CHAPTER SEVEN
Adam smiled at Lucy, the need to put her at ease overwhelmed him. Now she'd accepted to go out with him, he'd lost any nerves he'd had. Now to help her lose hers. He wanted to go somewhere they'd be able to chat in peace and he mentally went through all the bars and restaurants in the area.
"Relax," he said, "I was brought up here and I know of a few place we can go. Have you eaten?"
"No, we usually grab something when we're out," she said as she fiddled with the straps on her purse.
"Are you hungry now?" he asked as they both stepped into the elevator.
She gave him a shy smile, "Yeah, I could eat. I think it's probably best or else I'd be drinking on an empty stomach."
They chatted about their food preferences and she told him about living in the building and being a nanny to the two children he'd seen with her earlier in the week. He couldn't believe how relieved he was at that news. By the time they arrived at the burger place, he noticed she'd lost any signs of nervousness around him and they were chatting like old friends.
They were seated by the window and it wasn't long until the waitress took their order, and then delivered it. His mouth watered at the sight of his burger. It had been a long time since he'd been here and his mouth obviously remembered the tasty burgers.
Lucy let out a loud groan, "This is the best burger I have ever tasted. Thank you so much for bringing me here," she said, then looked around as her face reddened. "I can't believe I did that out loud."
He grinned, "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're obviously enjoying it. I used to come here with my brothers when we were younger," he said as he took a bite of his own bacon double cheeseburger.
"Three brothers, right?" she asked between mouthfuls.
"Four," he replied, not sure how she guessed so closely.
"I met them the day you moved in," she explained after she noticed the confused look on his face. "I was taking Tristan and Olivia to the park and they got in the elevator with me. Seemed nice."
"Ah right," he nodded, "Yeah, Marcus, he's the oldest, then Alex and then Finn. Noah's next but is out of state at the moment."
"You're the baby?" she asked.
He groaned, "Yeah." He wished it didn't bother him so much when someone mentioned that. He needed to get over it and quick.
"I think it's great that you have a big family. I'm an only child and would have loved to have had siblings growing up. It's not fun being an only child," she said as her forehead creased, and she dipped her head.
He'd never thought of it like that. He'd often wished to have been an only child, and when his brothers had all left home, he pretended he was. It wasn't until after his chat with Finn and having his brothers help him move, he realized he was actually glad he had his brothers. He knew, no matter what, he could count on them to have his back, and he theirs.
"I'd not really thought of it like that. I experienced the only child thing when my brothers left home, but one of them was always popping over to visit and I guess I didn't appreciate it as much as I should have," his shoulders dropped as he spoke.
"We never appreciate what we've got," she forced a laugh. "Indya, my best friend. Well only friend, is moving in with her boyfriend, and as her position is live-in, she might have to find another job. I just assumed she'd always be there, but her life is moving on. It's at times like this that I wish I had siblings to call on for advice, or even just to chat with." She let out a long sigh and returned to her burger, "I'm sorry to lay all that on you," she said before she took a bite.
"What about your parents?" he asked, studying her as she stilled at the question.
"They died in an accident a few years ago. My parents were older when they had me and had almost given up hope of being parents. They loved me a little too much," she cringed, "I shouldn't say that, they were wonderful parents and I had a great childhood, but they sheltered me too much. They thought they were protecting me from 'the big bad world'" she finger quoted, "But now that I'm on my own and in this city, I realize how sheltered I really was and I sometimes struggle to figure everything out on my own."
"I'm sorry," he told her, "If it's any consolation I'm here whenever you need someone to talk to. I can even lend you one of my brothers if you'd rather," he chuckled, to lighten the mood.
She lifted her eyes to meet his, "Thank you," she said. He could see the sincerity in her eyes as she spoke. This was a promise he was determined not to break.