Page 22 of In the Name of the Father

“Having trouble deciding?”

“Um, a little.” Seth chewed his lip. “We never ate out much back home. And when we did, it was at the all-you-can-eat buffet.”

“What do you usually like to eat? If it was entirely up to you and nothing else mattered, what would you pick?”

“Steak, meatloaf, hamburgers. Things like that.” Seth considered some of the selections, all of them rather pricey. Fish and chips were also available and were cheaper than the other things. But even when he’d had them, they hadn’t been his favorite. He spotted another less expensive option. “Chicken is good too.”

“Would that be your first choice?”

“I don’t have to have my first choice.”

“Seth…”

Malcolm’s voice held a sharper edge to it, but it didn’t scare him the way it did when his father had used a warning tone. No, with Malcolm it seemed more as if he wanted to make sure Seth was satisfied, so he was pushing him…or something. His reaction to being reprimanded by Malcolm was all mixed-up in his head.

“Tell me what you want, Seth. First choice, no excuses.”

Seth pressed his lips together then gazed up at Malcolm. “The steak.”

A smile tugged at one corner of Malcolm’s mouth.” Good b—” He coughed into his fist. “Good job. Next question. What kind of steak? They have four choices.”

Seth furrowed his brow as his eyes darted back to the menu. He knew all about the cuts of steaks—that wasn’t the issue. But coffee-spiced sirloin with cilantro lime butter? Ribeye topped with gorgonzola cream sauce? He wouldn’t know what to choose if his life depended on it.

He glanced up at Malcolm. “I’d pick any of the cuts, but I’m…I’m not used to fancy dishes. I’m not sure if coffee on steak would taste very good.”

Malcolm blinked a few times then picked up his own menu. Understanding crossed his features as he nodded.

“I see what you’re saying. I’m not sure it would either.” He winked. “I have an idea. Why don’t we get the ribeye with the sauce on the side so you can at least try it? Then, I’ll also get an order of the meatloaf. We can share them, half and half. Sound like a plan?”

Seth grinned. Malcolm seemed to know how to make everything better. “Yes. A great plan.”

Malcolm took Seth’s menu then added to his own. He pointed to Seth’s glass of water.

“Would you like something else to drink? Milk? I know you don’t care for soda.”

Seth glanced around the restaurant to see what other people were having. Of course, there was soda, but also a lot of cocktails and wine. He peeked over his shoulder at a table behind them with a little boy he guessed was around eight or nine years old.

Milk.

He returned his attention to Malcolm. “What are you having?”

Malcolm’s gaze made him feel as if he was being studied. “Normally, if I didn’t have a long drive ahead of me, I’d order a glass of wine. But I was going to get iced tea instead. Do you like iced tea?”

By now he’d realized Malcolm liked it when he gave direct, truthful answers. Pleasing Malcolm had taken on an unexpected importance to him as the day had worn on. Whenever Malcolm would smile and praise him for sharing how he really felt, it gave him a fluttering sensation in his stomach.

“Not especially. We only ever drank milk, juice or water. Sometimes lemonade in the summer.”

“Milk then?”

Seth couldn’t help but take another quick peek over his shoulder at the kid with the milk who was coloring on a paper placemat.

I want Malcolm to see me as a man. Not a child. He rubbed his palms on his jeans.Tell him the truth.

“I feel kind of funny drinking milk in a place like this. You know, because everyone else is having something more adult.”

Malcolm narrowed his eyes a fraction as he considered him. “Ah, I see. My objective for tonight is for you to relax and enjoy yourself. I sense this would get in the way of that. In that case, I’m betting that the bar will have juices. Probably orange, grapefruit and cranberry. Do any of those sound appealing?” He gave a small shrug. “Add a lime wedge to a tall glass of cranberry and it’ll look like a cocktail.”

Seth arched his eyebrows. “I like cranberry.”

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