Stopping to plant a kiss on Ker’s lips, Ash said, “We’ve got a few minutes before we head over to Mom’s. Let’s go down to the family room.”
They still arrived at Ash’s mom’s house early. Ash explained that it might be easier to meet his mom first, then the rest of the brothers as they arrived, rather than showing up later and meeting everyone at once. Ker had readily agreed.
When they got to the front door, Ker watched as Ash rang the doorbell, then used a key to unlock the door and step in. “Hi, Mom,” he announced as they walked through the foyer.
“I’m in the sunroom, dear,” a female voice said, presumably Ash’s mom.
“Mom,” Ash said when they reached the sunroom, “This is Walker Jennings. Ker, my mom.”
“Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Reynolds,” Ker said, reaching for her outstretched hand.
“Please, it’s Muriel. And it’s very nice to meet you, Ker. I’m so happy you could join us today.” She turned to Ash. “Now that you’re here, would you pour me a glass of wine, Ash? I put a bottle of pinot grigio in the ice bucket earlier.”
“Certainly, Mom. Would you like something, Ker?”
“Club soda with lime, please.”
Ker fixed their drinks along with a club soda for himself.
“Don’t feel you can’t have a drink on my account, Ash,” Ker said as he watched Ash prepare the beverages. Turning to Muriel, he explained, “As Ash already knows, I’ve had some problems with substance abuse in the past, so I don’t drink alcohol. But I don’t have an issue being around people who do.”
“I see,” Muriel said evenly. “So tell me, Ker, what do you do?”
“I’m a project manager for Standish Construction in Plymouth. I oversee various commercial construction projects in the area, working with both the client and the crew to make sure everything is built correctly and that things go smoothly.”
“That sounds quite interesting. Have you been doing it very long?” Muriel asked.
“I’ve been with the company for almost ten years. I got the job shortly after I moved to Plymouth,” Ker explained. “I didn’t start out as a project manager, but I’ve been promoted over the years, so I guess my boss thinks I’m doing a good job.”
“Oh, you’re not from this area originally?”
“No, I grew up in Fitchburg. My folks are still there along with my sister, Sharon. But I was getting a little restless back then,” Ker said, not wanting to go into the fact that he and his folks didn’t see eye to eye on some things. “So I moved to Plymouth. It was a good move for me.”
Just then the doorbell rang, and Ker heard voices in the hall. A moment later, Finn and Clay walked in.
“Hi, Mom,” Finn said, kissing her on the cheek. Clay followed suit and turned around.
“Hey, Ker,” Clay said, giving Ker a brief hug, “nice to see you here today.”
“Hi, Ker,” added Finn, who proceeded to make drinks for Clay and himself.
“So you two have already met Ker?” Muriel said wryly. “Ash, dear, please tell me I’m not the last to know.” She clutched her heart dramatically.
Ash laughed. “Oh, Mom, would I do that to you? And don’t be so dramatic, you’ll scare Ker. Relax, Court and Mitch don’t know yet; not that it’s a secret or anything. But it’s still kind of a new thing for us.”
Muriel looked at Ker, “Don’t worry, Ker, I’m not upset. Just part of being a Reynolds. I love to give my boys crap every now and then. Just lets them know how much I love them.”
Ker said, “Thanks, you had me worried for a second.” Despite his words, Ker wondered if he could really trust Muriel.
“We met Ker at Cuppa Joe’s Friday night,” Clay said. “Finn and I went to the open mic night and saw Ash and Ker there.”
Ker heard more commotion coming from the front of the house, and soon two men ambled into the sunroom. After greeting Muriel with hugs and kisses, one of them turned to Ker and said, “Hi, I’m Court.”
“Hi, Court. I’m Ker, a friend of Ash’s. It’s nice to meet you.”
“And I’m Mitch,” the other man said, hip checking Court and shaking Ker’s hand. “Nice to meet you. Are you the guy he met at A Helping Hand?”
“Guilty as charged,” replied Ker.
