Page 4 of The Best is Yet to Cum

“We run the company together, but I guess you can say that.”

“Impressive.”

“I appreciate that.”

“Do you like being a business owner?”

“It’s a lot of work, but I’d rather own my business than work for someone else. I worked for other companies for several years before partnering with Evander to start our own. I like this much better.”

The server arrived with our food, and Clinton said a quick blessing before we dug in. Neither of us spoke until we’d taken a few bites. My jambalaya was delicious, and he seemed to be enjoying his crawfish etouffee.

“How long will you be here?” he asked.

“Four more days.”

“You’re going to bring in the new year alone in a strange city?”

“It won’t be the first time I brought in the new year alone. The only difference this time is that I’m not in Chicago.”

He didn’t respond right away, but the way he looked at me spoke volumes. It was like he could read my mind or see into my soul. I looked down at my food because the last thing I needed was for him to know what I was thinking or feeling.

“What do you have planned?” he asked, picking up his phone and pressing the screen several times.

I shrugged and took a sip of my wine. “To be a tourist, I guess. Did you get to do anything fun during your visit?”

“Unfortunately not. I was tapped out at the end of each day but did have a few great meals.”

“That’s too bad.”

“I’ve been here a few times, so I don’t feel I missed out. It’s a beautiful city, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy yourself.”

We continued to chat about various topics. Clinton told me his parents had been married for forty-six years, and he had a younger sister who was married with a daughter and son. Even though his sister had children, his family bugged him often about when he would settle down and have some of his own.

I shared with him that I was my mother’s only child, but I gained two stepsisters in my twenties when my mother married my stepfather. I also had a younger half-brother whose mother was my father’s current wife.

“Are you close with any of your siblings?”

“I talk to my brother a few times a week, and we see each other a few times a year. He stayed in Columbia after he finished college. He’s not married and doesn’t have any children, but he’s dating someone seriously.”

“What about your stepsisters?”

I shrugged. “We’re cool, but not very close. I see them at family functions, but that’s it. Are you and your sister close?”

“Yes, and so are all of us cousins. We spent so much time together growing up, we can’t help but be.”

“That’s good. My mother’s family lives all over the U.S., and my father wasn’t the most present father, so I don’t know either of their families very well. I bet it’s cool having such a close-knit family.”

“It is. Almost every family gathering is a big deal because there are quite a few of us.”

By this time, I was sipping my third glass of wine and feeling nice. Clinton was on the third or fourth glass of whatever he was drinking. We’d finished our food, and Clinton ordered beignets to go while I passed on dessert.

“What are you about to do now?” he asked.

“Probably go back to my room. I wasn’t expecting to be here for that long, and since I’m alone, I don’t want to be out so late.”

“That’s understandable. Is your hotel nearby? I’ll walk you.”

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