Page 129 of Wish You Were Mine
Right?
I sat in my car in the parking lot of Jacob’s Steakhouse, scanning every vehicle that pulled in. When I was younger, this was the place my family came to celebrate my dad’s work wins, Asher’s piano recitals, Callie’s soccer goals, and my own science-fair ribbons.
I adjusted the cuffs of my button-down, running a palm down the front to smooth the fabric. After texting Theo earlier to ask what he was wearing—because who knew what the Archibalds wore to dinner—I swapped my usual weekend attire for slacks, dress shoes, and a collared shirt. Casual but presentable. Trying to blend in. Maybe impress.
Impress Lucy’s parents enough that they might see me as the kind of guy they might want their daughter to date.
You know, one day…after she’d graduated and we’d let enough time pass that people wouldn’t question the right or wrongness behind how we got our start.
Okay, yeah…so that was definitely a tall order. Especially since I had no idea if she was even interested in anything like that.
Not when we still hadn’t had a chance to talk about last night’s kiss.
A sleek black Mercedes turned into the lot, headlights sweeping across the windshield of my car. Sure enough, I spotted President Archibald behind the wheel, his wife in the passenger seat, and Lucy in the back, her golden hair catching the light.
Theo pulled in right behind them in his Volvo, and I took that as my cue to get out. I straightened my tie, smoothed the front of my shirt, and walked toward the restaurant, nerves buzzing beneath the surface. I needed to make a good impression.Even if, officially, I was just Lucy’s professor tagging along as a friend of her brother’s.
Everyone smiled in greeting as I joined them, and I had to look away for a second when my eyes landed on Lucy. She was wearing a pale-yellow dress under her coat paired with strappy heels that did wildly distracting things to her legs. I swallowed the surge of attraction, shifting my gaze to the pavement before anyone could notice.
The hostess led us to a round table near the back when we stepped inside—cozy and private, just big enough for six. Charlotte climbed into her booster seat beside her grandfather. Theo took the seat next to her, and Lucy settled between her mom and the empty spot that was apparently meant for me.
I pulled out the chair and slid in, aiming for the perfect middle ground. Not too close to Lucy. Not too far either. Just comfortably centered between her and Theo like the totally professional, not-at-all-sweaty professor I was trying to be.
But then my knee brushed hers under the table.
I froze for half a second. Shifted away casually. Or…what I hoped read as casually. Only to accidentally nudge her again a second later.
Seriously?
I adjusted again, clearing my throat and pretending to be extremely invested in the placement of my napkin. Meanwhile, my entire body was suddenly hyperaware of the six inches of space to my right. And how utterly impossible it was to pretend that space wasn’t occupied by the girl I shouldn’t have a major crush on.
Gosh. I wasn’t even two minutes into dinner, and already, my nerves were getting the best of me.
The waitress handed us menus and water glasses. I took a long sip, trying to cool the heat already crawling up my collar.
“Have you been here before, Owen?” President Archibald asked, glancing at me over the rim of his menu.
“Yes.” My fingers toyed with the corner of my napkin, and I forced myself to meet President Archibald’s eyes, hoping I didn’t look as stiff as I felt. “My family came here a lot when I was younger. It was my dad’s favorite place for celebrations.”
“So your family’s from the area?” he asked, interest flickering across his expression.
“Yes,” I said, catching the subtle way Lucy went still beside me at the mention of my family. “Lived in Eden Falls most of my life—except for the four years I was at Yale.”
“It’s a lovely town. We’ve grown quite fond of it.” President Archibald paused, then asked, “And what does your father do? Does he work here in town?”
“He used to work in New Haven, actually.” I cleared my throat. “For Hastings Industries. He and Joel Hastings were close. But…he passed away about ten years ago.”
“Oh.” Mrs. Archibald’s brow creased. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“What was his name?” President Archibald asked after a beat. “We used to work with Hastings Industries quite a bit when I was still with my father’s company. Our office was just down the street from theirs.”
I hesitated for half a second before answering, “Hyunwoo Park.”
“Hyunwoo?” Recognition flared in his eyes. “Yes. I did know him.” He looked away for a beat, like he was replaying something in his head. “We worked together a few times. He was sharp. Fair. He had this way of putting people at ease, which always made our negotiations smoother. That’s rare.”
A small smile tugged at my mouth, then fell away. “That sounds like him.”
Mr. Archibald nodded slowly. “I remember hearing about the accident. It was awful. Such a loss.”
