Page 28 of Blitzing Emily

“Well, speak up. Isn’t she single?” Emily’s mouth dropped open. His grin was shameless.

“You’re kidding me. You just gave me a ring, and now you’re picking up on my sister.” He put his fingertips over her mouth.

“Shh,” he soothed. “All this stress and upset isn’t good for your headache. You need to take it easy.” She knew he was right, but she resisted the impulse to drive her fork into the back of his hand. “Relax.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a few seconds. “There you go. That’s much better.” He patted her knee. “You were telling me all about—Amy, isn’t it?”

“Actually, you’d probably really like my sister. She loves football.”

“I’m sure she’s nice. You’re more interesting, though.” Emily just stared at him. “You seem surprised.”

“I—”

“So, what was on your piece of paper? Why don’t you tell me all about it?”

“It would have been so much easier if you would have read it before you tore it up.”

“Let’s try this one more time.” He probably seemed mild-mannered and reasonable to the other people sitting in the restaurant. The teasing in his voice made Emily want to commit bodily harm. If he’d let her speak ... “You have a sister named Amy. Do you have any other brothers or sisters?” She shook her head no. “Do your parents still live in the area?” She nodded. He took a deep breath, and his fingers slid away from her face. “Now, that was easy. Where do they live, sugar?”

“My mom lives in West Seattle, and my dad lives in Issaquah.”

“They’re no longer married.” She wondered if she heard regret in his voice.

“No. They’re not.” She put the little suede ring box back into the bigger one, and crammed it all into her handbag. “Are your parents still married?”

“Yeah” was all he said. The teasing was gone. A gentle smile touched his mouth.

“They still love each other?”

Brandon studied her face for a few moments. Emily had the oddest feeling he had decided she could be confided in, and he didn’t do this often. “They do,” he said, finally. “I see what they have, and I want the same thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I thought we were supposed to be talking about you.”

“Well, I’m curious,” she insisted.

Brandon’s lips twitched in amusement. “My dad was so crazy about my mama that he wouldn’t take no for an answer. She was engaged to someone else when he met her. He kept pursuing her. He told me that if he hadn’t married her, he would have never gotten married. She’s the other half of him.” He thought for a moment. “My dad’s a bit rough. His daddy worked in the oil fields; they didn’t have the social graces. My mama was Miss Louisiana and a Miss America runner-up, so I don’t embarrass myself at a formal dinner party, for instance. She gave him polish, and he gave her the ability to be who she is.”

Emily grinned back at him. “That sounds wonderful.”

“It is. My dad played in the NFL when I was young. They had a hard time with all the traveling when I was a kid, but when Dad started coaching, it was even worse. They did their best to spend more time with each other and with us.”

“Do you have brothers and sisters?”

“I have a younger brother, Dylan. He and Amy must be about the same age.” Emily hadn’t said a word about how old Amy was. She’d find out later how he knew that fact.

“Does Dylan play football?”

“Sugar, he’s a doctor.”

“That’s interesting.”

He stifled laughter. “Interesting, huh? Why don’t you tell me some more about your sister?”

The food arrived while they were talking. He unwrapped the breadbasket and offered it to Emily. “Is Amy a redhead as well?”

“No. Amy’s hair is blonde, and she’s taller than me. When we don’t want to kill each other, she’s my best friend in the world. She’s really outspoken, she’s funny, and she’s also the bravest person I know.”

“What makes you say that?”

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