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I faced Estelle again, resolute in finding Ciara and getting her to answer her phone. “Thank you for the information, Estelle,” I said. “I’ll reach out to her.”
“Good,” she returned, her eyes hardening. “Take care of my girl; she deserves the world, and she deserves you to give it to her. And hey.” She sidled closer, her eyes somber and a tinge sad. “Tell her to call me back, okay? I know she probably only thinks of us as work friends, but she’s been my rock in this godforsaken job over these last few years. Even if she doesn’t work here anymore, I still want to be her friend.”
I nodded, feeling the genuineness in Estelle’s voice. It made me want to ask Ciara about it, to verify if she really thought Estelle was only her work friend and not a for-real friend.
“I will,” I said. Then, I winked. “I’ll definitely have her invite you to the wedding.”
Her eyes widened. “Wedding?!” she hissed. “Nathan Hemingway, are you going topropose to her?”
I smirked. “I’ll tell Ciara to call you,” I said.
With Estelle’s shocked face at my back, I made my way out of the store, my cell phone already in my hand, and I was scrolling to find Ciara’s number. When I reached my car, I pressed DIAL, putting the phone to my ear and praying that she picked up.
She answered on the fourth ring. “Hello?”
Relief coursed through my body, causing me to be confused.What did you think happened to her?I asked myself.
I shook it off, saying, “Hey. I just went to the bookstore, and Estelle told me what happened. Are you okay?”
There was silence on the other end, until Ciara finally said, “Yeah, I’m okay. It’s not ideal, but I’ll find another job. Probably in a grocery store or something, until I can find something more permanent. Actually, this will probably work out better.”
I shook my head, stunned that she sounded so calm and even-keeled after being fired. “Are you sure?” I asked.
“Of course,” she chirped. “Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something else that came up today. Would you be able to stop by my house so we can discuss it?”
“Sure,” I said immediately. “Address?”
She gave me the address, then sighed. “Also, it’s my dad’s home. Are you okay with meeting him?”
“Of course.” Though I readily agreed, I couldn’t deny that my heart sped up. I was usually pretty good with parents, but I also had never proposed to anyone after less than a week of knowing them. I felt a little queasy at the fact that I would be deceiving him into thinking I was in love with his daughter, when neither of us had any plan to stay together.
“We can always meet somewhere else,” Ciara offered, correctly interpreting my silence. “You don’t have to meet him today—”
“No, today’s perfect,” I insisted. “I’ll be there shortly.”
Ciara paused again before saying, “Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
“See you soon.”
As soon as I hung up, I realized two things: for one, I had been standing by my car instead of getting into it, and secondly, I was sweating profusely, even though it was about thirty or forty degrees outside.
I got in my car, resolving issue one, and attempted to resolve issue two. “It’s just Ciara’s dad,” I told myself firmly. “He’s not the CIA.”
I scrubbed my face with both hands, leaning back in my seat and taking a deep breath. I had to get this shit under control. I knew from meeting my sister’s boyfriends over the years that the more nervous a guy looked, the more suspicious he seemed to the family. I couldn’t walk in there scared. I had to be confident.
With that thought in mind, I put Ciara’s address in my GPS, started my car, backed out of the parking space, and made my way to the other side of town. On the way, I rehearsed what I would say to Ciara’s dad:Hi, sir. It’s nice to meet you. I know this is probably very sudden, but can I have your blessing to marry your daughter?
No,I thought.Too weak.
“Sir, I’m going to marry your daughter and would like your blessing,” I said in my most authoritative voice.
I shook my head.Too forceful.
By the time I arrived at Ciara’s, I was no closer to deciding the right way to ask for his blessing than I had been ten minutes prior. But it was too late; I saw the front curtains move as if someone had been looking out the window.
Ciara opened the front door, confirming my suspicions. As I came around the front of the car and met her on the sidewalk, she grimaced.
“I just informed my dad that I’ve been seeing you, and that I lost my job, so if he’s in a mood, that’s why,” she said.
