AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Then go. Enjoy yourself.”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all.”
I notice the sound of Dad’s shuffling footsteps behind us, and as I turn around to face him, I move away from Mom, so she can get on with the dinner, and I can distract Dad from seeing the tears in her eyes.
“Come and sit down, and I’ll tell you about my car.”
He’s focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, but once he’s reached his seat, he looks over at me. “What car?”
“The car that’s parked outside… the one that goes with my new job.”
“Oh yes? What is it?” He sits, using his stick for support, and then leans it up against the table.
“It’s a Mercedes.”
“Wow… the neighbors are gonna think we’ve gone up in the world.”
My parents actually live in a very nice neighborhood, but I know they both resented having to sell the cars they had before Dad’s stroke. Mom’s Lexus was her pride and joy, but it was impractical for their new needs, and Dad loved his Porsche. Once it became clear he’d never drive again, though, there was no point in keeping it, just to let it gather dust. There’s nothing wrong with the SUV that’s parked in the garage, but it’s not what they wanted… like a lot of things these days.
“Tell us about your job,” Mom says, bringing the bowls of steaming chowder to the table. I sit next to Dad, the incredible aromas making me realize how hungry I am.
“This looks delicious, Mom.” She smiles, her eyes still glistening.
“It does,” Dad says, and then he turns to me. “Go on, Livia… tell us about your job.”
I wait for Mom to join us, bringing her own bowl, and then I look at the two of them. “I don’t have much to tell…” Other than the fact that I’ve fallen for my boss. “I’ve been so busy, I don’t really know what I’m doing most of the time.”
“I find that hard to believe,” Mom says, passing around the bread. I help Dad to a slice, leaving it on the plate beside his bowl, and noting how he holds his spoon with some difficulty. He doesn’t ask for help, though, so I leave him be.
“All I can say is, there’s a lot going on, and I’ve had to work late… although my boss apologized for that.” Right before he asked if I had a boyfriend, if I remember correctly. “I don’t know all the details, but it’s got something to do with one of the company’s competitors going out of business, and our sales team trying to pick up the slack.”
“And you say you don’t know what you’re doing?” Dad says, looking at me with a smile.
“Sometimes I’m not sure I do. I’m learning a lot though, and it’s interesting… even if the deadlines can be crazy.”
Dad finds eating exhausting and once we’ve finished, he’s too tired to sit up any longer. Mom needs to help him get ready for bed, so I offer to load the dishwasher. The look she gives me is one of relief, mixed with gratitude, and I wonder now if leaving home and moving to Boston might have been the most selfish thing I ever did.
Everything is cleared away, and Mom still hasn’t come back, so I wander through to the library. This is my favorite room in the house, even if it’s not really a library. It used to be my dad’s study, when he was teaching. This was where he did all his writing, and the main wall is filled with books, a few of which bear his name.
Now, it’s where my mom works, as a para-legal, although how she finds the time, I honestly don’t know. The desk is a lot tidier than when Dad used to work in here, and I can’t help smiling at that as I sit on the couch and gaze at the bookshelves, letting my eyes wander over the leather-bound volumes.
Within moments, though, my mind drifts to Hunter. It’s an instinct that hasn’t diminished with the physical distance the weekend has put between us, and I sigh as I recall our conversation this evening, before I left to drive up here. I saw a different side to him then… a sad and vulnerable side that I’d never even realized existed. It made me love him even more, if that were possible. Sure, I can still hear that small, quiet voice in my head, telling me to stick with reality, but it’s being drowned out by memories of the way he spoke to me, of the honesty in his voice, the trust in his confessions… and the hope he instilled that maybe dreams can come true.
I twist around, putting my feet up, and lie back, staring at the ceiling. It’s at times like this that I wish I understood men a little better… or at all, actually. But the truth is, I know nothing. As a teenager, I was always studying, and I spent most of my time in this very room, with my head in a book. Then, of course, Dad had his stroke, and all thoughts of boys, boyfriends, and dating took second place… and somehow, I never got around to making them a priority again.
Until now.
Hopefully…
“Livia?”
“Yes, Mom?” I sit up as she comes into the room, and she smiles, which is a relief.
“I knew you’d be in here.”
“I guess some things never change.”
