Changing Course (Wrecked and Ruined #1)(31)

"Money and expensive things make me uncomfortable. I didn't grow up with money. We weren't destitute or anything, but we definitely didn't have much. My dad took off when I was a kid. My mom raised me and my brother, Eric, all on her own. She was a paralegal at a law firm, so she made enough money to keep the bills paid, but it didn't leave a whole lot left over for fun things or luxuries. I went to public school in a very rich area of Chicago. If you weren't wearing expensive name brands or driving a brand new car, you were looked down on. My mom always felt the need to spend money she didn't have to make sure we had things, yet she wore the same shoes to work for years. I always felt guilty about that and I guess it stuck with me over the years."

I take a deep breath, feeling more awkward now that I've poured my heart out to him than I did when he just thought I was weird. He reaches over, soothing my worries by lifting my hand and planting a brief kiss on my palm before setting it down on his thigh, and covering it with his own.

"Okay, completely understandable. Now, let me tell you a few things about myself. Both my parents are teachers, so I didn't exactly grow up in Beverly Hills. It sounds like we probably had it a little better than you did since they both worked, but I have two older sisters who weren't like you. They didn't feel one bit of guilt asking for nice things. My dad would pick up extra jobs coaching soccer after school to make extra money. He taught me that if you want something, you bust your ass to get it.

I started cutting grass at thirteen to make my own spending money. By the time I was eighteen, I had a small empire. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but that's the way it felt back in those days. I hired two kids to work with me so we could get more done. We stayed busy, because we were cheap and worked hard. Eventually, we were cutting every yard in our neighborhood.

"My junior year in high school, I took an economics class where they gave us fake money to invested in the stock market. I became a bit addicted. What can I say? I'm a little competitive. With my father’s help, I started actually investing my yard money and did pretty well for myself. I put myself through college that way. I didn't live lavishly, but I didn't have to work except for when I went home during the summers.

"What I'm saying Jess is, I get it. I understand the way you grow up can affect your views on things today. But I need you to understand, that is precisely why we are sitting here right now. I'm on a date with a sexy woman, so I'm going to drive my nice car and take her to a delicious restaurant, where she is going to order the most expensive thing on the menu. And I'm okay with that, because I work hard so I can afford these moments. Trust me, gorgeous, this moment is totally worth it." He stops talking, and rubs his thumb ever so slightly across my cheek.

"Now, come over here and give me a kiss so we can go eat."

I breathe a sigh of relief for how Brett laid it all out for me. That could have been a really uncomfortable conversation for me, but he made it easy. He made it something light, and moved on quickly. So I lean into him, showing my gratitude with a passionate kiss. Which leads to another kiss. Which leads to us making out in his car like teenagers for a full fifteen minutes.

"Jesus, woman, we're going to miss our reservation." He smiles against my lips when my hands make their way under his shirt.

His words cause me to laugh and I hear him suck in a breath. I look up and find him watching me with a look on his face that I don't completely understand. It's one of adoration, longing, and most of all, peace. If I thought he was sexy before the look on his face, now is enough to set my body on fire. It takes every ounce of my will power not to launch myself into his lap and rip his clothes off, in such a way that would make Kara proud. Instead, I pull down the visor mirror, dabbing my makeup and correcting my smeared lipstick.

"I'm ready when you are."

"Oh gorgeous, I'll never be ready, but I should probably feed you before I ravage you." His words hold a certain amount of promise that make me wish I brought a spare pair of panties. Before I can over-think things, or ask him to skip dinner, he gets out of the car walking around to open my door. Tightly taking hold of my hand, he guides me into the over-priced restaurant.



DINNER WAS amazing. Despite Brett's encouragement, I didn't order the most expensive thing on the menu. I settled for a small fifty dollar steak and thirty dollars’ worth of baked potato and side salad. He was the perfect gentleman. When I told him I didn't drink red wine, he ordered us a bottle of white, even though the waiter informed him it wasn't a good pairing for our dinners. Brett very kindly ignored his suggestions, and finally told him to bring us beers instead. As dinner was nearing an end, he asked the one question I had been expecting since he picked me up.

"Tell me where you learned to bowl?" He asks pushing his empty plate away and reclining back in his chair.

"Ugh, you're not seriously going to make me tell you this story are you?"

"Of course I am. The fact that you don't want to tell me only makes me that much more curious."

"Fine, one of the bowling professors was, um...very attractive. Kara and I took every class he offered until one day, his equally attractive boyfriend showed up to take him to lunch." Just as I expected, Brett throws his head back in laughter.

"Wait, let me get this straight, you paid to take bowling classes just because the instructor was good looking?"