Page 103 of Here & Now

Zane chuckled, though Marco didn’t sound as enthusiastic as usual. He suspected his friend would rather be going out with Tessa, which reminded him… “Bree’s writing an article about some of the local restaurants. I suggested she interview Tess for it.”

“Hmm.” Marco acted nonchalant, but he always perked up at the mention of Tessa’s name.

“Maybe the four of us could have dinner together.”

“Like a double date?”

“If you want to call it that.”

“No way.”

“Why not?”

“She rejects me every time, so why would she agree to that?”

“Bree and I could act as a buffer.”

“I don’t need a buffer.”

“Tess might feel more comfortable in a group. What have you got to lose?”

Marco sighed. “I don’t know, man.”

The door opened, and a raucous group of teenagers came in, bringing an end to the conversation. While Marco was assisting the rowdy group, Zane’s cell phone rang, and he quickly pulled it out of his pocket, thinking it might be Bree.

Swallowing his disappointment, he said, “Hey, Mom.”

“Hi, honey. Am I getting you at a bad time?”

Having run the shop for years, his parents understood how busy it could get, but he almost always answered their calls. “We’re busy, but Marco’s handling it. What’s up?”

“Your dad and I thought we’d come and visit you this weekend.”

Zane frowned, glad that his mom couldn’t see him. “This weekend?”

“Um-hmm. Your dad wants to go fishing, and I just miss my son.”

He winced, realizing it had been a while since he’d seen his parents. He’d been a bit preoccupied lately.

“Zane, is something wrong?”

He went out from behind the counter and into the back room, where he wouldn’t be overheard. “No, it’s just that I have plans this weekend.”

“Oh, okay.”

He heard the disappointment in her voice and felt a twinge of guilt. Normally, he would have been happy to have them visit, but he didn’t want to cancel his plans with Bree.

“Are you doing something special?” his mom asked.

The last time he’d seen her, he hadn’t been dating anyone, and now he was in love. He decided it was worth mentioning, or at least hinting at. “I’m sort of seeing someone.”

“Oh, anyone we know?”

“No, she’s my neighbor, well, temporary neighbor.” He wasn’t used to talking to his mom about his love life, mainly because it’d been more of a sex life until now. “Her name is Bree, and she’s here to try and sell her grandparents’ house. She lives in Michigan.”

“Michigan? Wow, she’s a long way from home.”

He nodded but didn’t speak.