Page 59 of Revived

“Wow,” Rachel says breathlessly when we arrive at our booth, sliding in the round seat next to me.

“Yeah. This is incredible. Thank you,” I acknowledge the hostess as she hands us our menus and we open them up to browse.

“Everything looks and sounds so good.” Rachel’s eyes dance all over the menu while we wait for our server. Once we’ve ordered our drinks and entrees, we settle into the booth.

“This is so weird—being here with you in public without Grayson as a buffer.”

A small laugh leaves my lips before I take a sip of my wine. “Yeah, it’s definitely odd. I can’t remember the last time I had a meal like this, or a meal without my son in tow.”

“I sure do love that little boy,” Rachel beams.

“I know you do. And he loves you too.”

“Okay, so let’s not talk about Grayson. Let’s have some adult conversation.”

I wiggle my eyebrows at her. “Adult conversation, huh?”

Swatting me playfully, she reaches for her wine once she’s finished. “You know what I mean.”

“Okay, tell me more about your family then.”

She takes a sip before speaking. “Well, you know about my dad and his business.” I bob my head up and down, sipping on my drink while I wait for our appetizer. “Well, my mother remained a stay-at-home mom after my dad acquired the business, but made it a point to volunteer for philanthropic entities to give back to those less fortunate than us. She is actually on the board of several non-profit organizations now and is a top volunteer at one of the soup kitchens in the Bronx.”

“That’s amazing,” I concede as Rachel smiles.

“Yeah, she is amazing. Such a selfless woman to have as a role-model. I ended up joining her a lot, which helped solidify for me that I wanted to be a teacher. When I saw little kids with next to nothing or just scraping by, like my family did for so long, it showed me that the job of an educator is one of the most important jobs in the world. Teachers help those children feel safe amongst the chaos.”

“I couldn’t agree more and I love that that is your driving force.”

“Thank you.”

“So what about siblings? I know you’ve told me you have three older brothers,” I push as the waitress arrives with our bacon-wrapped dates. Plucking one from the plate, I hold it out to Rachel as she moves closer to intercept it with her mouth.

“Mmmmm. Oh my gosh,” she moans and mumbles around the sweet and salty mixture of flavors. Taking one for myself, I join in her choir of satisfactory noises as we both chew and then reach for the second helping.

“That was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever put in my mouth,” she exclaims as she turns to me and I fight an immature grin. “Oh, stop that!”

Laughing, I reach for my wine to cleanse my palette, all the while thinking about how delicious I know Rachel also tastes.

“Okay, so your siblings…” I urge her to continue.

“Yes. I have three older brothers—Ryan, Thomas, and Sean. Growing up with the three of them hovering all the time made for an interesting high school experience.”

“I can only imagine. I was the protective older brother, and I know it drove me nuts when boys would look at Tenley the wrong way.”

She huffs. “Well, multiply that times three and you can imagine what I went through. Of course, most of the guys that we ran with in our social circles were the type that were polite and sophisticated in front of people, and then were really liars behind the scenes. Like Pfeiffer’s ex, for example.” I recall Cash filling me in on Piper’s entire story one time at the coffee shop, even though I was still at the station for part of it. The woman was manipulated by him and sacrificed as leverage in an underground gambling arrangement, definitely helping me understand what Rachel was talking about.

“During college I actually dated a bit, but no one really was worth introducing to my family. Especially Ryan. He’s the worst of them all.”

I tilt my head in wonder. “Do you think he’d like me?”

She purses her lips and then slowly grins. “Yeah, I think he would.”

“Why?”

“Because…” she starts before she scoots closer. “You are hardworking and a family man, which shows you’re not afraid of commitment. And your devotion to your son makes you extremely attractive.”

“Is this why he would like me, or why you like me?” I tease as she closes in on my mouth.

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