“No,” she answered slowly. He sensed a strong reluctance on her part. “I guess I could come for dinner.”
“Okay, good. You know Phil Robertson could’ve been a pro football player?”
Her eyes widened. “Seriously?”
“But apparently football would have interfered with duck hunting.”
“Good to have your priorities straight,” she said musingly.
Fuck, he…he was falling hard for this city girl.
“Tell me about your parents.”
Her body immediately tightened again. “What? Why?”
“Just making conversation, sweetheart. I want to know about you.”
“My parents are divorced. They both still live in California.”
“Ah. You miss them?”
“No.”
What the…“Really?” He frowned at her. “You don’t get along with them?”
“I don’t have anything to do with my dad anymore. My mom and I talk on the phone. I’ve gone home a couple of times to, uh, help her out. Last time I saw her was at Christmas.” She shrugged. “So, um, what are your parents’ names?”
She was changing the subject. “John and Debbie.”
“You and Lovey are their only kids, right?”
“Right.”
“Will your parents stay with you while they’re here?”
“Nah. They’re staying in a hotel. I got them a room at The Drake. Weekend in the big city for them. Lovey and my mom are going shopping. Not sure what Dad’s going to do. Lovey’s all excited to see them. Although they’re gonna die when they see where she’s living.”
“What’s wrong with where she’s living?”
“It’s just really small. A studio apartment. It’s nice enough, I guess.”
“Says the guy living in a luxury three-bedroom condo.”
He frowned. “Did I sound like I was being snobby? Because I’m not. I’m totally proud of Lovey for finding her own apartment and being independent, and trying to get her new business going.”
“Sorry. Of course you’re not snobby. Good God, far from it.”
“Okay. So, where should we go Friday night? For dinner.”
“Eek. I don’t know. What kind of food do they like?”
“Dad’s not into anything too crazy. Which is good because neither am I.” He grinned.
“Dimple’s Diner?”
He laughed. “I’ve taken them there and they like it. But we could probably go a little more upscale than that. Oh, I know…there’s this steak house…Hawthorne’s. It’s not far from their hotel and I bet they’d like it.”
Chapter 16
Hawthorne’s was lovely, with low lighting, lots of wood and walls that gave the big booths a private air. Amber was a bundle of nerves though, her insides twisted and knotted to such an extent she feared she wouldn’t be able to eat a single bite.
Having dinner with Duncan’s family seemed way too…God, she didn’t even know the right word. Serious. This made things seem far too serious between them, when she wasn’t even sure what was happening. And Lovey and Marc would be there, so it was even more like a family thing, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to be part of that.
She wore her sleeveless black dress and dressed it up with a gold statement necklace that she’d gotten at Forever 21. She had to remind herself that Duncan’s parents were farmers and not rich like him, and she didn’t need to worry about living up to some kind of image that she had in her own mind about how the date of a professional athlete should dress. Although, no doubt when he’d dated Melissa, she’d worn nothing but designer clothes. Blerg. Had his parents met Melissa? Double blerg.
They all slid into the booth, the leather padded seats surrounding three sides of the table, a big lamp hanging above it, creating a soft glow in the dimly lit restaurant. Lovey and Marc sat on the inside, Amber and Duncan facing Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong across the table.
“This is beautiful.” Mrs. Armstrong looked around.
Amber nodded. “It is.” She eyed Duncan’s mother across the table. She looked like Lovey’s sister, with her youthful face, shoulder-length brown hair, and slim build. Well, no…Mrs. A. had lovely laugh lines around her eyes and mouth and a maturity to her eyes that showed a life lived with love, laughter, and probably some hard times too. Lovey’s coloring was different, but she looked a lot like her mom. Mrs. A. wore a black turtleneck sweater dress and seemed at ease in the restaurant.
Then Amber peeked at Duncan’s dad over her menu. His hair was mostly silver but he didn’t look old, with the same strong square jaw and broad shoulders that Duncan had. She suspected his hair had been red or maybe chestnut like Duncan’s. He wore an open-necked shirt with a casual sport jacket over it, and notwithstanding Duncan’s denial that his dad looked anything like Phil Robertson, he didn’t look like she’d expected either. Although she wasn’t sure what she’d expected.
Lovey made things comfortable and easy with her usual chatter as they looked over the menu and ordered drinks.
“Would it be wrong to order salmon in a steak house?” Mrs. Armstrong asked.