Page 37 of Until Daddy

Carissa took a deep breath and waited for her heart to stop pounding. “Your wine opener, you big ninja.”

Garrick laughed and took the bottle from her hands. “Here, I’ll open it for you girls.”

Jamison walked in sporting a curious expression, moving his gaze to the wine rack.

“Garrick’s opening us a bottle of wine,” she stated, studying his expression. She wished she’d asked him before they’d left her apartment if there was some rule about alcohol or treats. Did she have to ask, wait for him to offer?

He moved closer, brushing his lips across her forehead. “Only one glass tonight.” He tweaked her earlobe.

“Dinner’s just about done.” Jade wiped her hands on a dish towel and nodded toward the salad bowl. “Just need to add some dressing.”

“Carissa, bring some wine glasses out to the table for us,” Jamison directed and picked up the ceramic bowl of spaghetti.

She only nodded, grabbed four glasses and followed him to the dining room.

Garrick had a spacious condo near Michigan Avenue, which was laid out like a perfect backdrop beyond his full wall windows. The sun had already set and the city lights twinkled, creating the perfect ambience for dinner.

Although the condo was in one of the best locations of the city, Garrick never went over the top with his spending or showing off his obvious wealth. The dining room was simply decorated and gave a comfortable vibe. Most likely because over the years of their friendship, Garrick had listened to Jade’s decorating advice more often than not.

“You’ve been quiet this evening,” Jamison remarked as he poured the last glass of wine and placed it near the plate.

She had been, saying very little since they’d left her apartment to head over. She’d been doing some investigating on his behalf and was desperate to tell him about it. But she couldn’t yet.

She’d tracked down a close friend of his mother’s. Finding his mother’s name hadn’t been hard, thanks to Google and his father having such a large business presence in the city, but finding her wasn’t turning out to be so easy. Every avenue Carissa pursued led to a dead end. It was as if the woman had just gone ‘poof’ into thin air. But she’d finally gotten a response back from another socialite whom Carissa had seen in several photographs with both his parents. She’d responded to a Facebook message Clarissa had sent and told her she’d be calling her tomorrow. Carissa just wanted the woman to answer her questions right then through messenger, but the message had come in during her shift. So she’d have to wait until they could talk on the phone.

“Just tired, I guess.”

“Maybe an early bedtime is in order then.” He flashed her a grin. Such a handsome grin he had, she could almost forget for a moment their relationship came with an end date.

“Only if you promise to tuck me in properly,” she teased.

Garrick and Jade entered the room carrying the salad and bread, effectively cutting off Jamison’s response, though the little crinkle on the side of his lips gave away the deviousness of his thoughts.

“So.” Jade sat next to Garrick on one side of the table while Jamison and Carissa took the seats opposite them.

“Yeah?” Carissa grabbed the salad bowl and passed it directly to Jade across the table.

“No salad?” Jamison asked.

“Not in the mood,” Carissa answered and reached for the bread basket. She waited to hear another lecture on her poor eating habits, but he didn’t remark any further.

The conversation moved easily between the foursome. Having been friends with Garrick and Jade for so long made the dinner comfortable for Carissa, and sitting beside Jamison accentuated that level of relaxation.

“Looks like we’ll be having dinner with Jamison’s dad on Sunday.” Jade brought up the exact topic Carissa’s mind had been attempting to block over the last hour.

“I guess.” Carissa took a long swallow of her wine, careful not to finish it off since she wouldn’t be having another.

“You ready for a long business discussion which neither of us will understand or care about?”

“Sure.” Carissa shrugged and took another swallow, nearly draining the glass. “I’m sure it won’t be as boring as that.”

“Of course it will be,” Jamison promised and placed a scoop of salad on her plate. “But don’t worry, it will be a short conversation. The project he wants to do looks like a great investment. We’ll eat, give him the news he wants, and then head out after dessert.”

“You liked the location then?” Jade asked.

“It seems like a great place to build a hotel. And from what my father tells me, the small businesses on the block have already started to accept his bids for purchase.”

“Where is it?” Carissa asked, shoving the tomato in the salad away from her pasta. She didn’t want to get into another discussion about her eating habits. When Jamison had picked her up, he’d gone straight for the fridge to be sure she’d actually put the groceries away. He didn’t like the container of leftover Chinese from her dinner the previous night but was happy with her when she said she’d brought her own lunch to work and had eaten it.

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