She’d debated with herself on what to wear, but had finally settled on a simple V-neck, sleeveless, jersey wrap dress. It showed a hint of cleavage, but not too much. She paired it with hoop earrings and simple sling-back sandals. She couldn’t wear stilettos like her little sister Monica and would probably fall over if she tried. It was the best she could do with short notice and her meager wardrobe. Monica and Belinda were always telling her to spruce up her appearance if she wanted to find a man, but Shari liked her jeans. Plus, she couldn’t pull off the hip Forever 21 clothes and stilettos like Monica or the designer clothes like Belinda.
Luckily, she didn’t have too long to wonder if her outfit was good enough because Grant arrived promptly at 7:00 p.m. When she opened the door, Grant was holding a bouquet of roses.
“For me?” Shari touched her chest.
“Of course.” Grant handed the flowers to her. Then his eyes gave her an appreciative once-over from head to toe. He must have liked the canary-yellow dress she was wearing because he commented, “You look beautiful tonight, Shari, but then again, you always did.”
Shari blushed furiously. His compliment gave her butterflies and she was luxuriating in the moment, which was why they stood there for several more awkward moments in the foyer, both looking at each other, before Grant finally asked, “May I come in?”
Shari blinked several times. “Oh, yes, c’mon in.” She motioned for him to follow her inside.
* * *
Grant looked around and was impressed by the warm home Shari had created. The large living room area had a rust-colored sectional sofa, colorful pillows and several interesting sculptures. The walls were filled with pictures of her family and Andre. Andre. Who could be his son!
He’d come to Chicago with a dual purpose of having Lillian’s desserts sold at Robinson Restaurants, but also to seek Shari out and see if the passion they’d shared once was still there. But now, everything was different. He could be a father and it was weighing heavy on his heart. He had to know the truth. So tonight was a way for him to spend time with Shari, but it was also a truth-seeking mission to find out if he or Shari’s college boyfriend was Andre’s father.
Grant swallowed and forced himself to follow Shari as she gave him a short tour of her home. She pointed out the dining room, the master suite with en-suite bathroom and Andre’s room, which was painted like a locker room and filled with his toys. They ended the tour in the kitchen with granite countertops and a breakfast nook.
“So what do you think?” Shari asked, turning around to face him. “Not bad for a single mom, huh?”
“Not bad at all,” Grant replied. “You have a lovely home.”
“Thank you.” Shari smiled broadly. “You ready to go?”
Several minutes later, they were seated in his sleek Mercedes Benz with leather interior. “You’re driving yourself?” Shari commented when he helped her into the passenger seat before sliding in behind the wheel.
“Yes, does that surprise you?”
“Well, I had heard you’d had a driver earlier.”
“He came and got me from O’Hare and took me to my penthouse on Lake Shore Drive where I keep my Benz.”
“I didn’t realize you had a home in Chicago.” It made her nervous to think that Grant had been so close and she hadn’t even known it. He could have easily discovered the truth about Andre at any moment.
“Well, I’m in the final stages of acquiring a new restaurant in Lincoln Park, so I thought it would be prudent to have a home here rather than live out of a suitcase.”
“Sounds smart, and real estate is always a wise investment. So where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
He drove them to Smooth, soon to be the newest Robinson Restaurant in Lincoln Park. Situated along restaurant row near DePaul University, Smooth had the right location to get the young business set and college kids, which kept business steady and created a good income stream.
“You like?” Grant said when they entered the building.
The restaurant was upscale with a wood-paneled ceiling, gleaming tile floors and a carpet inlay. White cushioned booths surrounded the main dining room while oak tables and chairs were in the carpet inlay. A circular bar surrounded the lounge area that had comfy couches and chairs and large televisions mounted to the wall. The lounge doors were opened to let the spring air in.
“It’s lovely, Grant,” Shari commented. It had an elegant, quiet style that Shari found appealing.
Grant smiled. “Thank you.”
The hostess sat them in the private Cellar room made of glass; one wall was filled with various wines from floor to ceiling, and a single table complete with tablecloth, candles and fine china and cutlery awaited them in the center of the room.
“Mr. Robinson, your private waiter Juan will be with you momentarily,” the hostess said.
“Thank you,” Grant replied, helping Shari into her seat before taking his own.
This was all very fancy, Shari thought to herself, for two friends catching up on old times. Was Grant trying to impress her? If so, he was doing a good job. She rarely got out of the house anymore. Being a single parent precluded her from going out to party like other single women her age. Andre’s needs preempted her own and had forced her to grow up pretty quickly.
“You’ve really outdone yourself,” Shari added, glancing around the room.
Grant smiled warmly at the compliment. “I was determined to carve out a place for myself other than what my parents had built. You know, be my own man.”
Shari nodded. She understood. It was hard sometimes at Lillian’s with so many chiefs who all wanted the spotlight and not enough Indians. It was why sometimes she was content to just fade into the background. It was easier than dealing with all the family drama.
“I remember you mentioning that your parents expected you to take over the family business.”
“Yeah, there was a lot of pressure from Pops to settle down.”
“You sure did that quick,” Shari said, and then realized she spoke out of turn and reached for her water glass to take a sip.
Grant laughed. “Don’t be embarrassed. You’re right. I got married entirely too quickly. Dina convinced me to have a quickie wedding in Las Vegas a few months after graduating with my MBA from Ledgeman.”
Shari wasn’t surprised Dina would be in a rush, especially considering she’d probably stolen several Lillian recipes around the same time, so she could open up her own bakery a couple of years later.
“I regretted that marriage almost from the start,” Grant continued, “which is why it only lasted less than a year.”
“A year?” Shari was shocked. Grant had been single this entire time? All this wasted time... But so what? Had she known sooner, would she have done anything differently? Would she really have been able to show up to his doorstep with Andre in tow?
“Yeah, it was a mistake,” Grant answered honestly. “Dina and I were cut from the same cloth. Driven and determined to succeed. We didn’t mesh well. Everything was always a competition with her, even in our marriage.”
Shari wasn’t surprised by that statement. She’d come to realize after leaving Ledgeman that she’d been in a competition herself with Dina and hadn’t really known it.
The waiter entered the room, introduced himself and suggested several wines. Grant chose one of his recommendations, which the waiter produced several minutes later. He poured a sip for Grant to taste and after he did, Grant nodded his approval. The waiter filled his glass and poured one for Shari.
After