“Careful, I know, Dad, I haven’t forgotten anything you’ve taught me,” she said. “I’ll do my homework, but I know this guy is on the level, he’s not a scammer or anything. Even you’ve heard of the Portland Examiner.”
“That’s a top-notch newspaper, or at least what passes for one today,” her dad said. “I’m proud of you, kiddo. We’ll make do without you this year.”
“Well, that’s the other reason I called, I was hoping you wouldn’t have to do that,” she said. “Why don’t you and Momcome here for the holidays? Connie is going to invite her parents. We could celebrate here. There are some really nice hotels in town, and the rates are really cheap right now. I’ll get you and Mom a room. It’s been a long time since you got away…”
“Sweetheart, that sounds like a wonderful idea,” her dad said, his voice full of excitement. “We haven’t been anywhere in a long time, and the new assistant manager we hired actually suggested we take some time off this year. She’s amazing. I can’t wait for you to meet her.”
“Just tell me when you want to come and I’ll book the room for you,” she said, a big grin on her face. “Elmwood Junction is such a beautiful place this time of the year, I just know you and Mom are going to have a wonderful time.”
“Don’t worry about the rooms, I’ve got a little nest egg saved up for something just like this,” her dad said. “Your mom and I are going to indulge ourselves a little. I’ll let you know when I’ve got everything booked. I can’t wait to see you, sweetheart.”
“I love you, Dad,” she said. “Call me as soon as you know where you’re staying.”
“You bet,” her dad said. “Love you too.”
CHAPTER 11
***RYAN***
The sound of someone pounding on the front door woke Ryan from a sound sleep on Monday morning, and he sat up in bed, disoriented for a second. When the knocking didn’t stop, he threw back the covers and stumbled out of his room toward the stairs, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He made it down the stairs without killing himself and threw open the door, wondering where everyone was. Momentarily blinded by the bright sunlight, he stood there waiting for his eyes to adjust.
“Well, are you going to invite me in or just stand there like an idiot?” his mother asked, her voice making him cringe. “I’ve been standing here knocking for ten minutes…”
“Mother, what are you doing here?” he asked, still not moving. “You never go anywhere before noon.”
It was a stupid thing to say, but he was so shocked to see her standing on the front porch that his mind wasn’t working. “I didn’t have much choice since you wouldn’t answer your phone,” she said, shoving past him into the house. “I was worried about you, and Erin is so upset. I can’t believe you hung up on her. She showed up at the house almost hysterical. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
Wondering again where everyone was, desperate for someone to help buffer his mother, he closed the door and stood staring at her as she continued to berate him. “Are you even listening to me?” she finally asked, then looked around the entryway without waiting for an answer. “Where is the staff? Why are you answering the door? Someone around here should be fired.”
“Mother, we don’t have a staff. If you’d ever come to visit before now, you’d know that,” he said with a sigh. “Maybe we should go into the kitchen. I could use a cup of coffee.”
His mother looked him up and down. “Were you still in bed?” she asked, then started shaking her head. “That’s disgraceful, Ryan, here I am thinking something terrible has happened to you and you're sleeping like a baby. I bet I’ve got new wrinkles because of you; you should be ashamed of yourself.”
“Mother, if I spent as much time being ashamed of myself as you seem to think I should, that’s all I would do,” he said, losing his patience. “I’m going to the kitchen to get some coffee. You can either follow me or stand here and wait. It doesn’t matter to me.”
“I will not go to the kitchen, I can’t believe you would even suggest it,” his mother said with a huff. “Only the staff go into the kitchen, you should know better…”
“I know, I know, I should be ashamed of myself,” he finished for her, beginning to think the whole thing was a bit funny. “You really are a bit of a broken record, Mother.”
A scowl appeared on his mother’s face, but she quickly smoothed it away. “I’m sure there’s someplace else we can talk. I didn’t come all this way just to check on you,” she said. “It’s time we discussed the future, Ryan. I don’t think we should put it off any longer.”
He’d been dreading this conversation but had assumed he had a few months before it would come up. “I guess we could sitin the library,” he said, resigned to another showdown with his mother. “Would that be more to your standards?”
“Don’t be cheeky with me, young man,” his mother snapped. “That will be acceptable.”
“Great, it’s just down there,” he said, pointing. “I’ll just go grab some coffee and meet you in five minutes. Can I get you anything?”
“I think not,” she said with a sniff, then turned her nose in the air and walked down the hallway toward the library.
With a sigh, he headed for the kitchen, even more aware of how quiet it was in the house as he poured himself a big cup of coffee. He was reaching for a muffin out of the basket in the middle of the table, his mouth already watering at the thought of the plump blueberries he knew would be inside, when he saw a note. Picking it up, he quickly scanned it, then put it back down with a sigh. No one was coming to his rescue; he was going to have to deal with his mother on his own.
When he walked into the library, she was seated in the big chair by the cold fireplace, her purse in her lap, an unhappy look on her face. “Don’t say a word if you’re going to complain or criticize something,” he said, sitting down across from her. “This is my home, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t insult it like you do about everything else in my life.”
He was pleased to see that shut her up for a few minutes. “Well then, I’ll get right to the point,” his mother said with a little huff. “It’s time for you to follow through with your engagement to Erin, and I think the family Christmas party would be the perfect place to make it official. Everyone will be there, the photo opportunities will be excellent, and they’ve all been asking when the big day will be.”
“Mother, we talked about this, we had an agreement, I’ll marry Erin, but not until after I graduate,” he said, shaking hishead. “I’ve held up my end of the deal; I expect you to hold up yours. No engagement or wedding until after I graduate.”
“We never agreed to that. Besides, that was before,” his mother said, waving her hand in the air. “Bebe Wellingtong’s son is getting married next spring, and it’s supposed to be the wedding of the season. I won’t have her outdoing me; we just have to speed things up.”
