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Parker nodded. “That’s right. Because you’re Uncle Keegan’s friend.” Coen started responding when Parker added, “But you’re Mom’s friend too because you come see her at the park.”
Oh. Jesus. Christ.
Coen looked up at me with a questioning look that was borderline challenging. I just stared back at him, not knowing what to say or what to do since everyone was still watching both of us.
Looking back at Parker, Coen smiled. “Yeah, bud, you could say that.”
Erica looked confused, Keegan was glaring at Coen, Dad was now sizing up Coen, and Mom was staring at me with eyebrows practically up to her hairline.
“Your table is ready, if you all want to follow me this way!”
It took a few seconds for any of us to move, and even then, it was Parker who broke the spell we all seemed to be under. “Coen, sit next to me!”
Turning to follow him, I hadn’t walked two steps before Coen walked past me and whispered in my ear, “That is, unless his mom is embarrassed for her family to know about me.”
“Coen,” I protested, but didn’t say anything else as he caught up to Parker and the seating hostess.
“Am I missing something?” Keegan asked as we walked toward the table.
“Uh . . .”
“Because the last time the two of you saw each other, you got really pissed off and stormed out of the restaurant. Right?”
“Not exactly.” I don’t know why I felt like I was going to die. Keegan had tried setting us up, for shit’s sake, he’d given me Coen’s number!
“What do you mean not exactly?”
“I just mean not exactly. Why do you care?” I demanded, and began rounding the table to sit on the opposite side of Parker from Coen when Keegan caught my arm and spoke close to my ear.
“I just meant for you to go on one date with the guy so you would realize what you were missing in your life, Ray. I didn’t mean for something to actually start between the two of you. And neither of you told me.”
Looking over at Coen talking to Parker, I shrugged. “There’s not much to tell yet.”
“Really? Parker knows him and there’s not much to tell?”
“You know you’re really frustrating, Keegan,” I hissed, and faced him. “You want me to date, but you don’t. You want Parker to have a dad, but you don’t like that Coen met him accidentally when Parker and I were at the park and Coen was running the trail that goes through there.”
“Okay, you two,” Mom said, pushing us apart. “You have people staring at you, and, Keegan, your friend can only keep Parker entertained for so long before Parker realizes that you and his mom are fighting. So let’s just sit down and enjoy tonight. I don’t want to start the first night of you being out of the army with the two of you fighting.”
Keegan released my arm and pulled out a chair for Erica, and I walked past Coen and Parker to sit down. Coen gave me a confused look before continuing his conversation with Parker, and I tried to ignore the stares of my family as I stared blankly at the menu.
Even though this was supposed to be a dinner for Keegan, it quickly turned into an interrogation dinner. Even though Keegan and Coen were best friends, it was like Keegan was seeing Coen in a whole new light now that he was worried we were dating, and kept staring at him like he was trying to figure out a ridiculously hard math equation. Once Erica stopped looking confused, she couldn’t keep her eyes off Coen and Parker as they joked and drew on Parker’s menu together—a smile tugging at her lips the entire time. My dad had sat there with his arms crossed over his chest until Coen and Keegan’s talks of their time in the army had Dad softening up and throwing in his own stories of his time in the navy. And Mom . . . dear God, I wanted to die for Coen, with the horrified look she was giving him for the first thirty minutes. Her eyes kept going back and forth between the small gauges in his ears and his arms covered in tattoos; each time they’d make a new trip, she looked like she was more disturbed by them. But once Coen started talking about his photography business, she was sucked in too.
“Parker, keep eating,” I requested softly when he ate only two bites and pushed his plate back to continue coloring.
“ ’Kay,” he muttered distractedly, but never made a move toward his plate again.
“Par—”
“That all you gonna eat, bud?” Coen rested his head on his folded arms and nudged Parker with his shoulder. Before Parker could respond, Coen nodded in the direction of Keegan. “Don’t you want to grow up all big and strong like your uncle?”
Parker stopped coloring and looked at Keegan before looking at Coen. “Are you not strong?”
“Me?” Coen’s eyebrows raised and he shook his head. “Nah, I’m pretty weak.” He sighed. “It’s because I didn’t eat my food growing up,” he whispered loudly.
“No, you’re not!” Parker laughed and pushed on his arm, and Coen dramatically moved away.
“I am, look.” He placed his elbow on the table with his hand up for Parker to grab. “See if you can beat me in arm wrestling.” Parker just continued to laugh as he set himself up. “Now don’t think I’ll go easy on you because you’re only six.”
