Whiskey and Lace(17)

"Well, I haven't heard much from you since you moved. There's no one special then?" I rolled my eyes in exasperation. We'd just settled in to a table at a french bistro.

Apparently by the ripe old age of 26 I was close to spinsterhood. She nagged me constantly about finding a "good man" to settle down with. While she was proud that her daughter worked for a major fashion website, she thought it was only a temporary stepping stone until I got married. She also thought I worked too much to meet that "good man" to settle down with. She was exasperating to say the very least.



"Where are you staying at?" My dad tried to change the subject to take the pressure off of me. Little did he know that he wasn't changing the subject at all.

"I’m staying at a friend's apartment." I diverted my eyes to the menu.

"Didn't the company set you up somewhere?" My mom asked. You could get nothing by that woman.

"Yea, but the friend insisted I stay. It's beautiful. Overlooking the park." I took a sip of water.

"'Overlooking the park? That's a generous friend. I didn't know you had any close friends in the city." She watched me closely. Always suspicious.

"Very close." A familiar voice stepped up behind my chair and slid a hand along my shoulder. My head whipped around in utter shock. I stared into the sparkling eyes of Carter.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed between my teeth.

"Is that any way to treat the friend that loaned you their penthouse overlooking the park?" He slid into the chair beside me. My eyes widened, cursing the day he was born. He had no idea how my mother would drill him after finding out that there was a special someone in my life after all; a special billionaire someone with a penthouse overlooking the park.

"We haven't met." My mom stretched her hand to Carter to shake, but instead he brought her knuckles to his lips in a soft kiss.

"Pleasure to meet you. Carter Morgan, Evangeline’s friend from Boston."

"Lovely." My mom's eyes flashed to mine. "I’m Elizabeth Austin, Eva’s mom." My father watched in quiet observation.

"Mr. Austin." Carter shook his hand.

"Greg," My father said with a genuine smile.

"Eva, you didn't say that it was a penthouse overlooking the park. Mr. Morgan is very generous." My mother's eyes bore into mine as if she were trying to will answers from their depths.

"Yup." Just then the waiter stepped up to the table and before he could even introduce himself I asked about the cocktail menu. If I was going to sit through this lunch, I was going to need some help.

"Are you sure you want to do that Evangeline? I know how alcohol effects you, and you have the event tonight." I clenched my teeth and shot a glare at Carter over my shoulder. His eyes shined with amusement.

"Mojito." I nodded to the server.

"So, how long have you been friends?" My mom addressed Carter, knowing she wasn't going to get any straight answers from me.

"Just a short while. But it feels like it's been much longer." Carter's hand caressed my thigh underneath the table. I glared at him again and jerked my leg away as inconspicuously as possible. This man knew how to push every single button I had.

"Yes, Carter and I have been through the ringer together it seems." A fake smile spread across my face.

"So how did you meet?" My mother addressed Carter again.

"Evangeline and I met at an opening for one of my stores. We hit it off instantly you could say." Carter's hand squeezed my upper thigh firmly. As mad as I was at him at the moment, his touch still managed to send tingles to my very center. I took a long draw of my drink and steeled myself for a tortuous inquisition from my mother.

"So you're a business owner then?" My mother asked.

"Among other things." Carter gave her his charming, crooked smile.

"Well, it's wonderful to hear someone call Eva by her full name." My mother had just fallen in love with Carter. Her eyes were all dreamy and she had a wide small on her face.

"Beautiful name for a beautiful girl." Carter smiled. I rolled my eyes. I had lost the battle before it had even begun.

My mother spent the remainder of lunch mooning over Carter. She never stood a chance of resisting Carter's charm. What was surprising is that he somehow had a way with my dad too. They talked about college football and fishing and expensive whiskey. Carter promised to send him a bottle of his favorite that he had imported from Scotland.





"It was lovely to meet you, Carter." I swear my mother batted her eyelashes at him. A hopeless romantic she was.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Austin." Carter kissed her on the cheek.