Page 13 of Stay With Me

After doing as he was told, James slid up next to his wife and kissed the side of her face. “You’re even more beautiful when you’re bossy, Evelyn.”

Evelyn tittered like a little girl and Nick decided it was a good moment to pour himself a glass of iced tea and avert his eyes, giving his parents a bit of privacy. He sat at the kitchen table and tapped the sides of his glass, casting a short glance in their direction.

Yes, even he found their relationship to be sweet. And, yes, even he had thought about what it might be like to have something like that one day.

His parents had a great relationship now, but Nick vividly remembered when things were not great. Loud fights and thick moments of silent tension, and a time when his father left for a few weeks. His parents had walked a hard road to get where they were now.

And while the end result was nice, it was the rocky path that they’d traveled that Nick wanted nothing to do with. The sweet aspects were appealing, but the work required to achieve it was repulsive to him. He’d already spent what he considered the best years of his life busting his ass to achieve success, and he wasn’t interested in getting involved in another project that would steal more time from him. He wanted the perks, and with the way he currently handled things, the perks came easily. He intended to keep it that way.

And much to his dismay, his parents—his mother in particular—didn’t get it at all.

“How was work last night, dear?” Evelyn asked as she set the bowl of ceviche down and seated herself at the table.

“Pretty good. Got a food critic coming in next week so we’re experimenting with some new dishes.”

“Oh yeah?” James asked. “Who is it?”

“Annabelle Driscoll.”

James chuckled as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. “The pretty one from the Times?”

“Yep, that’s her.”

James continued to chuckle as he shook his head and Evelyn exhaled loudly.

“Nicholas, that is a terrible idea.”

Nick lifted his palms in exasperation. “What?”

“If you mess with that woman, it could ruin you.”

“Mom—”

“I’m serious, Nick. For someone who is so concerned with running a successful business, you sure do like to play with fire.”

Nick managed to keep from rolling his eyes.

“I’m not going to mess with her,” he insisted. “In fact.” He paused cautiously, weighing his next statement. “I actually have a real date tonight.”

Evelyn raised her eyebrows. “Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

“Where did you meet her?” James inquired.

Nick’s gaze darted from side to side. “Uh, at the restaurant.”

Evelyn cocked her head slightly, eyebrows still raised, and didn’t say anything.

That time Nick couldn’t help rolling his eyes. “Mom, what?”

“Nothing.”

“It’s not like that. It’s a legitimate date.”

“And did this legitimate date happen to visit your back office?” Evelyn asked with an unamused expression. James, however, immediately stifled laughter, and Evelyn shot him a look.

“It’s not funny, James.”