A Dare Between Enemies

Chapter 8

Naomi rushed in through the entrance of Bobby Van's, an upscale steakhouse and grill in Lower Manhattan, and did a quick scan of the moderate crowd until her eyes landed on her parents, who were waving her over to their table. 

"Hey Mom and Dad, " Naomi greeted to each of them taking her seat at the round, large, well-set, table draped with an embroidered white tablecloth. "Sorry, I'm late. I was caught up in a meeting with the bride Marked Impressions took on last month. Her wedding is in two days. And now it seems as if she wants to change every detail of the ceremony and reception at the last minute." Naomi ran a restless and tired hand through her hair as she sat her bag on her lap. She was glad the central air of the restaurant was in full effect, not only because of the humid weather outside, but because she needed the moment to cool off. 

"Trust me, sweetie," her mother, Naveena Marks, soothed with a consoling hand, "Your Dad and I have had our fair share of fickle clients who became unpleasant to work with, but we still found a way to keep our heads on straight."

"And so will you," her father, Micheal Marks, added. 

"Naomi, you have a natural talent for creating the smallest of ideas into the biggest of realities," Naveena said proudly of her daughter.

Smiling sheepishly, Naomi grabbed her menu. "How was the drive over here? I know the commute from Staten Island had to have been rough," she asked with a quick glance over the alcoholic drinks. Was it okay for the manager to have a drink in the middle of her workday? Lord knows she needed a stiff one.

"It was, but we wouldn't have missed out on a chance to see our favorite daughter who offered to give us free food," Mr. Marks said with a dimpled smile. 

Naomi laughed. "Mom still starving you, Daddy?"

"You know it!" her dad scoffed. "Ever since that quack of a doctor said that I need to watch my salt intake because of my high blood pressure, I feel like I'm withering away with all the bland food I've been eating."

"Well, can you blame me for looking out for you?" Mrs. Marks countered with a loving hand to her husband's cheek. "You turn fifty-seven at the end of this month, and as long as I'm still here, you'll live fifty-seven more."

Naomi was touched by the growing affection in her mother's tone. It seemed so odd that a big, muscular guy like her father needed protection. Growing up, her dad had always been the protector of the family. She remembered resenting his overprotective character as a young adolescent, especially when he and her mother hid the truth about Darryl's mother from her, but now that she had a child of her own she'd grown to appreciate her coddled rearing. 

Her father's face softened and Naomi felt compelled to excuse herself from the table when her mother leaned over for a kiss. There was no secret at how much love there was between her parents. After being married for nearly thirty years, and business partners for even longer than that, they shared everything with one another. 

"Welcome to Bobby Van's," greeted their waiter, Oakland, as it read on his name tag. Naomi felt relief at the interruption.  "Are you three interested in hearing today's specials?" After a quick run down of the menu, Oakland took their orders with a smile and with ease, sauntering away to the kitchen leaving them alone again.

"How's our grandson doing?" Mr. Marks asked casually, reaching for his glass of water.

"Dare's fine. Before I left the office, I spoke to him on the phone and it seems like he and Ms. Shondra are having a party with all that music I heard in the background. When Ms. Shondra used to teach young children, she said one of best ways to get them active was turning on music and letting them shake their little tail feathers."