“Probably the same way I do. It’s nasty. Dirty. Blah.”
She burst out laughing. “Okay. Now I don’t feel so horrible I might have judged.”
“Judge away,” he said. “My mother. She’s been married three times. Not a serial cheater. I’m not sure she’s ever cheated. It’s not even about my father. It’s that every time he shows up with something better, she suddenly has to match it. First it waschasing men with money. Now that she has plenty of her own, she’s going younger too.”
“Wow. I thought my family had drama. Not my current family but the history of it.”
“Did I mention both of my parents are attorneys?”
“No. Yikes.”
“Yep. They work in the same circles so no avoiding what is going on in their lives. What’s even better is my mother is a divorce attorney. Though she doesn’t rely too much on the dollar like my father for significant others, she made out well in all her divorces.”
“Your father most likely has to rely on his money to get a woman my age,” she said. “Even then, there is no way I could do it. Just the thought of being with someone my father’s age.”
She had an involuntary gag.
He closed one eye and pointed at her with his elbow bent on the table. “That’s it, right there.”
The server came over and took their orders, giving them a break from that conversation, her mind spinning to get off this topic.
“It sounds as if after college you went right to Seattle?”
“I did. There was no reason to go home.”
“Who did you live with prior? Your mother?”
“I did. Or my stuff was there. She was married to husband number three. I always felt as if I was in the way, but she wasn’t around much. Even if I had returned to the area after college, I wouldn’t have lived with her.”
It had to be hard to feel as if he hadn’t belonged. Had no real home of his own. No landing spot like she’d come to value.
“Do you have any other family you’re close with other than your grandmother?”
“No. I’ve got some cousins that are younger than me. Just one first cousin though. Nick. He’s getting married on Saturday. I’ve got to fly there on Friday. I’m dreading it.”
“This is your father’s side?”
“Yes. My Uncle Justin’s kid. Nick and I have never been close. He’s twenty-five. His future wife is twenty-three.”
“Young.”
“And act it. They are getting married at my grandmother’s estate.”
“Estate?” she asked. “Soundsfancy.”
He laughed. “She always called it that. I’m not sure how fancy it is. Not nearly what some new houses are. It’s more about having land that is well maintained. The wedding is outside. They should have gotten married in the summer when the gardens would be in full bloom, but that’s on them.”
“It might be nice to see your family,” she said.
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Not nice. My father is going to show up with some bimbo named Brandi. My grandmother filled me in with that. The rest of my family attending will fluctuate back and forth between hinting toward a loan or telling me I’m a lucky bastard.”
She cringed. “At least you can escape to your room there.”
“Nope. I’m staying at a hotel. There will be no escape. I’d ditch the whole thing if I had my way, but I’d never hear the end of it. It’s just not worth it. I’m doing it more for my grandmother than anyone else.”
“Sounds like you need a partner in crime to survive the day. Hard to believe there’s no one around who’ll stick by you and crack a few jokes.”
“There will be plenty who will stick next to me as if they are glued to my thigh. No one I want there. I like the idea of a partner in crime though. What are you doing on Friday?”
