Smile For Me, A. Paris [best romantic novels to read .txt] 📗

liked. He didn’t want to pretend to be anything but this person. He glanced over at Ella and Bobby who were looking over the menu. He was relived to see that Ella was smiling, not one of her fake ‘I’m ok’ smiles that he‘d grown used to seeing, a real smile.

“The tacos here are really good,” he suggested.

“Thanks,” Ella replied. She flipped the menu page and continued to look it over.

A waiter came over shortly after and took their orders. Michael smiled lightly when Ella chose to order the taco plate.

“Do you know if there’s going to be any music tonight?” He asked the waiter before he headed off.

“Yea, ‘Garth’s Hangover’ they should be here a little later,” the waiter answered. He was staring at Ella instead of Michael however. She seemed to be the center of attention no matter where she went.

“Ah, yea I’ve heard them before. Thanks,” he just wanted the waiter to leave now.

“ ‘Garth’s Hangover’? What kind of name is that?” Jamie asked. It was a question in Ella’s mind as well.

“Grunge metal,” he answered slightly worried that Ella would feel uncomfortable with that type of music playing. “Ella? We can go somewhere else if you want,” he offered.

She looked up at him puzzled, “Why?’

“If you don’t like it here, is what I mean. We can go somewhere else.”

She still looked puzzled, but answered, “I don’t mind.”

Jamie snickered under her breath. Even now Ella was oblivious to her brother. If she took a moment to realize, she would have noticed that his eyes had been trained on her since they arrived.

“Bobby, how’s the clarinet going for you? You getting any better?” Jamie asked taking a drink of her iced tea.

“Well, I don’t know if I’m getting better, but I like it,” he answered. He was sitting straighter in his seat and was happy to be spoke to by the older group of kids he was with. He was trying to act matured. “My teacher said that I might be able to perform a solo during the winter concert as long as I can stop fooling around,” he waved his hand in the air as if the teachers words were unimportant.

“Your teacher said you’ve been fooling around?” Ella asked using a sharp tone. Michael and Jamie were both slightly shocked by the change in her voice.

Bobby drooped his head and looked at his sister from under his eyelashes. “Only sometimes,” he mumbled.

“Robert Michael Thompson! You know better then that,” Bobby shrunk down even deeper in his seat embarrassed by his sisters chastisement. “I expect you to be on your best behavior for now on. If you don’t have a solo during the winter concert I’ll know you didn’t listen,” she put a finger under his chin and lifted his head so they were looking each other in the eyes. “Understand?”

He nodded his head, “I’m sorry,” his voice was barley a whisper.

It had become apparent to both Michael and Jamie that this relationship between siblings was more akin to a mother son relationship. Michael gazed at Ella, she looked remorseful after having scolded her brother, almost pained.

“You’re sisters right Bobby,” Michael said, hoping to alleviate some of her regret. “Plus I want to watch you do a solo! I can come right?”

Bobby quickly lifted his head and turned towards Michael, “Really? You want to watch?”

Michael nodded his head, “Of course.” He smiled broadly showing his sincerity. “So you better not disappoint your sister.”

“I won’t. I’ll do better now,” he glanced at his sister from the corner of his eyes sorry to have angered her. “I’ll do my best now sissy.”


She smiled at him quick to forgive and happy to be back in his favor.

“Excuse me,” The waiter said, just arriving, “I’m really sorry to do this, but I’m going to have to ask you all to leave,” he looked extremely apologetic.

“What? Why?” Jamie asked, looking around the restaurant as if the answer was waiting for her there.

“Someone just rented the entire place for the night. The only condition was that we ask you to leave,” he raised his hands in an apologetic gesture.

“Just us?” Ella asked surprised.

The waiter nodded, “I’m sorry,” he waited for a moment, watching them until they began to gather their things.

“What the hell is that about?” Michael asked angrily. “I’m going to go talk to the manager,” he stood up ready to fight if necessary, when he felt a small hand on his forearm. He looked down to see Ella’s delicate hand holding him lightly.

“Lets just go,” she gave him a small smile then dropped her hand.

He nodded his head, still unhappy, but unwilling to upset her by not listening.

Ethan sat outside the Mexican restaurant with a smirk on his face. He was parked across the street in his black Mercedes. Butler Amos was watching him with a slightly confused expression.

“I did what you asked,” Butler Amos said softly. He was worried that the Young Master didn’t understand the nature of courting.

They waited until the group had left the parking lot then followed at a distance behind them. Once Ethan was certain Ella had been dropped off at home he ordered the driver to take him to his house.

A part of him knew that he had acted childishly renting out the restaurant just to ruin that guy’s night, but another part of him was deeply satisfied. It bothered him, more then he was ready to admit, seeing Ella with that guy. In fact, even seeing the girl dote on her brother had pinched a nerve.

He laid down on his bed, still wearing his cloths and stared up at the ceiling.

No one would disturb him. His life was like this, a constant quite loneliness. If it had been up to his mother he would still be in France. After the unexpected death of his father, even at his age, he had been expected to take on the roll of the Hallowood heir. His mother seeing his determination had agreed to act in his place for now. What had brought him back to this lonely place was the constant plaguing of that girl in his mind.


Imprint

Publication Date: 01-16-2012

All Rights Reserved