“We did. Dad’s family owns a technology corporation and he was in charge of international sales. Now he’s the CEO of that same company.”
The waitress came over to take their order, and because Sebrina was a regular, the woman engaged in conversation with her for a moment or two. Then she walked over to the kitchen and dropped off their order.
“You’re good at that,” Parker said.
Sebrina glanced over at him. “Good at what?”
“Knowing how to talk to people.”
“It’s just about giving a person respect, Parker. Everyone deserves it. My first job at sixteen was as a waitress at a restaurant not far from where I lived. My father didn’t want me to work while I was in school, but my mother felt I should.”
“Your stepfather thought that you should not work?”
“My stepfather was fine with it. It was my biological father in New Jersey who wasn’t. He didn’t see any reason for me to work. He’s always been a part of my life and has always taken care of my needs. The Stevens family is pretty well off, so I never wanted for anything. And he felt that if I needed something, he should be the one to get it for me.”
She paused a moment. “Mom thought a job would teach me how to balance my time and would build character by putting me around different people. Although I love my dad, I’m glad Mom had the final say.”
“Are you your father’s only child?”
“Yes. Dad got married several years ago, but it didn’t last more than a couple of years. I liked Donna and I’m not sure what happened to end their marriage. Dad won’t say, but he claims he won’t try marriage again.”
Parker nodded. “Are you close to your parents? Both sets.”
She smiled. “Yes. I’m not sure if Rae’jean told you the story of my mother and stepfather. They were cousins who married.”
“Yes, she told me. I found it remarkable.”
Sebrina grinned. “I find it remarkable, too. Mom deserved to be happy, and Michael has definitely delivered.”
They paused in their conversation when the waitress brought over their drinks—coffee for him, tea for her. “I noticed you don’t have your father’s last name,” Parker said.
She took a sip of her tea and met his inquiring gaze. “That’s right. Mom got pregnant with me while in college. Dad didn’t deny I was his, but he wasn’t ready to get married and his parents didn’t think Mom was a suitable wife for him. He wanted to give me his last name, but Mom refused. She figured if her last name was going to remain Bennett, so was mine. For years, it was a sore spot with Dad, but eventually he got over it.”
“How did you feel about it?”
“When I got older, Dad brought the subject up again. Mom told me it was my decision. I think I might have considered it, if Monica’s father hadn’t been such an asshole. It was bad enough that I had a good father who sent for me every summer, and who gave me anything I wanted. Monica had one who wouldn’t even acknowledge her existence.”
Sebrina took a sip of her tea, then finished connecting the dots for him. “Had I changed my last name to Stevens, I would have been the only one in the household with a different last name. I didn’t want to do that to Monica. It would have made it too obvious that my father proudly claimed me as his daughter, when hers did not.”
She didn’t say anything for a minute, then added, “You know what I think is remarkable?”
He lifted a brow. “No, what?”
“Your relationship to Rae’jean and Ryan, and Rae’jean’s relationship to your uncle Grady and his wife, Lynn. Especially considering Grady and Rae’jean were once engaged to be married.”
Parker picked up his coffee cup to take a sip, and she tried not to notice his hands. They were beautiful hands for a man. Masculine, yet beautiful. They were big, with long fingers and clean nails. And no rings. “That was over fifteen years ago. And it proves what can happen when there are adults in the room,” he said.
He then leaned back in his chair. “I recall when I met Raejean. I was in high school and thought she was absolutely beautiful. And when I saw her and Grady together, they seemed like the perfect couple.”
He put down his cup. “I was crushed when they ended their engagement. It took both Rae’jean and Grady to finally make me understand that although they loved each other, they weren’t in love. They got me to see that there was a difference.”
“I understand they didn’t realize the difference themselves for a while, either,” Sebrina said.
“Not until Lynn got shot. That brought things out in the forefront for the both of them.”
“And now, even though they are blissfully happy with the people they married, they are still very good friends,” she said. “And neither Ryan nor Lynn have a problem with it.”
“Yes. I guess some people can accept things that others can’t. Have you ever been in love, Sebrina?”
Whoa! Where had that question come from? Everyone in the family knew about Wade and the heartbreak he’d left behind. Had Rae’jean not told him?
Now that she thought about it, she doubted Rae’jean would have told him about that. Why would she? It was water under the bridge.
“Yes, but it was a long time ago, back when I was in high school. The guy was my father’s neighbor in New Jersey, and I would see him every summer.”
“What happened?”
She could easily say it was none of his business, but she really didn’t want to. She discovered that she enjoyed talking with Parker. She didn’t have any older brothers or male cousins she could confide in and she found conversing with him refreshing.
“Wade sent me a ‘Dear John’ letter just before he left for college. No biggie.” That wasn’t true—it had been huge for her. But rather than get into it, she turned the conversation over to him. “What about you, Parker? You ever been in love?”
“I don’t think so.”
Sebrina lifted a brow. “Don’t you know?”
He shrugged. “There were women that I liked a lot, but no one I would say that I truly loved. Early on, I made my career my first love and have been satisfied with that. I figure that one day, I’ll meet someone and fall in love, then settle down and have children. But I’m in no hurry.”
Sebrina was glad the waitress chose that moment to return with their food.
“You were right. These pancakes are fantastic, Sebrina.”
She smiled over at him and Parker’s breath caught, and a burst of need flooded his stomach. But then, it had been that way with them since that first day. Even last night at the hospital, there seemed to be a sexual charge bouncing between them. He was sure she’d noticed it, too.
“I told you you’d like them,” she said smiling. “They’re my favorite breakfast.”
He looked at her plate. “So why are you eating yogurt with berries?”
She chuckled and the sound, like the smile, made his heart skip a beat. “I have a good reason.”
“Which is?”
“The holidays are coming up. Don’t you know you’re supposed to lose weight before the holidays, so you won’t feel so bad when you gain it all back before the new year?”