Page 53 of Love Is Brewing

He expected his one brother still would even though Foster had Charlotte. The two of them had stayed with him at Christmas.

“That’s nice of him,” she said. “I’m positive we would have done that for our parents if we had to.”

“You never had to worry, did you?” he asked. He accepted the cup of coffee from her after shaking his head no to creamer.

“No,” she said. “I will not apologize for that either. It’s a family firm. My father inherited it after my grandfather passed. With my mother’s help, they grew it bigger.”

“And now you’re doing your part,” he said.

“I am. My grandfather was a nasty old man,” she said.

Her eyes got wide and he’d bet she hadn’t planned on letting that slip. “Mind if I ask why?”

“Old fashioned,” she said. “He thought women looked good but weren’t smart.”

“But your mother is an attorney at the same firm,” he said. “That should have proven him wrong.”

She snorted. “Nothing proved my grandfather wrong. At least in his eyes. He hated that my father started to date my mother too. Even threatened to fire her.”

“Yikes,” he said. “He didn’t like her very much then.”

“Oh, it wasn’t that,” she said. “It was more that he thought my mother was going to weaken my father. Take his mind off of what was important.”

“Ahh,” he said. “One of those assholes that my mother would gladly give a piece of her mind to.”

“I think I might like your mother,” she said, smiling.

“Oh, you would. Everyone does. She’s meddling and overbearing, but she’s great. Strong, independent, and caring at the same time. Nurturing too.”

“It’s very sweet of you to talk about your mother that way. Not many men do,” she said.

He felt as if he had his balls chopped off just then.

“She pays us to do that,” he said, lifting his eyebrows up a touch.

Phoebe rolled her eyes. “I doubt it and now I’m embarrassing you. I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t be,” he said. “It’s fine.”

“We are just standing here, let’s go sit on the couch.”

They took their coffee and went to the couch to sit.

“Why did you ask me back here?” he asked. “Just to talk? Are you lonely? Was there more to it?”

“You cut right to the chase,” she said.

“And lawyers play their words carefully. I know. I’m not that way.”

Was he going to worry she always would be though?

“I’m happy you talk,” she said. “Do you know how many men I’ve been around in my life that either play the game of who can hold their cards tighter to their chest or I have to all but open their mouths with my fingers to get them to say anything?”

“No,” he said. “Didn’t know you had that many men in your life.”

Guess that was something he should find out too.

Could be she was a female version of a player.

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