“What’s that for?” I ask softly when she slightly pulls away.
“You had my back,” she whispers. “You’re the only one who’s ever defended me, you know that?”
“Jamie?”
I release my hold on Jamie at the sound of her sister’s voice. Jamie turns around to face her and I grab her waist, so she doesn’t forget I’m here.
“I’m sorry for the ambush and for my cradle robber comment. They’re still trying to absorb what just happened, but I’d hate for your trip here to be a waste. Would you like to go somewhere to eat with Finn and me?”
Jamie glances up at me. “Up to you,” I tell her.
She looks at her sister, who looks hopeful, and then nods. “Okay. We’ll go.”
“Great. Let me grab Finn and then y’all can follow us.”
Jamie and I go ahead and get into my truck. She reaches over to take my hand, cradling it in both of hers. “I have no idea how my parents will react to this, what they’ll eventually say. But I hope what you said gets through to them since what I say never seems to.”
“I’m glad you’re not upset with me.” As I was walking out the door, I was worried she
would be. After all, she asked me not to say anything and I did just the opposite. For good reason, but still.
Her sister and fiancé walk out and get into their car. As we follow them, Jamie leans over to kiss the corner of my mouth like she did earlier. “I wouldn’t be mad at you for what you did.”
“Good. I’m glad. Do you think this will go well?”
“It’s always a toss-up with Michelle.”
We follow Finn and Michelle to the restaurant and things seem okay as we walk inside and to a table. Everyone is relatively quiet while we look over the menus and then we place our orders. Jamie is more nervous than she lets on. She reaches over to rest her hand on my thigh, down by my knee. Every few seconds her fingers twitch or she gives my leg a squeeze. I move my hand to rest on top of hers, hoping it reassures her.
“How’s college going?” Michelle asks.
Jamie shrugs. “It’s going.”
Michelle gives her small smile. “I know you’ll be glad when it’s over. You’re almost there, though.” Her comment surprises me. Michelle actually knows Jamie doesn’t like college? She’s even sympathetic toward her. Apparently, not everyone in her family is a jackass all the time. Michelle’s eyes flick to me. “Do you plan to stay in Raleigh after college?”
“I don’t exactly want to come back home,” Jamie points out. “But I don’t know what I’ll do yet. There are still some things I need to figure out.”
“Like what? All you have to do is find a place to live and full-time work. I know you don’t spend like crazy and our parents still share their fortune with us, so it’s not as if you can’t afford it.”
Jamie seems to think about something as she uses her free hand to wipe the condensation off the side of her glass. “Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe they’ll listen better if I stop taking their money.”
Michelle gasps as if that’s the worst thing in the world. “Jamie, you can’t be serious. Why would you want to do that?”
She stares at her sister for a few seconds. “They don’t listen to what I want, Michelle. I tell Mother I don’t want kids and she tells me I can adopt or use a surrogate. I tell Mother I don’t want to go to college and she forces applications down my throat. I tell Mother I’m truly happy you’re pregnant and she thinks I need to see my therapist again. I tell them my boyfriend makes me happy and treats me well, and they don’t care because he’s older than I am. If living off whatever money I make at my job makes them change, they can stop sending me money and have what’s in my bank account that’s theirs back.”
Michelle still looks as if that’s the craziest idea she’s ever heard. “Don’t do that, Jamie. I’ll work on them for you.” She takes a deep breath and angles slightly toward me as the waitress comes and drops off our food. “Now, what should we know about you?”
“Anything you want to know. Jamie gave a good rundown earlier.”
And that is the official start of a pleasant dinner. They learn about me and I learn about both of them. Jamie relaxes and takes her hand back. Finn seems like a quiet, yet decent guy. Michelle, I’m not so sure about her. I think Jamie was right. You never know about her. She seems to have her good moments, but her priorities definitely don’t line up with Jamie’s.
By the end of it, after we’ve said goodbyes and are on our way back to Raleigh, Jamie sighs. “Well, tonight both went as I expected and didn’t. Let’s not have a repeat, okay?”
“Promise.”
Jamie laughs. “You can’t really promise me something like that.”
“Oh, yes, I can. You said ‘let’s’. We don’t go back without an apology, Jamie. A verbal apology to us both. And you’re not allowed to be the middle man. They want to apologize to me, they have to talk directly to me. Got it?”