The drinks appear at the table, staff working efficiently and silently in the presence of their boss. Nate doesn’t look away from his dad, scared to take his eyes off him, I think, but mutters a “Thank you,” reaching for his Sprite with the hand that isn’t crushing mine.
“You’re welcome, Nate,” a sickly sweet voice says. We both look up at the same time, finding a beautiful blond woman placing a vase of water in front of Ian.
If I had to guess I’d say she was our age, pretty green eyes and a dazzling smile. She’s looking at him with a familiarity, asomethingthat makes my skin itch. An uncomfortable feeling settles in my stomach, and it whips my breath away when I realize that the feeling is jealousy. “I didn’t know you were in town,” she continues, completely ignoring my existence. “You should have said.”
His fingers loosen and my heart sinks as he lets go of my hand, but instead he reaches toward me and tucks hair behind my ear, hand settling on the back of my chair with his finger tickling my shoulder. “You asked for no ice, didn’t you?” he asks, nodding toward the drink someone put down in front of me.
I focus on the ice cubes floating and the condensation running down the side of the glass, instead of the woman Nathan has clearly had sex with at some point.
I need to stop, this is unnecessary. I don’t feel like this when we’re back in Maple Hills. Who he’s had in his bed doesn’t bother me there, but here, in front of his dad and sister, I feel the poker hot envy creeping through my body. “What? Uh, yeah, it doesn’t matter, though.”
He picks up the drink and offers it to the girl. “She didn’t want ice.” His tone is sharp, far sharper than I’ve ever heard him be, and it feels weird to see him be so curt.
The girl looks taken aback as she accepts the glass from his hand, still not looking at me, but managing to look at Sasha, who’s trying to hide her laugh behind her hand. Too much time passes without anyone talking.
“That’s all, Ashley,” Ian drawls, bored of this weird little situation going on. “Get Anastasia an iceless drink as she requested, and let Mark know we’re ready to order food.”
His harsh tone snaps her out of her daydream. “Yes, sir.”
“And Ashley?”
“Yes, Mr. Hawkins?” she responds quickly, spinning back around to face him.
“Anastasia is part of this family and a guest. I’m going to pretend that you gave her the courtesy of actually looking at her and apologizing for the mistake, as you would with any other customer. Don’t let it happen again or you’ll find yourself starting the new year looking for a new job.”
It’s taking every muscle in my head to keep my jaw from hitting the floor. Nathan shuffles in his seat, reclaiming my hand with his. Ian pours himself a glass of water and takes a sip. “Where were we? School. What do you study?”
I tell him how I’m a junior studying business management, how I’m an only child, how I’m already twenty-one because I started school a year later after my adoption when I was five, and to his credit, he nods in the right places and asks follow-up questions.
My new drink arrives, Nate and Sasha sit quietly, probably grateful the attention isn’t on them. I get a small moment of reprieve when our food orders are taken. Nate leans in, pressing his lips to my temple.
“What are you getting?” He lowers his voice to a whisper. “I’m so proud of you, baby. You’re doing so well.”
I don’t get a chance to answer him, because Sasha tries to order a chicken burger and fries and her dad says no. “She’ll have the chicken and cashew salad, dressing on the side.”
“But Dad, I wa—”
“No, Sasha.”
I hate this and every critical thought I’ve ever had about my parents weighs on me, crushing me with guilt, because my parents have never made me feel as shit as I do just watching him interact with Sasha. The words come spilling out of my mouth before I can stop them. “The world isn’t going to end if she eats a burger.”
For the first time since we sat here, I see a flicker of emotion on his permanently indifferent face. His eyebrow creeps up and his lips purse, and suddenly, he looks nothing like Nathan. He doesn’t have Nathan’s soft eyes or the cheeky grin that accompanies his eyebrow when it rises in surprise.
“Not that it’s anything to do with you, but Sasha has a competition coming up. She needs to stick to her meal plan.”
“So do I, but one burger isn’t going to derail her career. If she wants a burger, she should get one. I’m getting the burger,” I snap back.
I don’t know why I’m doing this, why I’m purposely riling up a man I want to like me, even if I don’t like him. I can’t help it. I want to protect her from all the thoughts that will plague her when it comes to eating, long after he stops choosing her meals.
I don’t even want the freaking burger. I was going to order the salad.
Nate’s hand squeezes my knee, a sign of alliance. “Can we get three chicken burgers please, Mark. No salad needed.”
Mark looks to Ian, who places his menu back on the table and gives a small nod of approval. When Mark heads back toward the kitchen, loudly blowing out a sigh of relief, I immediately feel the weight of what I just did. Sasha is looking at her drink, teeth nibbling the skin at the side of her thumb.
“I don’t appreciate your insolence in front of my staff,” Ian says flatly.
“Dad—” Nathan interjects.