“Oh, yeah. Cody’s awesome. Dinner was great, Charlotte. Thank you.”
“Oh, it was nothing.” Charlotte smiles. Her dad takes a seat in the recliner, and her mom sits in his lap.
“Here,” I offer, standing from the couch. “I can move so that one of you can sit.”
“No need,” she says, warmly. “We might be getting old, but I can still sit with my husband. You kids take the sofa.”
Wren and I both sit down.
“So, Tanner, what are your intentions with my daughter?” Paul asks.
Oh nothing, just to spend the rest of my life wishing I was the man she was meant to be with and that I was worthy of her love.
“Dad!” Wren practically shouts. “We’re just roommates. Can you please chill?”
He chuckles loudly. “I’m only joking, sweetheart,” he says, smiling in her direction. “But seriously, what are your intentions?” He turns back towards me.
“I promise I only have good intentions.” I laugh, putting my arms up in defense. He seems nice enough, but the look he’s throwing my way does scare me a little.
“And what do you do for a living?” he asks.
“Dad!” Wren turns her head towards me. “You don’t have to answer him. This isn’t an interrogation.”
“It’s fine,” I laugh. “I’m an executive vice president at Austere Development Group, so I manage the acquisition and development of properties around the Southeast.”
“Impressive. A job like that must bring in quite a bit of money, so why do you need a roommate?”
“Donotanswer him,” Wren says.
“I do make pretty decent money, and technically I don’tneeda roommate, but Wren and I are good friends. I happen to be the guy at fault for her needing a place to live, so I offered her my spare bedroom until she could find a decent place to stay.”
Her father studies me, and sweat breaks across my brow.
“Interesting. Well, she means a lot to us, so I hope you can understand my hesitation when it comes to her living with an older man.”
“Oh, my god. Mom, make him stop. Dad, Tanner is my friend, and we’ve been over this. He’s not that much older than me. The plan is for me to stay with him for a few months, and then I’ll be on my way.”
My heart sinks at the mention of her plan again, and I remind myself she deserves more than me and that the plan is what’s best for her.
“It’s okay,” I assure her. “Yes, sir, but I promise, I have nothing but the best intentions. Like Wren said, we’re friends. She’s welcome to stay with me as long as she needs.”
“Good,” he says. “She’s very special, so?—”
“Tanner, are you a baseball fan?” Charlotte asks, cutting off her husband. “Paul is a huge Atlanta fan. Have you ever been to a game?”
“Yes, ma’am. My company actually has box seats. I know we're not in baseball season, but if you ever want to go to a game, I’d be happy to get you the company tickets.”
“Really?” Paul asks, a little surprised. “I’d love that. I used to have season tickets, but then Cody had his accident, and it was hard to make it to the stadium. So now I catch every televised game right here in this chair.” He pats the leather armrest.
I can’t imagine how much their lives have changed over the last few years, and despite it all, they seem so positive, still so in love.
“You just let Wren know, and I’ll see what I can do. The box is handicap accessible, so if Cody wanted to join, he’d be more than welcome.”
“Oh, he’d love that,” Charlotte says through a yawn. She quickly covers her mouth with her hand. “I’m sorry. I’m so tired these days,” she explains.
“We probably should head out, anyway. We both have work tomorrow,” Wren says, standing to walk over and hug both of her parents. “I put Cody’s iPad on the charger, so he’llhave it in the morning, and Tanner cleaned the kitchen, so you wouldn’t have to worry about it.”
“Thank you,” her mom says. “And thank you, Tanner. It was really nice to meet you. Wasn’t it, honey.” She elbows Paul in the chest.
