Page 18 of The Billionaire's Commitment

“Fair choice, and actually one I was thinking of getting as well. Now I have to choose something else,” Brody said and looked at the menu.

“I could pick out something else,” I offered.

“No. I like that we thought of the same thing. It shows we still have things in common. I can’t wait to find out what else we have,” he said and gave me a slow smile over the menu. “I was thinking of Kao Tang Na Tung as an appetizer, and why don’t we try some noodles as well as the salmon and go with Pad See Ew? Though having “ew '' in a title for a food may not be the best choice, maybe we can find out who is right on going with the better word,” he said.

“Okay,” I said slowly. I still wasn’t totally sure how smart this idea was, but I had agreed to it, and there was no turning back now.

“Oh, do you have any allergies that we need to worry about?”

“No. You?”

“Not that I know of, but I might find one tonight,” he said.

“Please, don’t say that,” I said and dropped my head.

“Are you saying you wouldn’t want to remember our first date as the time you had to take me to the emergency room? It would make a great story for our grandkids,” he said.

“Grandkids?”

“Too soon? Okay, I won’t bring them up again until our third date,” he said and winked at me.

I didn’t get to respond as the server showed up, and Brody ordered for us. He also ordered some jasmine iced tea. He asked the server for her name and thanked her when she walked away.

“Now we just wait and see if we get food poisoning,” Brody said.

“Was that your plan?” I asked.

“No. That isn’t how I want the evening to go at all. I have a thousand questions about your family, but we can do that later. How are you liking New York so far? When I first came here, I played tourist like you wouldn’t believe. What have you done?” Brody asked.

“Work has kept me pretty busy. What have you seen?” I asked.

I didn’t want to tell him I hadn’t gone anywhere. He had gone and become a Navy SEAL, seen the world, and then settled in New York City. I couldn’t tell him that the most adventurous thing I had done in the four months was to accept his dinner invitation.

“Oh, lots of stuff. I made my friend, Logan, go with me to see Staten Island and the Statue of Liberty. Even made him walk up to the top. I had no idea it was going to be an all-day thing. He wasn’t pleased with me, and I had to make up for it by buying him a few drinks at a bar.”

“Was this before you opened your bar?”

“Yes, this was when we had just gotten out of the Navy and come to New York. Eric was searching for answers about Lauren, we were helping him, but we hovered a bit. He told us to go away for the day, and we did. It was fun. Back then, I didn’t think I would stay in the city and wanted to see as much of it as I could. I figured we would find Lauren’s killer, and I would go back to Oregon and work on the farm.”

“You don’t trust Dakota to do it on her own?” I asked, mentioning his sister.

“It’s more that Mom and Dad don't think I should be playing tourist when my sister is working on the family farm.”

“You aren’t playing tourist. They know about your bar and why you are here, right?” I asked.

“Yes, but they still think I’ve been gone long enough and should come back.”

“Do you want to?” I asked.

Brody had always seemed like a free spirit and one who was too big for Aurora. I couldn’t see him being happy staying on the farm for the rest of his life. He and his family had always been close, especially him and his sister. I wondered if that would pull him back.

“That’s a good question. Eighteen months ago, I would have said yes, but now, I’m not so sure.”

“Because you like the city or you like being with your friends?” I asked.

He didn’t answer as the tea arrived, and we took a drink. It was soft and light with a jasmine flavor that didn’t overpower it.

“Both. I never thought I was a city guy, but I like it. I mean, you get to try such wonderful cuisine and run into people you never thought you would see again,” he said and eyed me.

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