“You flirted with him?” He sounded dubious.
“Yeah, I flirted. I can flirt. I may not do it a lot, but I'm capable.”
“Hey, I'm not complaining. I was starting to worry that you were going to become one of those ladies with all the cats. I'm glad you found somebody you like. I like his dad’s politics too by the way. He’s a smart guy. Of course I can’t tell anybody that after that piece in the paper or somebody might read too much into it and harass you or something.”
“What do you mean?”
“Thanks to my friends at the Times, the extremists think I’m trying to control the government and the conspiracy nuts think that I already control the government. Now my daughter’s dating a senator’s son. Who knows what they’ll come up with?”
“I don’t care what they say. I don't take dating advice from conspiracy nuts and extremists.”
“Just be careful, sweetheart and if anybody bothers you let me know. I'm not exactly strapped for cash. I could arrange for you to have some security, or at least a very good alarm system. If nothing else I'll buy you a nice dog.”
“I appreciate it, but I'm more worried about saying something stupid when I meet his family than I am about some guy who thinks he saw Jim Morrison working at Wendy’s.”
“Hey, don’t you be nervous. Anybody would be lucky to have you.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Your mom and I would be really happy if it worked out. At least we would know that this guy wasn’t after your money. He could probably even help you figure out what to do with it.”
“Good. Maybe you could worry a little less then. I love you. Tell Ma I said, “hi.”
“Okay sweetheart, I love you too. Have fun with the guy you picked up.”
* * *
At five-thirty on the dot I was stowing my overnight bag and a garment bag in the trunk of Braden's BMW. Even with rush-hour traffic it wouldn't be very long until we reached the Pierce home in the suburbs. Braden was still in a very good mood and I sensed that it wasn't just because he would be getting lucky later. I suspected that he was genuinely happy to see his family. Hopefully, that meant that he had very nice parents. He did say that his family was exceptionally close. I also hoped that he was right about them not minding if we shared a room.
“So, did your ex-girlfriends share a room with you?”
“I’ve never invited any of them to stay with my family. I should warn you that my parents are probably going to find it significant that I invited you, and they may throw out a few hints.”
“Believe me, you haven't experienced hinting until you've met Ben and Judy Ginsberg.”
“Oh yeah?” He glanced at me again with an amused look.
“Don’t be surprised if you go to shake my dad’s hand and he gives you a stack of college brochures for our future children.”
“He doesn’t own a shotgun or anything, does he?” Braden joked.
“Are you kidding me? My father considers spicy food to be a deadly weapon. He probably would have backed you in that burrito case. Besides, he’s a businessman. He just destroys people financially.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
“To tell you the truth my father is my hero. I’ve always said that he’s like the most romantic guy in the universe because he comes from a pretty impressive family but he married my mom even though her family is completely nuts.”
“He must love her.”
“Yeah he does, and she loves him.” I smiled.
“I’d like to meet them.”
“I’ll introduce you to them. It’s just the rest of my relatives that I’ll have to hide from you.”
“I think that you’ll like my parents. They’re nice people and they love each other a lot too.”
“Thanks for introducing me to them. That’s nice.”
“I apologize in advance for everything that comes out of my brother’s mouth.”
“Ha! You should meet my bubbe! That’s my grandmother. She’s the most offensive person I know.”
* * *
It wasn't much longer before we left the highway and started driving along more country-like roads, peppered with gorgeous homes. Eventually we pulled into a long drive and approached a Georgian-style house with a gray stone facade and white trim. My family's brownstone on the Upper East Side was stylish, but this place was beautiful. It looked very spacious and I guessed that it had at least five or six bedrooms.
As we got out of the car a group of people came out to meet us. They all immediately headed straight for Braden and then there was a lot of hugging going on. Even though Braden wasn't far away from here, they were, obviously, a close family. There was certainly no question that they were related. This was one attractive group of tall blonde people. Braden's father was handsome and distinguished-looking, the gold streaks in his hair mixed with gray. He didn't have the aggressively friendly demeanor that a lot of politicians have, but rather, he seemed laid back and genuinely warm. Braden's mother was beautiful. She had dark blonde hair and the same blue eyes that Braden had. Eyes, which at the moment were fixed on me, and thankfully, looked friendly.