CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Renee polished off the whole steak and attacked the baked potato. She was famished. She hadn’t realized just how hungry she was until Zack placed the food in front of her.
Crying was draining, physically and emotionally.
She needed to refuel and recover.
With food in her belly, Renee felt a whole lot better. She looked up to see Zack smiling at her.
He leaned in and wiped a drop of gravy from the corner of her mouth. “Eat,” he urged. “I like watching you eat.”
“The food’s really good,” she said, blushing. “Really, really good! Dean really is the best chef in the universe!”
“He is,” Zack said. “Dean’s really talented. He could whip up really delicious meals on a very limited budget since he was a teenager.”
“It’s just the two of you?” she asked, taking a sip of water.
“My mom died young. The bear shifter gene was dormant in her so she couldn’t shift. My dad was human. He raised me and my brothers after my mom died.”
“Your brothers?” Renee blinked. “You have more than one?”
Zack nodded. “But...Max is gone. He’s my eldest brother.”
“What happened?”
Zack let out a long sigh. “When Max was sixteen, he ran out of the house after an argument with Dad. Dean went after him but couldn’t find him. We thought that after he cooled off, he would come home himself. He never did.”
Zack paused and continued, “I was only eight at the time, and I remember going out with Dad and Dean to look for him. We lodged a police report, and the neighbors all helped to search for Max. But we never found him. Dad was distraught and he never forgave himself. Even on his deathbed, he was calling for Max.”
Renee reached out and put her hand over his. “It’s not your dad’s fault.”
“Yeah. Max was a loud, hot-headed teenager. Dean blames himself for Max’s disappearance too. He said he should have stopped him from leaving the house. But from what I remember, no one could stop Max. My memories of him are somewhat hazy. He played with me sometimes, but he often argued with Dad and Dean.”
Renee fell silent and glanced towards the kitchen. “So it’s only you and Dean now.”
Zack nodded. “Dad passed away when I was thirteen. Dean had just turned eighteen, and he effectively became my parent and my brother. He worked multiple jobs to put me through college. I owe my life, my success to my big brother.”
Renee looked around the restaurant and said, “He’s doing very well now.”
“Yes. He’s the most talented and hardworking person I know. I’m glad he’s doing what he loves.” Zack gave a short laugh. “To think that I wanted him to work in my company!”
Renee’s brows shot up.
“Yeah.” Zack chuckled. “When I started my business, I asked Dean to join me. I offered him a high-paying position in the company, but Dean declined the offer. He said that he would be like a fish out of water, and he insisted that it wouldn’t be right for him to be sitting in the office doing nothing. It would be a farce, and he wasn’t an actor, he said. He couldn’t pretend to be a hot-shot investment analyst when he wasn’t one.”
“He’s honest, and he knows what he wants,” Renee said.
“Yes. So I asked him what he wanted to do. And he said he wanted to cook, because it always gave him the greatest joy when he saw me enjoying the simple meal he’d prepared for me.”
“So Zack gave me the capital to start my own restaurant,” Dean said, setting a slice of chocolate cake down in front of Renee.
“Thank you.” Renee beamed at Dean.
“I didn’t give you anything,” Zack snorted. “I invested in your restaurant. I’m only in it for the money,” he deadpanned.
“Of course. Who would invest in a money-losing business, right?” Dean winked and told Renee in a mock whisper, “You know, when I first started, I wasn’t making enough to cover my operating costs. I was bleeding, I tell ya. But my major investor didn’t bail on me. He stuck with me, through the tough times.”
“Well, that’s what you did for me,” Zack answered his brother before turning to Renee. “I was an angry, rebellious teen but Dean didn’t give up on me. He stuck with me, through everything.”