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"Oh, that's fine. I don't drink." I press my lips into a smile. "It smells wonderful." Like lemon and cardamom. Which is weird, given the spotless kitchen.
"I wish I could take credit." Walker's mom presses her lips into a smile. "But it's takeout."
"You want me to bring it out?" Walker asks.
"Thanks, baby." His mom smiles.
Walker shoots me a hopeful look as he pushes himself out of his chair. He moves into the kitchen.
His parents' attention turns to me.
His mom takes a long sip from her water glass. She looks at it wistfully, like she wishes it was wine. "How did you two meet?"
Uh… I can't exactly say I brought him back to my place to nail him. "A friend's party."
"I'm always telling my younger coworkers that socializing is the best way to meet someone. I know all the kids are on Tinder and OkCupid these days, but it's not the same as an actual conversation." She takes another sip.
"It's not. I, uh…" Thought he was hot and likely good in bed. "Your son is incredibly charming."
"He takes after his mother." His father nods.
She beams.
It must be true. His dad seems more behind the scenes. His mom is quiet, but there's something magnetic about her eyes. The same eyes as Walker. And as his sister.
"What do you do, sweetheart?" she asks.
"I'm a PhD candidate." I fold my hands in my lap. "In psychology."
"Oh." She turns to the door, right as Walker enters with a set of plates. "You didn't tell me you were dating a smart woman."
"You didn't ask. You only asked if she was pretty." He sets plates in front of each of us, moves back into the kitchen, returns with silverware.
"She is." She looks to me. "He gushed about how gorgeous you are."
My cheeks flush. "Thank you."
Walker's eyes meet his mother's. "Bree isn't here?"
"She's at a meeting." There's a tone to her voice. An I don't want to hear your opinion about that. She turns to me. "I hate to talk shop at dinner, but, sweetheart, what are your thoughts about the twelve-step program?"
She's asking because of the PhD thing.
Not because she knows I've been through rehab. Because I go to meetings. Because I have a tenuous relationship with said meetings.
She has no idea I'm on shaky ground.
That I've ever been on shaky ground.
I muster all the confidence I have. I need to do this for him. I need to help him convince his parents. "It's hard to find accurate statistics, but most suggest that rehab in combination with a twelve-step program works best. Addiction is always difficult. Most people try to quite a few times before it sticks. But having a support network helps."
Walker moves into the room with two trays of food. One of chicken curry. One of rice.
His mom smiles. "Walker mentioned you love Indian food. We're excited to have him over. And to meet you. Walker has never introduced us to anyone. We thought, maybe…"
"Jen." His dad rubs her hand. "Go easy on the poor girl. Were you thinking about marriage in grad school?"
She nods true.
