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I pull her in for a hug. “Don’t worry, I’m sure everything is fine.”
“You’re right. I’m just being paranoid.” Smiling, she waves her hand as if shooing her worries away. “I’ll see you in an hour at the restaurant.” She grabs a canvas bag off the couch and holds her hand out. “C’mon, Brian, we’re going to Aunt Vicky’s house.”
I wasn’t expecting Marcus to look exactly like Ryan Reynolds. I feel like this is information Lily should’ve divulged the first time she ever told me about him. Definitely, Maybe is one of our favorite movies—we’ve watched it at least twenty times together while bingeing on sweet and salty kettle corn.
After Lily introduces us in the restaurant lobby, we sit at a large table in a far corner and are handed menus in huge leather binders.
Alex weighs his menu in his hand. “Are we ordering food or studying for an exam?”
“Dad…”
“Penny, do you miss the California weather?” Marcus asks.
I sip my water. “To be honest, no. I really like the seasons and the snow.”
When he smiles, he looks even more like Ryan Reynolds. “A true New Englander.”
“Have you always lived here?” I ask.
“Yup. I was born and raised in Boston.”
“How did you two meet? I don’t think Lily told me.” Or maybe she did when I was still meandering about in the brain fog.
Lily and Marcus smile at each other. They’re so adorable. I just want to squeeze them.
“Why don’t you tell her,” Marcus says.
She leans forward excitedly. “He was one of the zombies I put makeup on for the haunted Halloween event. I thought he was really cute, but we didn’t really talk much.”
“Not because I didn’t want to. I couldn’t talk because you were painting blood coming out of my mouth.”
Lily’s eyes animate brightly. “After the show, he chased me through the pitch-black parking lot to my car and scared the shit out of me. I screamed and locked myself in my car.”
Marcus puts his arm around her. “I wanted to get her number before it was too late, and I forgot I looked like a zombie.”
I can’t help but laugh. “That’s the weirdest meet-cute I’ve ever heard. I love it. It’s so you, Lily.”
“Right?”
“You’re lucky she didn’t Mace you in the face,” Alex adds.
“I still would’ve asked for her number.” Pulling her closer, he kisses her cheek. “So, how did you two meet?” He raises his chin toward me and Alex across the table. “Lily says you have a history.”
“In high school,” I blurt out, buttering a piece of bread.
Lily laughs. “Um, I don’t think that’s possible, Penny.”
A sharp pain zaps through my skull, and the warm, round roll falls from my hand. I have no idea why I said that. It just shot out of my mouth. Shaking my head, I force a laugh. “I thought you meant how did Lily and I meet.” My hand trembles as I pick up my bread.
Alex’s hand rests on my leg under the table, giving me a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “We met when she was a little girl. I used to teach a children’s art class. When we realized she lived right around the block, she used to come over to watch me work. When she got older, she’d help me sort through the trash and come up with project ideas. She has a great imagination.”
Marcus says, “That’s cool. You guys are both killing it now. I don’t have an artistic bone in my body, unfortunately. I wish I wasn’t stuck behind a desk all day staring at a computer screen.”
Alex agrees with a nod. “Trust me, it’s not all that glamorous. At least you get a steady paycheck and health insurance. There were times I didn’t make a dime for months.”
“Those times are long gone, Dad. I was just telling Marcus last night you’re going to be in an actual TV show.”
Looking impressed, Marcus says, “Congrats.”
Surprised, I turn to Alex. “You have a part? You didn’t tell me about that. You said your art was going to be in a television show.”
He shrugs nonchalantly, like men do. “It’s just a side character. I’ll be on screen for like two minutes, and they want me to wear the eye patch. I probably should’ve just left this hole in my face. Everybody loves the eye patch.”
Lily looks at him sympathetically. “Don’t be silly, Dad. You look great. The patch drove you crazy with the band getting caught in your hair. And it gave you tension headaches. It had to go.”
I swallow my bread, loving the honey butter. “I’m with Lily. The pirate vibe was cool, but I think you look way hotter now.”
Marcus, and his Ryan Reynolds face, raises an eyebrow. He throws me a subtle grin that clearly says he knows I’m attracted to his girlfriend's father.
Shit.
Thankfully, the waitress comes at that moment, distracting everyone from my awkward compliment. The rest of our dinner goes smoothly until dessert comes and Lily literally shrieks at her chocolate mousse, clasping her hands over her mouth.
