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“Thank you,” Marissa said.
“You’re welcome.” Bruno’s fingers brushed her arm and wreaked havoc with her insides before he walked away.
Her brother frowned at her. “Did he say restaurants, as in more than one?”
Marissa nodded.
John narrowed his eyes. “What’s up with you and that guy?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, he’s sure as hell not ugly, and I don’t know… I get the feeling the two of you were holding back in front of me. You say you’re friends, but you were acting kinda odd.”
“Were we?” Marissa sipped her water.
“You like him. Wait a minute…” John leaned across the table, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Is he the new guy you’re dating?”
“How did you figure that out so quickly?”
“Because I know you. What’s the deal with this Bruno guy?”
“You have to promise not to tell anyone,” Marissa said.
“I promise.”
“He was one of my clients. I was supposed to find him a wife.”
John’s eyes widened. “But you’re not supposed to?—”
“Exactly. We’re keeping our relationship low key for now. After a year passes, being involved shouldn’t be a problem.”
“This is a shock.”
“I know.”
John smiled. “But I’m happy for you. I mean, the guy must have some money if he owns this place and what… one or two more?”
“Actually, he owns dozens of restaurants around the world through his restaurant group, and he has other business ventures related to being a chef and restaurateur. He’s a billionaire, and the reason I know about the James Beard Awards is because I attended the ceremony with him last week.”
“What?”
Marissa giggled at the shock on her brother’s face and launched into a summary of how she and Bruno met and ended with the award ceremony in California.
When she finished, his mouth was hanging open.
“I gotta say, this isn’t the behavior of my levelheaded sister, but I’m happy for you. You deserve this.”
“Do I? I’m not one hundred percent sure I’m making the right decision. I keep hoping our parents’ bad decision making didn’t rub off on me. They should have never gotten married and never had kids. I don’t want to be anything like them, John. I want to be normal and raise my child in a good, safe environment.”
“What are you talking about? You’re nothing like them. Neither of us are. Somehow, we ended up normal despite having two negligent parents.”
They’d gone through a lot as kids. While they didn’t have nearly the traumatic experience some people did, their dysfunctional childhood meant going to bed hungry some nights or jolting from sleep to the sound of their parents yelling at each other.
Because of all they’d endured, Marissa and John were extremely close. When he got married, he didn’t have a best man. She stood beside him instead. Their bond was unshakeable.
“How do you think we managed to turn out normal?” Marissa asked.
“The grace of God,” John said in a solemn voice.
