told him it was Christmas. “Excellent!”
Despite his obvious enthusiasm for wherever he was taking her, Brandon shortened his stride to match hers. Once again, Suzanne was amazed at how easy conversation flowed between them.
He told her a little about what it was like working as a fireman. The thought of him running into burning buildings made her heart pound with fear for him, but it was clear from the way he talked about it that he loved his job.
“Is it a family legacy? Are your whole family firemen, or did you totally confound them and they’re all… I don’t know… violinists and personal shoppers or something?”
Brandon’s laugh was incredible, rich and warm like hot chocolate on a cold winter night. Suzanne just wanted to drink it in. He shook his head.
“Neither, actually. Dad’s retired now, but he worked for the Port Authority for forty years. Ma still works as a librarian. I’ve got two younger brothers. One’s in college, the other is an accountant. You two would probably get along well. He’s a math nerd too.” He cut her a teasing look.
She bumped his arm with her shoulder. “I don’t think you have room to be throwing that term around, Mister ‘I’ve seen every episode of Doctor Who that ever aired.’” She snickered, remembering his impassioned texts about the British science fiction show. A far cry from Antoine’s explosion fixation.
“That doesn’t make me a nerd! It just means I have good taste in television.”
They shared a laugh as he directed her to the left, onto 8th Avenue.
“What about you?” He tipped his head down to look at her. “Chip off the ol’ block, or black sheep?”
The mention of her family made her stiffen a little. She was sure she’d probably missed more phone calls from her mother since she’d left her apartment.
“Black sheep.”
Brandon shook his head. “I don’t believe it.”
“Maybe not quite. But both of them would have rather I went to law school and joined my Daddy’s firm.”
Brandon whistled. “Lawyer, huh?”
“Yeah. And my mother owns several boutiques. She’s got locations here in Manhattan, the Hamptons, and back in Greenwich.”
“Wow. Impressive. But so is WMI. They’re practically a New York institution.”
Suzanne flushed a little at this, proud of her job. “Well, it’s just an internship now. But I think they’ll offer me a permanent position when it’s over.”
Off the topic of families, she relaxed somewhat. They chatted about innocuous topics for the next few blocks.
When Brandon stopped in front of The Spice Market, Suzanne’s eyes widened and she looked up at him with a wide, happy smile. He was watching her face, and when he saw her expression, he grinned.
“You like?” His tone was teasing, reminding her of earlier when she’d said the same. Her heart stumbled a beat. It felt intimate, even though it was just a silly joke. As if they already had an inside thing. A moment just between the two of them.
Instead of responding flippantly, Suzanne just nodded. “I do.”
The food was fantastic, flavorful and exotic and delicious. They shared an appetizer of chicken satay that made her moan. Heat flashed in Brandon’s eyes when she’d made that noise and his gaze had dropped to her mouth, shiny where she’d just licked away some of the peanut sauce.
After a lengthy debate, they decided to try the Avocado and Radish salad and the Crispy Pork Belly. Brandon never once looked at her askance while they looked over the menu and she mentioned what foods she’d like to try.
Brandon had an IPA, and she settled on the Ginger Margarita. She’d balked a little at the price at first. She didn’t know how much firefighters made, and she didn’t want to assume he could spend the way her usual dates — other trust fund babies like her — could. But he assured her she didn’t have to worry, and she decided to take him at his word. She only planned on having one cocktail anyway.
Suzanne definitely
Despite his obvious enthusiasm for wherever he was taking her, Brandon shortened his stride to match hers. Once again, Suzanne was amazed at how easy conversation flowed between them.
He told her a little about what it was like working as a fireman. The thought of him running into burning buildings made her heart pound with fear for him, but it was clear from the way he talked about it that he loved his job.
“Is it a family legacy? Are your whole family firemen, or did you totally confound them and they’re all… I don’t know… violinists and personal shoppers or something?”
Brandon’s laugh was incredible, rich and warm like hot chocolate on a cold winter night. Suzanne just wanted to drink it in. He shook his head.
“Neither, actually. Dad’s retired now, but he worked for the Port Authority for forty years. Ma still works as a librarian. I’ve got two younger brothers. One’s in college, the other is an accountant. You two would probably get along well. He’s a math nerd too.” He cut her a teasing look.
She bumped his arm with her shoulder. “I don’t think you have room to be throwing that term around, Mister ‘I’ve seen every episode of Doctor Who that ever aired.’” She snickered, remembering his impassioned texts about the British science fiction show. A far cry from Antoine’s explosion fixation.
“That doesn’t make me a nerd! It just means I have good taste in television.”
They shared a laugh as he directed her to the left, onto 8th Avenue.
“What about you?” He tipped his head down to look at her. “Chip off the ol’ block, or black sheep?”
The mention of her family made her stiffen a little. She was sure she’d probably missed more phone calls from her mother since she’d left her apartment.
“Black sheep.”
Brandon shook his head. “I don’t believe it.”
“Maybe not quite. But both of them would have rather I went to law school and joined my Daddy’s firm.”
Brandon whistled. “Lawyer, huh?”
“Yeah. And my mother owns several boutiques. She’s got locations here in Manhattan, the Hamptons, and back in Greenwich.”
“Wow. Impressive. But so is WMI. They’re practically a New York institution.”
Suzanne flushed a little at this, proud of her job. “Well, it’s just an internship now. But I think they’ll offer me a permanent position when it’s over.”
Off the topic of families, she relaxed somewhat. They chatted about innocuous topics for the next few blocks.
When Brandon stopped in front of The Spice Market, Suzanne’s eyes widened and she looked up at him with a wide, happy smile. He was watching her face, and when he saw her expression, he grinned.
“You like?” His tone was teasing, reminding her of earlier when she’d said the same. Her heart stumbled a beat. It felt intimate, even though it was just a silly joke. As if they already had an inside thing. A moment just between the two of them.
Instead of responding flippantly, Suzanne just nodded. “I do.”
The food was fantastic, flavorful and exotic and delicious. They shared an appetizer of chicken satay that made her moan. Heat flashed in Brandon’s eyes when she’d made that noise and his gaze had dropped to her mouth, shiny where she’d just licked away some of the peanut sauce.
After a lengthy debate, they decided to try the Avocado and Radish salad and the Crispy Pork Belly. Brandon never once looked at her askance while they looked over the menu and she mentioned what foods she’d like to try.
Brandon had an IPA, and she settled on the Ginger Margarita. She’d balked a little at the price at first. She didn’t know how much firefighters made, and she didn’t want to assume he could spend the way her usual dates — other trust fund babies like her — could. But he assured her she didn’t have to worry, and she decided to take him at his word. She only planned on having one cocktail anyway.
Suzanne definitely
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