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“I hope he can make it. I haven’t seen him much lately with everything going on at work,” I say as Dad starts to dig into his plate. Mom made spaghetti and meatballs tonight, and I’m starving.
I try to come over regularly for dinner, but being so caught up in work, I haven’t been able to see them recently. They still live in the same house I grew up in, and—with the exception of a few renovations here and there—it’s stayed pretty much the same.
“So, I heard a rumor today about you,” my mom says, her eyebrow arched as she looks at me. There are so many things this could be about, but I have a feeling I know exactly what—or better yet, who—she’s talking about.
Luckily for me, Levi comes bounding into the room like his tail’s on fire.
“Sorry I’m late. The shipment of tile came in later than expected today, and I wanted to have it on the floor before the day was done,” Levi says as he kisses Mom on the cheek and pats Dad on the shoulder. He sits next to Mom and starts digging in like he’s been starving for a week.
“What’s the rush, son? Food’s not going anywhere,” Dad says with a chuckle. Levi has always been this way. Constantly on the go, never able to sit down for too long, and has a wit as quick as he moves.
“I’m starving, and Mom told me she was making spaghetti, so I knew I needed to dig in before fatty over there ate it all,” Levi says.
“We both know I’m stronger than you are. It’s okay to be jealous,” I taunt. Which is only slightly true. I’ve always had a bigger frame than Levi, and between the police academy and my workout routine, I’ve buffed up over the past ten years. Levi was always a little smaller in both height and size, but since he’s been doing construction, he’s quickly gained on me.
“Boys, no fighting at the table tonight. I finally have you both here at the same time, and I won’t have you ruining it,” Mom says with a look that says you may be over thirty, but I can still take you down.
“How’s the house coming along?” Dad asks Levi, and I mentally breathe a sigh of relief. With Levi’s interruption, I don’t have to talk about Quinn, but I know it’s coming, so I need to be prepared when it does.
It’s not that I don’t want to talk about her with my parents because I do. I would love to share how incredible she is, but I need more time to understand what’s happening between us before I talk about it.
I want to explore everything she is to me and everything she could be before I share exactly how quickly this girl has knocked me off my feet. Hopefully, I can keep the information to a minimum and it will be enough to satisfy Mom.
Who am I kidding, it won’t even come close.
As has become normal, my thoughts continue to drift, thinking about Quinn. I hope she’s having fun tonight with the girls. Maybe I’ll text her when I get home and see how her night went.
“Do you think he knows we’ve been talking about him this whole time?” I hear Levi say to my mom as I come out of my thoughts, noticing everyone is staring at me.
“Doesn’t seem like it,” my dad says in response.
“What?” I ask, realizing I missed most of the conversation.
“We were discussing the Johnsons’ granddaughter and the rumor going around about you and her being seen together,” my mom says with a knowing look. Levi is smirking at me because he knows I’m about to get the third degree.
“Oh right, um, yeah. She likes to paint, so I took her to the lake to get some pictures, and since it was warm, we got ice cream.” I shrug my shoulders and try to come off as nonchalant.
“You two seemed to hit it off at Megan and Todd’s the other night,” Levi adds, making me glare at him. Fanning the flames of this already precarious situation will only encourage my mother, and I do not need her sticking her nose in and scaring off Quinn.
It would be nice to feel settled with her before I introduce her to my crazy family.
“We’re just getting to know each other right now,” I say with a pointed look at Levi. He’s enjoying this way too much, but it seems like he’s going to back off the topic.
“Am I going to get to meet this girl?” Mom asks.
I roll my eyes at her because what else am I supposed to do? I've barely gotten a chance to get to know Quinn, and Mom is already wanting to meet her.
“One day perhaps, if you don’t butt in.” I wink at her so she knows I’m teasing.
She huffs at me. “I would not butt in, I just want to know if she’s good enough for my son, that’s all.”
“Now, Alice, we all know that’s not completely true. You’re the queen of butting in,” my dad says, chuckling at her.
“Oh, you hush over there.” Mom glares but luckily lets the conversation go. I think I skated by okay for now, but I know it won’t last too long. You can’t stop the Alice Jackson inquisition, you can only postpone it.
The conversation finally drifts away from me and on to other gossip around town. A new flower shop opened up downtown, and the owner is a bit of a mystery. No one has been able to get much out of her or her backstory, but mom is determined to bring her out of her shell.
I follow along for the most part, but my mind is all over the place. Between Quinn and the B and Es, there’s a lot going through my head. After dinner, Levi and I clean up and head out quickly afterward. I’m ready for this long ass day to be over.
