Roper silently applauded the man’s ability to get under his mother’s skin. No man had done that during Roper’s lifetime.

Harrison was busy with the waiter, placing his dessert order. “The lady and I will both have crème brûlée,” he said, placing his hand over Cassandra’s.

Cassandra slid her hand from his. “I’d prefer the tropical sorbet. I have to watch my waistline,” she said, becoming animated for the first time all evening.

Harrison snorted. “She’ll have crème brûlée.” He placed his hand behind her chair and leaned closer. “Are you really going to avoid your favorite dessert just to spite me?”

Cassandra sniffed but didn’t reply.

“Remember when we couldn’t afford more than one dessert and we shared it once a week back in film school?” the other man asked.

“You two knew each other in film school?” What rock was he living under? Roper wondered. And what else was his mother hiding?

“Mom, you’re holding out on us,” Ben said. “Did you and the director here have a thing going on back then?” he asked, chuckling.

“Maybe she doesn’t want to share personal information at the table,” Roper said to his sibling.

The waiter conspicuously cleared his throat. “Would anyone else like to order something?”

“I’ll have a decaf cappuccino,” Amy replied quickly, probably to kill the oncoming argument between the brothers.

“Espresso,” Roper added.

“Regular coffee,” Ben said.

“And two crème brûlées?” the waiter asked, double-checking with Harrison and Cassandra as he collected the small menus.

To Roper’s surprise, his mother nodded. “That’s fine,” she said with an obviously forced sigh.

She’d caved in to the director. It didn’t matter that the subject was something as insignificant as dessert. Cassandra had given in. Now that he’d witnessed her relationship with Harrison Smith firsthand, Roper knew why his mother was running scared.

The man didn’t cater to Cassandra’s prima donna whims and he didn’t put up with her nonsense. He also knew her a lot better and perhaps more intimately than anybody had guessed. Just because Ben had asked his tacky question at the wrong time didn’t mean he was wrong. Something deeper than an argument over a role was going on between these two.

With the waiter gone, Ben leaned forward, elbows on the table. “So you two have a history?”

“Your mother didn’t tell you?” Harrison asked.

Cassandra visibly squirmed in her seat.

Ben shook his head. “No, Mom’s been holding out.”

Roper opted to add his thoughts. “Frankly, I thought you wanted her for the role in your pilot because of her past body of work,” Roper said.

“That’s one reason. Your mother is talented. But we also go way back to our days as struggling artists. Remember, Cassie?”

Roper nearly choked on his water.

“Cassandra,” she corrected him, her haughty tone returning.

“Cassie!” Ben laughed loudly. “That’s really something else.” He grinned, enjoying his mother’s discomfort.

Roper wasn’t. He was confused by the interaction and worried about his mother’s ability to handle Harrison. On the other hand, Harrison dealt with his mother extremely well. Roper was beginning to like and appreciate the man for that reason alone.

He glanced at Amy. She sat beside him and had remained quiet for most of the meal, watching the dynamics around the table much as Roper had. But that didn’t mean he hadn’t been intensely aware of her the entire time. She smelled delicious, her perfume a subtle but constant reminder of the always simmering attraction between them.

“It’s not Cassie, Benjamin, and you know it,” Cassandra finally said. “So behave.”

Harrison grinned. “She’s always been Cassie to me.” His cell phone rang, and after checking it, he glanced up. “Would you excuse me for a minute? It’s my daughter and she wouldn’t call if it weren’t important.”

Roper nodded. He’d appreciate a minute or two with his mother without the other man’s imposing presence.

“Well, well,” Ben said, catching his mother’s wandering gaze. “You’ve been keeping secrets.”

“Not really. We knew each other back in the day. So what?”

“So the man remembers what your favorite dessert is. That’s not something a woman takes lightly,” Amy finally spoke, telling Roper his observation was on target.

Cassandra waved her hand in the air. “He has a good memory.”

“Okay, Cassie, whatever you say.” Ben finished off his drink.

Roper would never give Ben credit, but his brother had a point. Nobody had ever called his mother by such an intimate shortening of her name. Never.

His mother flushed deep.

This meal was actually turning out to be fun, as well as enlightening, Roper thought. “Okay, you two obviously had a fling and he’s obviously interested again. That’s not a big deal. He seems like a decent-enough guy. So the real issue is why you’re fighting him so hard.”

“That’s obvious,” Amy said when his mother remained silent. “It’s because he’s so intense. The man has the looks of Sean Connery, the charisma of Jack Nicholson and the persistence of a pit bull. Overwhelming.” She fanned herself with her hand.

Cassandra met Amy’s gaze and an unfathomable understanding flashed between the two women. Something Roper didn’t for the life of him understand. “Females,” he muttered.

“Just cut your mother some slack,” Amy said, placing her hand on his arm. “It’s obvious she needs time to adjust to Harrison’s pursuit.”

“Exactly,” his mother said, folding her arms across her chest. “Cut me some slack, John.” She turned to her other son. “You, too, Benjamin. Stop enjoying this so much. You’re both encouraging Harrison. And that is something I do not need, want or appreciate.”

Roper saw his opportunity and grabbed it. “If I back off, will you consider the role Harrison is offering?” He believed in a good quid pro quo and he’d just offered his mother a very fair exchange.

She opened her mouth to answer just as Harrison returned.

Taking pity on her, Roper didn’t push her to decide now. But he’d definitely be discussing it with her again later.

“I’m sorry about that,” Harrison said, taking his seat once more.

“Is everything okay with your daughter?” Amy asked.

He nodded. “She’s in the middle of an ugly divorce and she needed my opinion on something.”

“I’m sorry,” Cassandra said. “That can’t be easy for her.” Her compassionate tone took Roper off guard.

“It isn’t. She’s an MBA and earns more than her husband, whom she supported while he tried to make a living screenwriting. Now he’s asking for a divorce, alimony, full custody and child support. The man isn’t worthy of my daughter,” he said, fired up on his child’s behalf. He cleared his throat. “But thank you for caring.” Harrison placed his hand over Cassandra’s, sending her into another frenzy of unsettled movement.

It was all Roper could do not to laugh, watching his normally composed mother fidget and fuss under a man’s attention.

Half an hour later, they’d finished coffee and dessert. When Roper asked for a check, he discovered that while taking his phone call, Harrison had apparently also made arrangements to pay the entire bill. Roper thanked the man. He wasn’t all that bothered, since he had the definite feeling there would be plenty of opportunities for Roper to return the favor.

Harrison didn’t strike him as a man who gave up easily.

They made their way to the street. Roper held on to Amy’s hand, not wanting her to hail a cab and disappear before he had a chance to talk to her alone.

But he managed to catch up to his brother when they reached the sidewalk. “Hang out for a few minutes, I want to discuss something important with you, okay?” he asked.

Ben didn’t reply.

“It’s good news for you, so chill,” Roper muttered.

“Thank you for a lovely dinner,” Amy said to the director, probably to distract everyone’s attention from Roper and Ben.

“My pleasure. I’ve been wanting to meet the people who are close to Cassie. Perhaps next time Sabrina and Kevin can join us, as well,” he said.

“Sabrina will definitely want to check things out for herself,” Ben said.

Cassandra flipped her pashmina scarf around her shoulders. “I think Harrison will be back in L.A. long before we can arrange everyone’s schedules,” she said.

“You think wrong,” Harrison said. “I’ve freed myself up for the foreseeable future. Nothing is more important to me than you.” His voice grew deep, making Roper shift uncomfortably on the sidewalk.

Beside him, Amy squeezed his hand, seeming to understand.

“You mean, convincing me to take the role of someone’s mother and grandmother. On TV.” Cassandra straightened her shoulders in a haughty display, but beneath the pride, Roper saw the fear.

He suddenly understood. His beautiful mother was afraid that if she took the role, she’d be acknowledging her own mortality.

Harrison stepped forward and clasped her hand in his. “I meant what I said, Cassie. Nothing is more important to me than you.”

The two stared at each other, the silence only broken by the honking of a car horn and the screeching of tires.

“Should we leave them alone?” Amy whispered.

Ben shrugged. “Seems like it.”

Roper was about to agree when his mother’s voice rose higher. “Like I’m going to believe you aren’t sweet-talking me in order to get me to take this godforsaken part. I’m nobody’s fool,” she said, before stepping into the street to hail a cab.

Before anybody could react, a yellow car pulled up and Cassandra Lee placed herself inside. And then she was gone.

Harrison turned to Roper, Amy and Ben, completely unflustered. “So happy to meet you,” he said. “We’ll have to do it again sometime.”