“I don’t know how to thank you for all of this, really, Nate. I was about to give up hope.”
“Thanking me would be easy,” Nate says with a smile. He cups my face with his warm hands, kissing me briefly. “Come to dinner at my house Wednesday. That would be plenty thanks as far as I’m concerned.”
Thoughts of a west side and an east side are completely forgotten.
I glance away from him and try to swallow past the lump in my throat. I honestly don’t know if I want to meet Nate’s whole family at this point, and everyone at once! I don’t think I can handle it. I don’t know how to behave around rich people, and I’m sure to make a total fool out of myself, and then he won’t want to see me anymore.
“Maybe I could meet them one at a time,” I say. “I’m not sure I’m ready to meet your whole family.”
“Are you afraid they’ll bite?” Nate grins, and I shake my head.
I take a deep breath, trying to figure out how I can possibly let him down after everything he’s done for me today. Nate’s lips press against mine again, warming my mouth with his kiss. He moves from my lips to my jaw, kissing his way up to my ear.
“I’m the only one you have to worry about.”
I shudder as I feel his teeth on my earlobe.
“That’s not fair,” I say breathlessly.
“Not intended to be.” He pulls back, the hint of a smile still on his face. “It really would mean a lot to me, and you already know Antony. He’s as nutty as any of them.”
“I don’t know…” I can feel my resolve crumbling around me.
“Please?” He presses his lips to mine once more. “I really want you to be there.”
“All right, Nate.” I can’t fight it any more. “I would like to meet them, but all of this is happening kind of fast.”
“Fast? Is meeting my family such a big step?”
“Yes, it is. At least, it feels like it is.”
“Is it because of who we are?”
“Maybe a little.”
Nate pauses and looks out across the street, staring at nothing. He takes in a deep breath and then sighs heavily.
“I…I hoped you wouldn’t think of me like that,” he says quietly. “I don’t want that to be the first thing that comes to your mind.”
“It isn’t,” I say quickly. “At least, it isn’t with you, but…well, I think I’m intimidated by the idea of a big family dinner. I have no idea what to expect.”
“Well, you can expect Antony to crack jokes, Nora to go off on someone, and Jude to pour perfect drinks to go with whatever Andrea has cooked up for us. After dinner, we usually shoot pool.”
“Where do you do that?”
“In the billiard room.”
“With the candlestick?” I laugh nervously. “Do you have a library as well? A conservatory? Secret passages?”
“Yes to the library, no to the rest. At least, if there are any secret passages, they’re very well-kept secrets since I’ve never heard about them. There’s a creepy basement if you want to go hunting for clues.”
“Any chance we’ll find a clue about my parents?”
“Not much, I’m afraid.” Nate continues to stroke the side of my face.
“It really is strange, isn’t it?”
“Very,” Nate says, “but if there is anyone who can dig up the truth, it’s Antony. Maybe he’ll even have something to share with you Wednesday night. You are agreeing to be there, yes?”
“Yes, I’ll be there.”
“Great!” He gives me a big smile and another deep kiss. “Now get into the car before you freeze to death.”
He opens the door and helps me inside.
“Have fun counting trees,” he says when I roll down the window, not quite wanting to say goodbye just yet.
“I’m sure I will.” I snicker, then look at him more seriously. “Do you really think Antony will find something?”
“I don’t know, Cherry,” Nate says. He reaches through the window and runs his thumb over my cheek. “None of it makes much sense but I promise—we’re going to figure it out. We’ll find your family together.”
My heart skips a beat.
Chapter 14—Meet the Fam
I sit in my car in front of the Orso family home. It’s a large neoclassical-style house with tall columns lining the porch though it’s not as grand as I feared it might be. It’s certainly an impressive place, but somewhere in the back of my head, I think I was expecting a castle.
Over the past two days, Nate and I had spent every free hour in each other’s company. We had dinner at local restaurants, met each other for coffee, and he even went with me to browse the local library for a new book. When we walked together, he held my hand, and I couldn’t help but notice the stares from the community. At first, it made me extremely nervous, but I found I grew accustomed to it pretty quickly.
Nate insisted on paying for everything. Though I ultimately gave up my protesting, it made me very uncomfortable. I remembered how Melissa basically called me his whore—at least in my own mind—and wondered if that might be what I was becoming.
We had talked on the phone or texted into the late hours, and it was a wonder I hadn’t been late to work. I didn’t care. Every time he touched me or said something sweet on the phone, my heart pounded faster, and the rest of my body simply melted like warm syrup.
He ended our conversations by saying, “Goodnight, Cherice.” Last night he had included a bit about not being nervous about dinner, but that hadn’t helped much.
I continue to sit with the car’s motor
