Page 34 of Family Bonds- Emma & Warren

“Phew,” Grace said. “Now I can say I know. I heard. Enjoy your dinner and, Emma, I expect a call soon if you don’t lose your phone.”

“Bring me over some food and we can visit,” she said, grinning.

“Even better,” Grace said. “I’ll be in touch. Enjoy.”

Emma moved the rolling tray holding the food into the room and pushed it to the small table off to the side.

Warren helped her set the plates up and then moved the cart back by the door.

“I guess it is a thing in your family about losing your phone,” he said. “Sit, eat. You need it.”

“Thanks,” she said, sitting down and diving in. “I’m going for the lobster first. Grace even took it out of the tail for me. I love her.”

He picked up his fork and sliced it into his salmon, popping it in his mouth. “This is even better than my private chef. The food here has been some of the best I’ve had.”

“I’ll make sure Grace knows. She doesn’t cook it all, but she did this for us. She is very particular about who works for her.”

“And it shows,” he said. “You asked about my father. I apologize for what I said.”

“Don’t apologize,” she said. “You have every right to feel the way you do about people in your life. I might have pulled up some videos of you on the field.” She waved her hand in front of her face. “You’ve got some moves on you.”

“I have them off the field too,” he said, holding her stare.

Her face flushed some, then she cut off another piece of her lobster tail, and dunked it in the butter.

His arteries were rioting and they weren’t even consuming that oily slick that was now dribbling on Emma’s chin.

She picked up a napkin and wiped it off and laughed, then went for another bite.

“I’m sure you have a lot of moves in plenty of places,” she said. “Whether or not we get to them is yet to be determined.”

“Those rules of yours?” he asked.

“Rules might be a harsh word, but kind of the same thing. It’s more like information about my lifestyle. Tell me about yourself a little if you want while we eat. Or we can just eat and then we’ll get to the rest.”

“I’ll talk,” he said. “You eat. It’s like you haven’t seen food in days.”

“I kind of haven’t,” she said. “I told you all I had today was a protein bar. Yesterday, yeah, I’m not sure I even remember. I ran out of anything fresh almost two weeks ago. Even my freezer is getting low on things. I might have made mac and cheese out of a box yesterday and had chicken strips with it. Could be the day before. I can’t remember.”

He held back the gag on her diet regimen.

“Please,” he said. “My heart can’t take it. I know I’m a little over the top with my health.”

“You do it to be in tip-top condition for your career,” she said. “I know. I get it. I wonder if you are even stricter when you’re playing.”

“Yes and no,” he said. “I burn more once training camp and the season starts. I eat a lot of calories and I have to make sure they are the right ones, but I do put more into me like pasta and rice, bread. Things like that. I’m not afraid to have sweets, but I don’t indulge often.”

“Are you going to have some of whatever chocolate concoction is in that container with me? I don’t want to look because then I’d dive into that first, and you’ll be even more appalled.

“I might be tempted,” he said. “As for my father, he left my mother when Stacy was a toddler. He’s a drunk and never stepped up as a father, leaving my mother working extra shifts to keep a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs.”

“I’m sorry about that,” she said.

“Don’t be. It taught me everything not to be in a man,” he said.

“Do you know how refreshing that is to hear? There are so many who just live in that cycle again and again. My AuntMelanie has a large not-for-profit where she serves women in situations like that. All situations, but that is some of it.”

“My mother used some services like that when we were younger. She has always worked. She’s an LPN. She went to BOCES in high school for that and it was a good thing since she got pregnant at the end of her senior year. When I say I come from a humble background, I’m not lying. Nothing like you.”