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“Eighteen years older.”
“Was he afraid you’d meet someone in class, or if you got a job, and leave him?” The way John said it sounded as though he was trying to figure out Adam’s thinking rather in defense of the way he’d treated her.
“That could bepartof why he isolated me. Though, as an only child, Adam never learned to share and thought the world revolved around him and his wants.”
“We’re here.” Thankfully, Ariana breezed in carrying a glass baking dish with potholders, saving Elizabeth from sharing more of her past. “Sorry I’m late. I made a double batch of the enchiladas since John was coming, and it took longer than I thought.”
Wren followed with a drink pitcher in one hand and a small baking dish in the other.
“What’s in the pitcher?” John asked.
“Sangria,” Wren sang the word. “Friday night dinners are an exception to the no alcohol rule. Does everyone want some?” She set the dish with refried beans on the table, then filled her glass.
“Please.” Though part of the purpose was to encourage drinking in moderation, Elizabeth could already use a glass. “I’ll get the rice and salad.”
John waited for her to sit before taking his seat next to her.
“Is it okay if we bless the food?” Ariana asked.
“You’re the hostess,” Elizabeth answered.
“Okay.” Ariana swallowed and extended her hands to John and Wren.
John’s hand covered Elizabeth’s with a light grip. Not quite intimate but not in a controlling manner either. They bowed their heads while Ariana gave thanks. John’s thumb rubbed over Elizabeth’s knuckles when Ariana mentioned The Oasis and bringing John there at the right time. It wasn’t until she finished and John gave a sign-off squeeze that Elizabeth realized her fingers had curled around his. When he released her hand, she chanced raising her gaze. The warm smile on his handsome face sent a forgotten kind of heat through her.
She took a generous drink of the sangria while they filled their plates.
“This looks and smells amazing.” John took a bite. “Mmm. Delicious.”
“Thank you.” Ariana beamed. “I was afraid I’d forget, so I, um, wrote some questions down on a notecard. I hope that’s okay.”
“Perfectly acceptable,” Elizabeth encouraged her.
“Smart,” Wren chimed in. “My first time, I had a couple of conversation questions in mind, and I completely forgot them.”
John’s brows scrunched and his gaze shifted. He wasn’t clued in on the purpose of conversation prompts during Friday night dinners, but he’d insisted on coming. His participation would likely put an interesting spin on things.
“I thought it’d be fun to start with everyone sharing what was the first concert you ever attended? I saw Selena Gomez with my friend, Haley. We both loved her and had posters of her up in our rooms.”
“Afraid I don’t know any of her songs to sing.” John gave a shake of his head and took a bite of food.
“Thank goodness,” Wren said. “Now I’m afraid to say that I saw Duran Duran with my boyfriend who even wore his hair long and feathered like Simon Le Bon.”
“They were a great band.” John nodded his approval. “Better than the boy bands that followed. They even did the single for the James Bond movie. A view to a kill,” he sang. “I think ‘Hungry like the Wolf’ was my favorite of their songs.”
“I think you were born a decade too late,” Wren said.
“Probably. You can credit my eclectic tastes on listening to my grandmother’s musicals and dad’s country and rock songs from the eighties.”
“And who was your first concert?” Ariana asked him.
“Joey and the Tims.”
“Who?”
“Not The Who. You walked right into that one.” John laughed. “Though they were great too. My dad used to take me to this local restaurant that had live music. He knew one of the guys in the trio. Joey and two guys both named Tim. They were in their fifties and just loved performing. There was another guy, David Porter, who played guitar and sang there weekly. He’d put out song lists, and you could make requests. Most weeks, there was this group of women who’d bring their daughters after dance class and without fail they’d ask for ‘Sweet Home Alabama,’ ‘Yellow Submarine,’ and ‘Friends in Low Places.’ Didn’t know that was going to be my life story.”
“Except no whiskey flows at this Oasis.” Wren took a drink of her sangria.
