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“Wow, who does that Audi belong to?” Nathan asks, looking over at the little black convertible in front of the garage.
“Oh, that’s mine,” I respond with a shrug.
“But I’ve never seen you drive it. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you drive.” Nathan looks at me with furrowed brows.
“I know,” I say, hoping he will drop the topic.
“May I ask why you won’t drive that beautiful piece of metal?”
“I don’t know.” I look out my side window.
“Natalie?” I can feel his eyes on me.
I take a deep breath, ready to get this out of the way. “Ok, I was in a horrible car accident when I was a kid. My mom and I were on the way to a tennis lesson when a truck ran a red light and drove straight into our car.” I look down at my hands folded on my lap. “The driver of the other car became paralyzed from the impact. My mom had a broken wrist, and I … well, I had a broken arm, a cracked rib, and a sprained ankle.” I can see from the corner of my eye that Nathan is watching me intently. “So yeah, I’m scared to be behind the wheel of something like a car that can do that much damage to someone. But my parents think if they buy me something cute, I’ll just magically start driving. It usually stays in the garage, but I’m guessing my mom was taking out her Halloween decorations and must have forgotten to put it back inside.” Nathan doesn’t say anything, and I start feeling stupid. “It’s silly, I know.”
Nathan’s hand wraps around one of mine when he says, “Hey, it’s not silly.” I turn my face toward him. “I understand. That sounds pretty scary. And don’t worry, I’ll gladly be your personal chauffeur. Just know I accept payment in the form of kisses, and long-distance trips will cost you a little extra.” He does his best to wink, and the failed attempt starts an eruption of laughter between us.
I can tell this guy anything, and he’ll never judge me. Ever.
Tell him about Brian!
“Is that how you got this scar?” he asks as he runs his thumb over the tiny indent above my left eye.
I shake my head to indicate no. I didn’t realize he had ever noticed my scar before.Now Natalie.“Nathan,” I start to say quietly, but he speaks over me, not hearing my words.
“Looks like your mom is happy to see you.” He’s looking toward my house, where my mom is standing on the porch waving at us to come in.
“I guess that’s our cue.” I squeeze Nathan’s hand before opening my door. I can tell he is nervous, which makes me nervous since he is never nervous. We both make our way up the front steps of the porch, where my mom eagerly greets us.
“Hi, guys! Did you hit any traffic?” she asks as she pulls me into a hug.
“No, we made great timing,” Nathan responds as he follows us inside. My mom takes Nathan in her arms, hugging him like she’s known him forever.
“Well, dinner is just about ready. There are a few last-minute things to finish, and then we can eat. I think your dad is in the dining room if you want to join him. Jason and Grace should be here any minute.” She heads back into the kitchen.
I turn to Nathan. “So far, ok?”
“So far, ok,” he says as he kisses my forehead, takes my hand, and leads us to the dining room.
We find my dad sitting at the head of the table and reading a book titledHow to Live Stress-Free.When he hears us enter the room, he beams and then quickly glances at our intertwined hands before recovering as he gets up to greet us. Parting hands with Nathan, I give him a hug.
“Natalie, it’s so nice to have you home tonight.”
“I’m so glad to be home. How are you feeling?” I ask, noticing how good he looks.
“Never better. Your mom has me on a whacky diet, but other than that, I’m great!” I can tell he means it.
“Well, I’m happy to hear that, dad.” As we separate, my dad’s focus turns to Nathan.
Nathan holds his hand out for my dad to take. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Mr. Spencer.”
My dad holds out his arms wide and says, “I apologize, but we are huggers in this family.” I roll my eyes in embarrassment as my dad wraps his arms around Nathan. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nate.” He lets go of Nathan and pats him on the back. “Hey, aren’t you the one who led both the high school baseball and basketball team to the championship a few years ago?”
Nathan cracks a smile, and I can tell he is starting to feel relaxed. “Yes, that was a good year, sir.”
“Please call me Robert,” my dad insists.
Voices approaching the dining room catch my attention, and I turn to see Jason and his girlfriend, Grace, enter the room.
