Page 25 of Sunset Tides
In the meantime, Rob had pulled out his wallet and handed over his credit card.
“I’ll pay for myself,” Lucy said, digging a twenty dollar bill out of the bottom of her purse.
The guy nodded, took their payments, and left.
Lucy turned to Rob. “I can’t help but notice how annoyingly healthy your meal choice was.”
“I don’t eat a lot of fried foods,” he said. “It messes with my system.”
She rolled her eyes. Probably watching his figure. “I didn’t realize you were so finely tuned.”
He laughed, motioning toward a table near the window. “I’m not. It just makes me sick. I have what you might call a sensitive stomach.”
Oh. “That’s too bad.” The entirety of her meal would come out of a fryer, and she couldn’t wait.
They sat down and Lucy, tired of thinking about the farm, decided to see how much information she could pry out of Rob. “What’s your story, Mr. Sensitive Stomach? Where are you from?”
“I was born and raised in New York City.”
“A city boy.” That tracked. “Is that why you’re so intense?”
A laugh burst out of him. “I’mintense?”
She nodded. “You’ve been working in a hot office next to a seafood joint for the last, I don’t know, twelve hours? And you’re still wearing a suit.”
He glanced down as if to confirm what he was wearing, then looked back up at her. “I like suits.”
“Why?” She leaned in. “Did your dad wear a suit to work every day?”
“He did.” Rob took a sip of his water. “I don’t think that’s the reason, though.”
She crossed her arms. “Maybe, maybe not. What does he do?”
“He’s a hedge fund manager at one of the biggest companies in New York.”
Interesting. “So you’re following in his footsteps.”
“Not really. My dad was a lot more successful by the time he was my age.”
“How old are you?”
He leaned in. “How old areyou?”
“Thirty-four,” she said without missing a beat. She didn’t care to subscribe to the fear of her age increasing. She’d earned each and every one of those years.
A slight smile danced on his lips. “I’m a year older than you, and at my age, my dad was already a partner.”
“That was what, the eighties? Things are different now.”
“My dad doesn’t take that as an excuse. He expects all of his kids to achieve great things.”
Yikes. Claire had never put pressure on them like that. She just wanted them to be happy. “How’s that going?”
Rob shrugged. “Not bad. My younger brother started a tech company in Silicon Valley; they’re about to go public. And my older brother…well, he’s the black sheep of the family.”
Lucy had to stop herself from suggesting he was the only normal one. Instead, she said, “Let me guess. You had all of the best tutors, went to the best schools, and played all the best sports?”
A ding rang out and two red baskets appeared on the counter.
