See Me(52)

At Maria’s startled expression, her mom shrugged. “I heard you and Serena talking. Your sister can be kind of loud sometimes.”

Serena strikes again, Maria thought. She hadn’t wanted to bring it up, but she couldn’t deny it now, could she? Even her father appeared to have a sudden heightened interest in the conversation.

“His name’s Colin.” Then, knowing her parents would press for more but not wanting them to delve too deeply, she went on. “Serena knows him from her classes, and when she and I had dinner on Saturday, Colin was tending bar there. We got to talking at the pier and decided to meet up on Sunday.”

“He’s in college? How old is he?”

“He’s my age. He didn’t start college until a couple of years ago. He wants to become a teacher.”

“Serena said he was very handsome,” her mother commented with a mischievous smile.

Thanks, Serena. Next time, lower your voice. “He is.”

“And you had a good time?”

“It was a lot of fun.”

“When can we meet him?”

“Don’t you think it’s a little early for that?” Maria said.

“It depends. Are you going out again?”

“Uh, yes… on Saturday.”

“Then we should meet him. You should invite him to brunch on Sunday.”

Maria opened her mouth and then closed it again. There was no way her parents were ready for Colin, especially when there’d be no chance at escape. The thought that Colin would answer whatever questions they asked with his usual directness was enough to give her heart palpitations. She smiled at her dad with a trace of desperation.

“Why did he wait so long to go to college?” he asked.

She considered the best way to answer while still telling the truth. “He didn’t figure out that he wanted to be a teacher until a couple of years ago.”

Of her parents, her dad had always been better at reading between the lines, and she suspected he would continue to press for more details about Colin’s past. But he was interrupted by the faint but audible ringing of a cell phone in the kitchen.

“Oh, that’s me,” she said, thanking God for the reprieve. “Let me get that.”

Rising from the table, she raced into the kitchen. Pulling her phone from her bag, she saw Colin’s name. She felt like a teenager as she pressed the button and raised the phone to her ear.

“Hey there,” she said, “I was just talking about you.” She paced the living room as they talked, catching up on how each had spent their day. As in person, he was an attentive listener, and when he sensed something in her voice, she found herself telling him about the incident with Ken. He grew quiet then, and when she asked whether he’d be interested in meeting her for lunch, he said he’d love to and asked what time he should pick her up at the office. She smiled, knowing that it would give her story more credence with Ken, and was secretly thrilled at the idea of seeing Colin so soon. When she hung up the phone, she had the sense that despite what her parents would no doubt think, Colin might be just what she needed in her life right now.

She returned to the porch, where her parents were still waiting at the table.

“Sorry,” she said, reaching for her wineglass. “That was Colin.”

“And he called just to say hello?”

Maria nodded. “We’re going to lunch tomorrow.”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. Her mother could never comprehend why anyone would consider going anywhere else besides the family restaurant.

“Wonderful,” her mom said. “I’ll make something special for the two of you.”





CHAPTER 9





Colin





“R

eally?” Evan called out, leaning over the porch rail as Colin crossed the yard. “You went running again?”

Colin was still breathing hard as he veered toward the porch, finally slowing to a walk. He pulled up his shirt to wipe his face before peering up at his friend. “I didn’t run earlier today.”

“You worked out this afternoon. And this morning.”

“That was at the gym.”

“So?”

“It’s not the same,” he answered, knowing that Evan really didn’t care one way or the other. Instead, he nodded toward the front door. “Why aren’t you inside with Lily?”

“Because my house smells.”

“What does this have to do with me?”

“How about the fact that I can smell the stench from your clothes wafting up through the vents like a green, putrid fog? Instead of heading out to run, you should have done a load of laundry. Or better yet, you should start burning your workout clothes on a daily basis. Lily actually thought there was a dead mouse in the pantry. Or that the sewage had backed up.”

Colin smiled. “I’ll get right to it.”

“Hurry up. And then meet me back over here. Lily wants to talk to you.”

“Why?”

“I have no idea. She wouldn’t tell me. But if I was to guess, I’d say it’s about your girlfriend.”

“I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Whatever. The point is, she wants to talk to you.”