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“Why?” he asked when they got out of his taxi. They’d gotten back to his condo yesterday afternoon after spending a great few days in the Hamptons with West and Abby.
Braylon was thrilled that Lilian and Abby got along well enough that the two girls went downtown shopping without him and West.
He was going to protest, but then West had lifted his eyebrow at him, telling him to let it play out.
It was a good thing that his girlfriend and his brother’s girlfriend got along. He was sure Abby was helping ease Lilian into the fact they were a normal family. Just one with eight siblings and a lot of wealth.
The fact Lilian had told him how much fun she’d had when they got back to his place had helped. He’d convinced her to stay one more night and they were arriving at the coffee shop next to their building together while she picked up the weekly drinks for her boss and a few others.
In his mind, it was perfect because her ring was gone and he didn’t want her to get another one. Not something cheap and not his style.
Braylon wasn’t sure why he was thinking that but couldn’t push it from his mind.
He walked to the door and opened it, then held it for her. It was their normal time and the place was packed as always. Heads turned when they entered today, as they didn’t normally at the same time. In his mind, it’d show they were together the night before for this to happen if there was any doubt.
They waited in line. “So do you think you’d want to go back there again?” he asked. He wasn’t one to throw names around and wouldn’t say they were in the Hamptons. His brother liked his solitude out there and he’d never take it away.
“It was great,” she said. “I can understand why they spend more time there than here.”
It’s like she got it. Not to say West and Abby by name.
“Would you go back there with me alone sometime?” he asked.
“You can?” she asked, frowning.
He laughed. “There are a lot of places available to me and the family any time we want.”
“Oh,” she said.
Maybe this wasn’t a great conversation to be having with someone that should be his fiancée but not as many were listening as he’d thought. Just eyes.
She put her order in, he did the same. Then she swiped a card and signed. He’d noticed her name on it. When they went to take a seat he said, “Do you have a corporate card?”
“Not yet,” she said. “I’ve got to hand in the receipts and they reimburse me with my paycheck.”
“So it’s compounding on your credit card if you don’t pay it off in full?” That wasn’t right in his eyes.
If they were going to turn her into a gopher it shouldn’t be at her expense.
“It’s fine,” she said. “When I realized this was happening I opened a card only for this. I put nothing else on it but work expenses and I get reimbursed before the bill is due. But I don’t have a lot of debt. I didn’t want to move here with that. I pay everything off each month that I charge. I just have student loans, but they aren’t high. I got a lot of aid.”
“We did too,” he said. “With my father being in the service and then all the kids and little income. Big brother cleared that all up for us when he could. The younger ones don’t know what it is like to have loans for anything.”
He still wondered if that wasn’t smart of his brother to do, but then told himself it wasn’t his concern. It’s not like West paid their credit card bills for them. Everyone had to work part-time jobs during breaks. West didn’t care what they did, but it had to be something.
“Not everyone is lucky that way,” she said, smiling.
He reached for her left hand, bare of her ring, brought it to his mouth and gave her knuckles a kiss.
Yeah, he was putting on a show, but he felt the urge to do it just the same.
Lilian laughed and shook her head. The server brought their drinks over and Braylon carried her tray while she carried his one drink.
When they got into the building, he went to the stairs with her. Might as well walk her in also. There would be more that would notice the ring missing there, but they’d hear he came in with her when he never had before.
“Do you want me to carry these to your desk?” he asked when she opened the front door.
“No,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I’ve got it and I’m not sure you’d be allowed back there.”
