Page 212 of Promising You
“Dating? I thought we’d just eat at my dining hall. I wasn’t asking you out. I just didn’t want you sitting alone at dinner. That’s all.”
“Oh.” I stop in front of my building. “Well, I usually eat dinner with Harper.”
“Then maybe some other night. See ya, Jade.” He turns and walks off to his dorm.
Despite what he said, his invitation seemed like a date. An innocent meal in the dining hall would lead to a meal at a restaurant and then a movie and soon we’d be dating, at least in Carson’s eyes.
I hadn’t considered all the ramifications of not dating Garret. I’m single again, which means guys might ask me out.
This fake break-up is getting even more complicated.
CHAPTERFORTY-NINE
The next fewdays I try to occupy every minute so my mind doesn’t drift to Garret. I haven’t seen him on campus or in the dining hall. He’s changed the route he takes to class and his eating schedule to avoid running into me. And thank goodness he did because I’m so Garret-deprived right now I’d probably jump him in the cafeteria if I saw him there. I’m so worried about that actually happening—well, not about jumping him, but more like kissing him with maybe a little groping—that I’ve actually been practicing how I’ll react when I finally do run into him.
On Thursday I go to morning classes, then drive to a restaurant in town to meet Arlin and Grace for lunch. I’m really nervous. Although Arlin is nice, I have no idea what his wife is like. If she’s like Royce’s wife, the only other Mrs. Sinclair I’ve met, I’m in trouble. I didn’t like that woman at all. When she met me, she immediately asked for my last name so she could assess how much money I was worth. And when she didn’t recognize the name as being anything of value, she looked at me like I was just that—of no value, completely worthless. If she only knew I was her husband’s daughter.
I’m meeting Arlin and Grace at a small cafe that’s in an old house. Not a run-down old house, but a historic house that’s been turned into a restaurant. I’ve been there one time with Garret. The food is good but it’s expensive. The chef makes up the menu each day and there are only four or five items to choose from. The last time I was here it was filled with people around Arlin’s age and today is the same.
I tell the hostess I’m meeting Arlin Sinclair and her face suddenly perks up and a huge smile appears. “Yes, right this way.” She leads me to their table.
“Mr. Sinclair, Mrs. Sinclair. Your guest has arrived.” She quickly walks away, almost like she’s nervous. I’m guessing she knows that Grace and Arlin are billionaires and it has her on edge. She probably wishes she was the waitress getting a tip from these people. I wonder who she thinksIam. She must assume I’m important if I’m eating lunch with these two. That would explain the overly enthusiastic greeting she gave me at the hostess stand.
Arlin stands up along with his wife. She’s very small, not more than 5’2, with delicate features. Her straight, chestnut-brown hair hits just below her chin, styled in a clean-cut bob just like she had in the photo Arlin showed me. She has on a plum-colored, short-sleeved dress with a patterned scarf draped across the neckline.
“Jade, good to see you again,” Arlin says. “This is my wife, Grace.”
She extends her hand and smiles. “Hello, Jade. I’m so happy to finally meet you.”
I can already tell she’s not like the other Mrs. Sinclair. I can hear the sincerity in her voice and see it in her eyes. She reallyishappy to meet me.
Arlin motions for us to sit down. We’re at a small round table that barely fits four people. One of the chairs has been removed, so I center myself in the space that’s left so that Arlin and Grace are across from me.
The table is silent. This is awkward. For all of us.
“Should we go ahead and order?” Arlin asks, breaking the silence.
We all look down at the small paper menu that lists today’s entrees. Everything here is gourmet, so even if it sounds normal it will have some special sauce or strange ingredient that turns it into something you’re not expecting. The waitress arrives and I order a sandwich, Arlin orders the salmon, and Grace gets a salad.
Then we sit there again in silence. Grace keeps staring at me. She’s probably noticing the similarity of our eye color. Our eyes are the exact same shade of green. My mom didn’t have green eyes and neither did Royce, so it must only show up when two recessive genes come together.
“So Jade, how is school?” Grace asks. She’s still smiling and it’s a very real smile, unlike the fake one I got from the other Mrs. Sinclair.
“School is great. I like all my classes. My professors are really good.”
“And what are you studying?” She unfolds her napkin and places it on her lap, so I do the same.
“Just general studies for now.”
“What classes are you taking this semester?”
“Chemistry, microbiology, physics, sociology, and European history.”
“That sounds like quite a workload.”
“It’s not too bad.”
The waitress brings a basket of rolls and I take one, then realize they’re probably meant to go with Arlin’s salmon and Grace’s salad, not my sandwich. Oh well, they don’t seem to care.
