the name tag the woman wore, which read Jada. He swallowed before saying, “No thanks, ma’am, that’s all for me.”
She nodded before glancing at Ashton.
“That’s all for me, too. Thanks.”
Jada nodded and quickly walked off. Rome couldn’t take his eyes off her and watched until she had disappeared around a corner.
“Do you have any suggestions on the best way to handle Netherland?”
Rome had been so attentive watching Jada that he jumped when Ashton’s deep voice rumbled acrossthe table. He tried to laugh it off by saying, “Sorry about that. My mind must have drifted elsewhere.”
“Evidently.”
“What were you asking me about Nettie?”
“I asked if you had any suggestions on the best way to handle her.”
Rome looked at Ashton intently. “To be honest with you, I’m wondering why you want to. Nettie can be a pain in the rear end when she gets a bee in her bonnet about something, and that bee has been in her bonnet about military men for a long time.”
“Then it’s about time that I get rid of that bee, don’t you think?”
Rome figured if any man could, it would be the colonel. He was one tough marine. However, knowing Nettie, the assignment wouldn’t be an easy one.
At that moment Jada walked past their table again and immediately captured Rome’s attention. Ashton shook his head, smiling as he watched the younger man’s mind drift off again.
Chapter 10
T he next morning Netherland sat across from Rome, eating breakfast, refusing to give in to the urge to ask what went on with him and Ashton last night. It had been late when he had gotten back but she had refused to rush out of her bedroom for details.
“You’ve made a number of changes at Sisters and all of them I like,” Rome said, breaking the silence.
Netherland took a sip of her coffee before saying, “Thanks. Business has increased over the past year so I decided to stay on top of things. If you’re good to your business, then it will be good to you.”
Rome nodded and cleared his throat before saying, “I also note you have a lot of new people working for you.”
Netherland lifted her gaze from her coffee cup when she heard the tightness in her brother’s voice. She could always tell when something was on his mind by the tone of his voice. “Yes, I’ve got a number of new people working for me. Any one of them in particular you noticed right off?”
“Now that you mention it, there was one person,” he said, casting one quick look at Netherland to see if he had her attention. “It’s one of your hostesses, a woman by the name of Jada.”
Netherland frowned, nodding. “What about Jada?”
Rome shrugged and to Netherland’s way of thinking her huge hunk of a brother suddenly became somewhat shy. “She’s beautiful.”
“Yes, she’s certainly that.” Netherland studied her brother and slightly curved her lips in a smile. Of her four brothers Rome was the most easygoing. He was also the only one of them who didn’t make it a point to constantly be in and out of relationships. This was the first time she had known him to show any interest in a woman since Kimmy’s death. Rome’s fiancée, Kimberly Albright, who’d also been a marine, had died when the military aircraft she’d been a passenger on had gone down somewhere over the Pacific Ocean due to mechanical failure. That had been nearly five years ago, and Rome had taken her death extremely hard.
Netherland then thought of Jada and all the things that had gone wrong in her young life. If Rome was interested in Jada, he had her full blessings. BothJada and Rome were individuals who should experience happiness. But still she felt she needed to inform Rome of some things. “Jada just got out of a bad marriage, Rome. If you’re interested in her, she may not easily reciprocate.”
Rome smiled. “In other words she may be difficult with me the same way you’re being difficult with Sinclair?”
Netherland slowly fingered the design on her
She nodded before glancing at Ashton.
“That’s all for me, too. Thanks.”
Jada nodded and quickly walked off. Rome couldn’t take his eyes off her and watched until she had disappeared around a corner.
“Do you have any suggestions on the best way to handle Netherland?”
Rome had been so attentive watching Jada that he jumped when Ashton’s deep voice rumbled acrossthe table. He tried to laugh it off by saying, “Sorry about that. My mind must have drifted elsewhere.”
“Evidently.”
“What were you asking me about Nettie?”
“I asked if you had any suggestions on the best way to handle her.”
Rome looked at Ashton intently. “To be honest with you, I’m wondering why you want to. Nettie can be a pain in the rear end when she gets a bee in her bonnet about something, and that bee has been in her bonnet about military men for a long time.”
“Then it’s about time that I get rid of that bee, don’t you think?”
Rome figured if any man could, it would be the colonel. He was one tough marine. However, knowing Nettie, the assignment wouldn’t be an easy one.
At that moment Jada walked past their table again and immediately captured Rome’s attention. Ashton shook his head, smiling as he watched the younger man’s mind drift off again.
Chapter 10
T he next morning Netherland sat across from Rome, eating breakfast, refusing to give in to the urge to ask what went on with him and Ashton last night. It had been late when he had gotten back but she had refused to rush out of her bedroom for details.
“You’ve made a number of changes at Sisters and all of them I like,” Rome said, breaking the silence.
Netherland took a sip of her coffee before saying, “Thanks. Business has increased over the past year so I decided to stay on top of things. If you’re good to your business, then it will be good to you.”
Rome nodded and cleared his throat before saying, “I also note you have a lot of new people working for you.”
Netherland lifted her gaze from her coffee cup when she heard the tightness in her brother’s voice. She could always tell when something was on his mind by the tone of his voice. “Yes, I’ve got a number of new people working for me. Any one of them in particular you noticed right off?”
“Now that you mention it, there was one person,” he said, casting one quick look at Netherland to see if he had her attention. “It’s one of your hostesses, a woman by the name of Jada.”
Netherland frowned, nodding. “What about Jada?”
Rome shrugged and to Netherland’s way of thinking her huge hunk of a brother suddenly became somewhat shy. “She’s beautiful.”
“Yes, she’s certainly that.” Netherland studied her brother and slightly curved her lips in a smile. Of her four brothers Rome was the most easygoing. He was also the only one of them who didn’t make it a point to constantly be in and out of relationships. This was the first time she had known him to show any interest in a woman since Kimmy’s death. Rome’s fiancée, Kimberly Albright, who’d also been a marine, had died when the military aircraft she’d been a passenger on had gone down somewhere over the Pacific Ocean due to mechanical failure. That had been nearly five years ago, and Rome had taken her death extremely hard.
Netherland then thought of Jada and all the things that had gone wrong in her young life. If Rome was interested in Jada, he had her full blessings. BothJada and Rome were individuals who should experience happiness. But still she felt she needed to inform Rome of some things. “Jada just got out of a bad marriage, Rome. If you’re interested in her, she may not easily reciprocate.”
Rome smiled. “In other words she may be difficult with me the same way you’re being difficult with Sinclair?”
Netherland slowly fingered the design on her
Similar Books
