Chapter two - Merigold Family Dinner

I took a cab to the hotel, despite my parents and brother offering me a ride. There was nothing wrong with taking a cab if you could catch one. I also didn't want to impose. Nick was the financial director at Merigold Chocolate, dad and Nick could catch a ride together. Mom's office was right around the corner of the hotel we were meeting up at. She'd have to go back and forth just to give me a ride. I didn't want that so I took a cab. I was in luck because the driver had excellent taste in music. Soft jazz tunes were playing in the background while I went through my mailbox. I smiled seeing Mr. Blackwood's name in the list of emails I received. I tapped on it and read through it.

Miss, Merigold,

You impressed me once again.

I included a bonus due to your excellent service on such short notice.

Until the next shopping assignment.

Regards,

Mr. Blackwood.

A bonus. That meant that he paid me royally this time. It was no effort at all to shop for the man. Currently, he was the only client I had. He paid me enough each week for me to live an average life. The designer clothes and shoes were paid with the money I received as a Merigold heiress. I didn't own a huge collection but enough to impress those who'd judge me. My mother included. The cocktail dress I was wearing today I received from her as a gift. The royal blue color was the same as the deluxe box of Merigold chocolates. I doubted she did it intentionally. It made me smile, knowing that my mother always thought of her husband. Despite being a strict and sometimes harsh woman due to her career, Abby Merigold adored her family. She just couldn't express those feelings well.

"We've arrived, Miss."

I paid the driver and climbed out of the cab. The evening breeze was cold, a biting cold which seeped into your bones. I wrapped myself up in the woolen grey coat I was wearing and entered the hotel. I was greeted with polite smiles from the staff. They were probably aware the Merigold family was present for another family dinner. I made my way to the restaurant, greeted with the sight of my family already seated at our regular table. As I approached the table I was stopped by one of the waiters I recognized. He was close to my dad, they always joked around. This guy always laughed at the weird dad jokes my dad made. His amusement seemed genuine too. This waiter just had a weird sense of humor.

"Let me take your coat, Miss Merigold."

I was surprised by his offer but was eager to hand him the coat. It was quite warm, I could do without the woolen coat.

"Thank you so much."

"Of course, Miss."

I reached the table and sat down beside my brother who didn't even try to hide his chuckle.

"Dad's friend has a crush on my sister, that was quite entertaining to watch."

I raised an eyebrow at him, "What? No, that guy doesn't have a crush on me." I brushed Nick's silly comment off, "How are you?"

"Good. Thank you for asking." He then continued, "And that guy does have a little crush on you. You're just weirdly oblivious to men who are interested in you."

I did not want to discuss that part of my life in front of mom and dad. Nick knew that too but he still dared to mention it anyway. Probably to be the annoying older brother who laughed to tease his younger sister. I thought now that we were adults we moved past that stage, but apparently not.

"Oh, Matthew is a great guy, sweetheart." I tried hard not to roll my eyes at my dad who sounded too cheerful about this subject, "He is kind and very polite and has a great sense of humor."

Nick and I shared a look. Nick burst out in laughter while I reached for the glass of water the waitress so casually placed before me. She served us all some water while also putting our menus before us. We didn't notice her due to all of us being observed in the conversation about my love life. Even mom who was usually so serious seemed very intrigued.

"Of course you'd say that, dad." Nick had to wipe away a tear due to his laughter, I, however, tried to hide my laughter by sipping my water, "Matthew laughs at all your weird jokes."

"My jokes are not weird," Dad muttered.

Mom smiled at him, "Honey, I hate to break it to you but you do have an odd sense of humor. You need to learn to appreciate it. We can laugh at it now but we had years of practice."

I bit my lip, trying so hard not to laugh. I couldn't laugh at someone's quirky personality. It was a part of them, not something they could change. Making fun of him would be rude.

"Rude," Dad mumbled.

He busied himself with scanning through the menu. He'd get the same thing as always, but I guess he needed the distraction to get over the fact that he realized his family didn't like his jokes. I'm sure there were a lot of people like Matthew around who did get his jokes and appreciated them.

"So, hon, all joking aside how are you doing?"

Mom wasn't asking about my health or job, it was very obvious she was referring to my love life. It was creepy how interested these people were in my love life. Nick was also watching me, awaiting my answer. I was confused as to why mom and dad weren't questioning Nick about his love life. The guy was twenty-eight years old and never really had a serious relationship before. He wasn't the same as Mr. Blackwood who loved to go through women to set a record. Nick just couldn't get into his relationships. He loved his personal space. Relationships were a bother to him. That made him a much more interesting person to talk to.

"There is nothing much to tell."

Mom observed me with watchful eyes. The lawyer inside her wanting to make sure I wasn't lying to her. I wasn't lying, there was nothing to tell. I was enjoying life. I didn't do much aside from keeping up with the latest fashion trends. I hung out around the apartment and walked around the city a lot. I just enjoyed my freedom while making a ridiculous amount of money only working one job a week. I should get other clients but since my relationship with Mr. Blackwood was so good I feared getting new clients who'd make me struggle. It would probably make me lose interest in my job and I'd end up working for Merigold Chocolate too.

"I'm conflicted about getting new clients."

Mom sighed, "Hon, you should get new clients. You'll gain more experience taking different types of clients. I'm sure it's fun working for Mr. Blackwood but is it really challenging enough? I'm sure you've figured out by now what his preferences are and always giving him exactly what he wants. That doesn't sound very challenging."

Mom wasn't wrong, the job wasn't challenging. I could do it within a few minutes now. I just loved doing the job because of Mr. Blackwood. He lived an interesting life. I rarely saw him in person but it was like I knew him well. The women he dated each had their own story too. From hairdressers to rockstars warmed his bed. The decorations in his bedroom changing whenever he changed girlfriends. Switching them as if to keep things interesting. The clothes in his fabulous walk-in closet changed too.

"How is Jacob doing these days?" Dad asked, suddenly speaking up.

The waitress came over to take our order. She refilled our glasses of water and took away the menus, keeping silent to give us the privacy we needed. We didn't see each other that often. Mom and dad both had very time-consuming jobs. Nick was also married to his job. We saw each other at family dinner at this hotel or whenever dad asked of us to accompany him at social events.

"Jacob?" I asked.

Dad smiled, "Jacob Blackwood." He let me know, "Jacob throws a lot of parties. He always buys in our deluxe chocolate boxes to put in the goodie bags they give away at his parties." Dad suddenly sat straight in his chair, his eyes glittering with excitement, "Oh that reminds me. What I wanted to share with you is the new product we created. Chocolates infused with fruit. It's a fruity chocolate box."

I smiled at how excited dad sounded about this new product. Merigold Chocolate stood for luxurious chocolate. So even though it wasn't a new product they created it was a new box of chocolates they were putting on the market.

"Sounds pretty good, dad. I'm suddenly craving chocolate with orange filling."

"And how about passion fruit filling or strawberry filling?" Dad asked, "Because our fruity box has it all."

I threw my head back and laughed, Nick quietly chuckling beside me as well.

"Dad, you don't have to sell this product to me."

He was just proud of this product and wanted to talk about it. I loved seeing that proud look on his face along with genuine happiness.

"So why did you mention Mr. Blackwood?" I asked, curious why dad brought him up.

Dad perked up, "Right, so we're launching the product in two weeks and of course I want you to be there, sweetheart."

He didn't even have to ask, I'd be there. I always supported my family with these things, sometimes these social events were boring and all I had to do was stand there look pretty and make small talk with people I didn't even know and would never get to know but that's what you did for family.

"Dad, I'll be there," I told him right away.

Mom clapped her hands together, "Okay, now that's settled can we actually have dinner?"

We were so into our conversation we forgot to pay attention to our food. The waitress served our dinner. This time we actually focused on eating and having small talk. After dessert and a hot drink, Nick offered to give me a ride home. He lived in the same area as Mr. Blackwood. Now I knew dad referred to the man as Jacob. That meant they were friendly enough. I honestly forgot his first name since we referred to each other by our last names. I got so used to it.

"Dad never told me what he wanted to say about Mr. Blackwood."

Nick and I were seated in the back seat of his car, the driver remaining quiet in the driver's seat. We could put up the privacy screen but we weren't sharing government secrets. Nick looked up from his phone and glanced at me.

"Curious about the man?" He asked.

"Well, I'm not going to lie. He's the most interesting person in this city right now."

"That is true." Nick agreed, "Everyone wants to know more about the billionaire who is still rising to the top. Not to mention his dating habits which makes people play the guessing game online. Heard there is a poll out there who is going to date next."

I made face, "My God, what is the world coming to?"

"We all just love drama." Nick shrugged.

"We?" I asked, "I happen to know that you, my dear brother, loves to lock himself up in his apartment and play video games for hours. Either that or watch series for hours. It's the reason why you're actually not interested in relationships, right? You just love being on your own."

Nick pocketed his phone, shifting in his seat to stretch his legs a little, "Aren't you the same, dear sister?" He asked.

We shared a laugh. It had been a while since Nick and I bonded like this. He was correct though. I was so used to just living my life the way I wanted it that I also had no time to invest in a relationship. We were disappointing our mother who secretly did want to attend her kids' wedding and play with their grandchildren.

"We're here, Miss Merigold."

I glanced at the driver, "Thank you." I turned to look at my brother and placed my hand on his shoulder, "We're quite the same, Nick. So the next time you are going to binge-watch a series call me so we can hang out together."

Nick grinned at me, "I suppose I can tolerate having you around when I'm enjoying my personal time. I'll do that."

I climbed out of the car, "Love you." I then walked past the driver who wanted to open the door for me but was quite too late, "Have a nice evening." I told him.

"You too, Miss Merigold."

Back at the apartment I quickly got dressed in my comfortable clothes. A pair of yoga pants and a baggy tee which was soft to the touch. It felt so good wrapped around my body. I made myself some tea and settled on the couch. I didn't have a job lined up tomorrow so I could take some time to watch a movie. I was in the mood for something light, something which would make me laugh. I settled on this movie about two assistants who were trying to hook up their bosses. It made me laugh, I enjoyed it. My mind wandered to Mr. Blackwood at times. I grabbed my phone and scrolled through the emails I've received from him until now. I couldn't ask dad again about what he was going to say about Mr. Blackwood. It would seem like I was too interested in him.