He caught her genuine smile. Damn this kid who wasn’t a kid anymore. She made him feel like an old man.
Was this how Dad felt, watching them all grow up and get lives of their own? Mia’s maturity caused an ache in the pit of his stomach and made him realize how quickly time passed. It wasn’t that long ago that she was chasing him in the dirt on the ranch, her ponytail flying and her tennis shoes kicking up dust. He could still remember her high-pitched squeals when she laughed.
Now she was a grown woman.
Jesus. Time to stop thinking about that.
He finally picked up his phone. “We should head over to the restaurant. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”
“No surprise there. You’re always hungry.”
“True.”
They got into his SUV and drove to the restaurant. Mia was busy on her phone texting with someone, so he stayed quiet, figuring she was either chatting with friends or conducting business. He parked on the street, leaving space in the small restaurant parking lot for patrons.
They got out and walked toward the restaurant.
“This place is awesome, Flynn,” Mia said as they headed to the door. “I love the feel of the neighborhood. It’s right on the corner, with shops all around. And you’re within walking distance for a lot of folks.”
“Yeah, we’ve already got people who live nearby who we consider regulars.”
“That’s amazing.”
He held the door for her and they walked in. Mia took in a deep breath.
“I can tell by the smell I’m going to love everything in here.”
He grinned. “I thought you were going to be super critical.”
She shot him a look. “This is me being critical. And shut up.”
He laughed and waved at Ken, who came over and shook his hand.
“Hey, Ken. This is my sister, Mia. Mia, this is Ken, my restaurant manager.”
Ken shook Mia’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Mia. Flynn’s told me all about you.”
“All the awesome things, no doubt.”
Ken smiled. “Of course. Are you two having dinner with us tonight?”
“Yeah. Is Amelia here?”
Ken nodded. “She is. And she said she wants to talk to you, but as you can see we’re pretty busy right now.”
“Okay. I won’t bother her while she’s slammed.”
Ken got them a table, then Candace, one of the waitresses, came by. Flynn introduced her to Mia, then Candace took their drink order and left menus for them.
Mia looked around. “The ambiance is fantastic. It’s not fussy, but it’s not lowbrow, either. It’s very homey feeling.” She met his gaze. “That’s what it feels like, Flynn. It’s like being at home. Kind of a rustic yet modern feel to it.”
He smiled at her. “Good. That’s what I was going for.”
“And who is Amelia?”
“She’s the head chef.”
“Oh. Okay.”
They ordered their food and several people stopped at their table to chat. The one thing that Flynn liked about Ninety-Two was how friendly everyone was. And he made a point to make himself accessible to his patrons. So he signed a few autographs, took some pictures and chatted with a few fans. After they left the table, he focused his attention back on Mia, who was grinning at him.
“What?”
She shrugged. “I just never think of you as some big-time sports star. You’re just my dumb brother.”
“No, I’m your smart brother. And the best-looking one of the bunch.”
She rolled her eyes, then picked up her glass of wine. “If that’s how you can face yourself in the mirror every night.”
He laughed. “Smartass.”
“So you’re playing Grant’s team this weekend?”
“Yeah.”
“You know they’re playing exceptionally well this season.”
He arched a brow. “Which means what, exactly?”
“Don’t get your panties in a twist, Flynn. It means that I’ll get to see a good game. I wouldn’t want to watch a game where you steamroll the other team.”
“I’d like that.”
“I’m sure you would. But I’ll be more entertained if you have to work for it.”
“You’re mean, Mia.”
She waved her hand in dismissal. “Yeah, yeah.”
The salads arrived and they dug into those, jabbing verbally at each other through the course. There was nothing he enjoyed more than having one of his siblings visit. It made him miss the family dynamic, when he and his brothers and sister would sit at the dining room table and toss barbs at each other through dinner. His parents would mostly laugh as long as they weren’t truly mean to each other. And since all the Cassidys had a healthy sense of humor, no one’s feelings were ever hurt.
Mia had had to toughen up at an early age since she’d grown up with four older brothers, but she had the best sense of humor out of all of them, and had learned to hurl insults at them from an early age. It was sink or swim in the Cassidy family, and Mia had been born a champion swimmer.
The main course arrived. It didn’t surprise Flynn at all that after their discussion last week Amelia had already incorporated the caramelized bluefin tuna into the menu, so as soon as he’d seen it he’d ordered it. Mia was having crab ravioli.
He dug into the tuna, which was tender and delicious.
“Oh, my God, Flynn,” Mia said after taking a sip of her wine. “This ravioli is incredible.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“Now let me have a bite of your fish.”
He sliced off a piece and laid it on her plate. She took a taste, her eyes widening. “Do you eat here every night? I would eat here every night.”
He laughed. “No, not every night. But I do come here a lot.”
“I can understand why. This is amazing.”
He knew she was being nice, but his sister was nothing if not brutally honest. If she didn’t like the food she’d tell him. He felt good hearing her praise and he knew Amelia would, too.
He glanced toward the kitchen, wishing he could see Amelia, but the restaurant was super busy right now and the last thing she needed—or wanted, he knew—was him sticking his nose in her kitchen. He could wait.
But he really wanted to talk to her.