Page 79 of The Need to Know

We ordered our food and he collected our menus and headed off, promising to bring us our drinks. Coffee for my folks, and water for Nastasia and me.

“So, how did this happen?” Pops pressed.

If Nastasia was uncomfortable, I couldn’t tell. She propped her arm on the table and leaned into it, fully into the idea of talking with my parents.

“We met at the gym,” she said.

“She’s my connection through Paisley,” I mentioned. Hopefully by bringing up Paisley, it would save this from being an awkward breakfast where they skirted around the idea of us being more than friends.

“Paisley,” Pops repeated with a bob of his head. “Guess I should be thanking you, Nastasia, because without you, there’d be no Ladies’ Night. I just seen the numbers and they exceeded my original expectations.”

Nastasia nodded as she sat up. “That’s awesome. I heard it was a smash.”

“You didn’t go?”

Nastasia wrinkled her nose. “We’ve had a busy week at the store and I was too tired.”

“What do you do?” my mother asked her.

“I co-own a women’s boutique with Paisley.” Her shot at me hadn’t gone unnoticed.

I looked away from the table, trying my best to keep the smug grin from my face as I snuck a hand on her thigh. She wasn’t intimidated. She simply brushed me away.

“What’s so funny?” Pops was looking between the two of us, not getting our little inside joke.

“Nothing,” I said coolly.

Nastasia sighed, her shoulders soon sagging. “I do want to apologize for last night. It’s my fault Ezekiel didn’t show up.”

I grimaced at her need to take the blame for my decision. “Here we go.”

She gave me a pointed look and I didn’t fold. Fuck her ex.

Nastasia talked to my father, ignoring my annoyance. “Ezekiel was telling me about the Ladies’ Night event, and while we were on the phone someone came over and they weren’t invited. Ezekiel dropped everything to help me out of a messy situation.”

“It’s not a big deal, I’d do it again,” I let her know adamantly.

“Sounds like he had a valid reason for missing his shift,” my mother said understandably.

Pops agreed as our waiter came and issued out our drink orders.

“You guys did a good job with your son,” Nastasia told my parents. “How long have you been married?”

A mischievous look crossed my mother’s face as she faced my father with a brow raised, as if to challenge him to remember.

“Thirty-one years,” Pops didn’t hesitate to say.

“Wow,” Nastasia responded. “My parents have been together for over twenty. I’ve always loved seeing older couples who say they’ve been together for sixty-plus years. I can’t imagine being with someone that long.”

“When you find the one it isn’t long enough, trust me.” Pops gathered my mother’s hand and interlaced their fingers. “I knew Naomi was the one after the first breakup. We had a big fight and split up, but being without her was just too foreign and miserable. I was like nah, I’m not going through this again. We disagree here and there now, but it’s never been like that first time.”

“Aww,” Nastasia gushed.

“It’s an internal thing, all your gages just click and line up. I found a home in my wife, and I hope she found one in me. When you know, you know. Been trying to tell Eazy that.”

Here we go.

Nastasia gaped at me and really studied me. “He’ll get there when he’s ready, I guess. He just enjoys his work right now.”