AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Trigger sits beside me. His chair groans under his weight, and I’m worried it’s going to collapse.
“We moved in together, dad. Gettin’ married next,” he says.
Bob sticks his bottom lip out. “Well, you’re grown-ups. You do what you’re gonna do. I’m not gonna say different.” He sounds just like Trigger right down to his enunciation of words.
“Figured you’d say that,” Trigger says. “We’re gonna have a big wedding.”
The doubt shows on Bob’s face. “Thought you’d wanna run off to Vegas to tie the knot.”
“Nope. I picked the house we’re living in. Evanee gets to decide on the wedding.”
I smile in what I hope is charming and not seductive. “It’s been a dream of mine since I was a little girl.” I want to tell Bob how much I love his son. How he fulfills me like no other man, but I sense that he’s not really the touchy-feely type. “My parents will expect it.”
He abruptly changes the subject. “I got beer. And a bottle of red wine.” He turns to Trigger. “Get it for us, will ya.”
Silence grows as we wait for Trigger. “I like the chair,” I tell him. “Now that I know it’s red, I’ll wear the right color next time I visit.”
His face blanks and he drums his fingers on the arms of his chair while I pretend I’m interested in the house across the street.
Finally, he says, “It’s a good one. Ordered from Amazon. I’ve got the Prime membership, so it arrived overnight.”
“Ah,” I nod. “I’ve ordered vet supplies from Amazon, but not clothes or shoes. It’s difficult to get the size right.”
He leans towards me. “Ain’t that the truth. Casper ordered me some shoes on Father’s Day and had to send them back. They were too tight.”
Finally, a topic we have in common. “Tight shoes are the worst. I once bought a pair of Jimmy Choo Kitten Heels that gave me horrible blisters.” I shudder. “Never again.”
For some reason, that comment shuts down the conversation again.
After a minute of awkward silence, Bob says, “Weather’s been good. Not so hot.”
I nod. “It’s a relief.”
He shifts in his chair. “You say you order vet supplies from Amazon. Get good deals?”
“Sometimes,” I murmur.
“You got the Prime membership?”
“I don’t,” I tell him.
“Well, next time you need supplies, go through me. It’s free shipping and it arrives fast.”
“That’s marvelous,” I exclaim. Given my financial straits, free shipping is a boon.
The screen door slams back against the wall as Trigger comes out carrying the beer, wine and a stemmed glass.
Bob and I sigh in relief.
“You got a nice bottle of red,” Trigger says, winking at his father. “Same taste as I do.”
He hands his dad the beer, sets the wine on a plastic table that’s next to Bob’s chair, and moves it over to me.
“Thank you,” I say, smiling widely as Trigger pours me a glass of the same wine that he bought me the other day.
I take a drink and try to hold the grimace inside. It’s been chilled, but the look of anticipation on Bob’s face keeps me from saying anything. “It’s perfect.” I look at the glass. “These are lovely vintage glasses.”
“Almost twenty years old. Belonged to Casper’s mom.”
