"She's a good kid, but she's also a picky eater," I said, trying not to let the emotion seep into my voice. I thought about all of the dinners we'd had in that house. Mama, Molly, me
, Patrick, and then Riley when she came along. And I choked back a sob that was building in my throat. Forward movement was the only way I was going to make it through this.
"I see," Jack nodded. "Well, then you'll come have dinner at my mother's tonight."
"We can't do that, but thank you for the offer," I said shaking my head as I looked down at the stack of reports in my lap.
"Of course you can do it," he replied. "And you will do it. It's no problem for my mother, believe me. She loves having people to entertain, and I'm sure she'll roll out the red carpet and feed you like royalty!"
"I don't want to put her out," I protested.
"Oh, it's not like she'll be cooking or anything," he said smiling at me. "I'm sure she'll have her cook whip up a wonderful, kid-friendly meal that will have Riley wanting to live in the kitchen after eating it."
"Well, Riley is an easy target right now," I said, laughing. "She's hungry, and I don't have time to cook a proper meal for her. She's been surviving on pizza, which she loves, by the way."
"Then I'll have Jimmy pick us up around six," he said, grabbing the phone and making a call. He spoke quietly into the receiver as he swiveled his chair around so his back was facing me. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I could tell that he was giving instructions.
"Jack, this is way too much," I said as he turned back around with a rather satisfied grin on his lips.
"Nonsense, my mother's excited about the prospect of organizing an informal dinner party," he said as he stood up and walked around the desk. He leaned on the edge of the desk and crossed his arms as he looked down at me. "Leah, it's just dinner. Please come and have dinner with my family."
My heart fluttered a little as I looked up at him and remembered what it felt like to be held in his arms. I looked away as the blush crept into my cheeks and wondered how I was going to live and work in such close proximity to the man who made my body ache with longing.
"Okay, I'll say yes, but it's because Riley needs a decent meal," I said looking back up at him once I'd gotten myself under control again. "Dinner is all it is. We won't overstay our welcome."
"Oh, I think you'll be surprised by how wide the welcome mat is at my mother's house," he grinned as he reached out and rested a hand on my shoulder. "I'm glad you'll be having dinner with us, Leah."
I swallowed hard and nodded, knowing that whatever came out of my mouth at that moment would be completely inadequate. I looked up and smiled.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Jack
It was well after six when I ushered Leah and Riley to the waiting car and told Jimmy to take us home. Riley peppered me with questions about my mother's house for the entire ride, which relieved the tension between Leah and me.
"How big is her house?" Riley asked.
"Super huge," I replied.
"That's not an accurate measurement in real estate terms, Jack," Riley said with a disapproving look. I laughed because I remembered the way in which I used to give my parents the same look when they gave me an unsatisfying answer to questions I'd asked.
"Fine, my mother's house is approximately ten-thousand square feet," I said.
"You're kidding, right?" Riley said as she dropped her jaw and stared at me.
"Not kidding at all," I replied seriously. "It's why she can have guests like you come and stay at a moment's notice."
"Our house is less than two-thousand square feet," Riley observed. "That means your mom's house is … four, no five times bigger than ours."
"Good job on the math," I said nodding. "At least you know you're not losing anything while you're out of school."
"Very funny," she said as she flashed me a grin that I understood to mean exactly the opposite of what she said.
"Looks aren't everything," I replied, much to Riley's delight as she cracked up, then turned to watch the city rush by. Leah gave me a grateful smile before she, too, turned and looked out the window. I wanted to ask her what she was thinking about, but I knew the answer was likely to be something she didn't want Riley to hear so I let it go.
When we pulled up in front of my mother's house, Riley let out a small shriek before she shoved her weight against the car door and went running up the front steps. I laughed as I helped Leah out of the car and nodded at Jimmy as he went around to the trunk to get the packages I'd asked him to pick up.
"Who are you?" Riley asked as the butler opened the front door and invited her inside.