitterness. He gave a chuff of laughter when he reached for the small silver pot. It looked like a child's toy in his hand.
Child's toy. Wow. He was a dad, and he was going to meet his son soon. He removed the picture of Gage from his shirt pocket. He didn't go anywhere without the picture. The first picture Amber had given him. His son. He traced a finger around the image on the glossy paper. He looked happy. The smile on his face was something else.
"Hey."
Brody jerked his head up. "Brie, sorry, I didn't hear you." He pocketed the photograph as his sister sat down.
"I could tell. You were studying that photo intently. Is it work related?" A waiter showed up with a glass of wine for her. "Thank you, Mark. How have things gone tonight?"
"Splendidly, ma'am. Chef is pleased, and the front of the house is running smoothly."
"Excellent. This table is my guest tonight."
"Indeed. I'll inform the wait staff."
"Thank you, but I can afford to buy dinner for myself and my date."
"Where is your date?" Brianna swung around; her long dark brown hair fell across her shoulder as she looked. "Who's your date?"
"I had dinner with Deb. It was business." He took another sip of his coffee. "What were you doing at a council meeting?"
She shook her head and took a sip of her wine before she said, "The city has an ordinance on the books which prohibits restaurants from giving perfectly good food to homeless shelters. It's an archaic law and forces us to throw good food away when it could go to feed people who don't have anything. If I have a surplus at the end of the night which can't be repurposed, it is ridiculous to throw it away." Brianna huffed and tapped her nails against her glass. "I've looked into it. Between the ten restaurants in a two-block radius we could supply enough pre-cooked dinners to feed the occupants of the shelter Tara runs. Every night, Brody. A warm meal for every man, woman, and child."
Brody loved the energy Brianna radiated. She was a passionate woman, but quiet where his other sister, Bekki, was loud. Brie and Bekki couldn’t be more different. Brie was tall and curvy. She had long, dark brown hair and the King eyes. She was driven and successful, as