“Come in,”Vicky said, opening her front door. “Deacon’s just...” She glanced over her shoulder. “He’s a bit nervous.”
Oh.
I kept my voice down. “Is he okay? Can I do anything?”
She gave me a soft smile. “No, no. He’s fine.” Then she whispered, “He told us that you’re dating.”
“Oh.”
Oh god.
She put her hand to her heart. “That’s very exciting. He was beaming.”
Pure relief made my legs feel a little weak. “I’m glad. And yes, exciting. For me as well. I thought for a moment?—”
She leaned in and whispered in a rush, “Vegetables can touch vegetables but not meat. Sides should never touch anything.”
Uhh, what?
It took a second for her words to click...
“Ahhh, okay. Understood.”
“I suggested he eat something small before you got here but...” She shook her head and gave me a pensive smile. “He wants to do this properly.”
“I want to do this too,” I whispered. “For him, and for me.”
We heard some mumbling and footsteps and turned to find Deacon and his dad coming through the house. Deacon stopped so abruptly when he saw me that his Dad ran intohim, Deacon’s smile instant and honest. “Hello. Sorry if I kept you. Dad was trying to distract me,” he said. “Which usually means I was being insufferable.”
“Not at all,” Wayne said, giving me a look that saidyes.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I just got here. You didn’t keep me at all.”
“We should leave,” he said, checking his watch. “We’re going to be late and I don’t like being late.”
“Me either,” I said, still smiling. I turned to Vicky. “Thank you.”
Vicky grabbed Deacon’s coat off the rack and handed it to him. “Have a good night.”
Deacon pulled his coat on, then his gloves. He opened the door for us, and we walked to my car.
“We’ll leave the front light on,” Wayne yelled out as we were getting in. He gave us a wave, and their smiling faces were the last thing we saw before they closed the door.
I started the car. “Your parents are the cutest ever.”
He buckled his seatbelt. “Cute?”
“Totally.” I buckled up and cranked the heat. “They’re so excited. It’s cute.”
He flattened down his coat and pressed his hand against his stomach as I began to drive. “I’m nervous.”
“I am too,” I told him.
“You are?”
“Sure,” I said, smiling at him as I drove. “They’re all established friends, and we’re both the new guys here. Actually, you know them better than I do. You’re a local. I’m a newbie.”
“They like you already though.”
