“Of course.”
I sigh while staring at the minute hand tick once more to the right. “I ran into Marion in the hospital as your father and I were going to visit Harold. The poor thing. She is not doing well at all, as I would imagine. I offered to bring dinner over tonight. She suggested I bring you, Brody, and the girls over as well. I think the thought of having company cheered her up for a quick second.”
I think about it for a minute because I already offered to bring Melody dinner tonight, and she rejected the idea, so I feel like this might be pushing my luck. “Maybe, just you and Pops should go over tonight,” I tell her.
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. I know you’d love to see Melody. Plus, Parker told me so.”
I close my eyes and release a heavy breath. “Do you get all of your gossip from a seven-year-old?”
“Brett, she didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know.”
“That’s impossible and ridiculous. I ran into her for the first time a couple of days ago after going a decade without contact. Let’s be realistic here.”
Mom huffs into the phone. “Okay, well, whatever the case … you’re single. She’s single. You once adored her, and she was always so bashful around you. I don’t know, sweetie, maybe timing was never in your favor, but now—”
“Timing is not in our favor right now, Mom. Come on, let’s focus on what’s at hand here. Harold is losing a battle. Melody isn’t running out of days to find a man to marry, and I have my hands full, as you know.”
“Fine,” she groans. “Take away all my fun.”
“I don’t think the Quinn’s are having much fun right now,” I say, being serious about the reason she wants to bring dinner to them tonight.
“Brett, you know that isn’t what I meant. Just forget I said anything, okay? I’m sorry.”
“No apology needed, Mom. Melody is a great woman, and I’d be lucky if she was interested in me. However, I have Parker, and she’s single, never married. Even if this wasn’t the worst possible time to consider asking Melody to spend time with me outside of her dying father’s shop, I don’t think she’d be interested. Let’s forget about whatever idea you have floating through your head.”
“Brett!” She snaps. “I already said: forget it, you don’t need to keep harping on the subject. I said I’m sorry for bringing it up, and I am. So, let’s move on, but meet us at the Quinns’s house by seven-thirty. I can bring Parker if you want to go to the gym first. Maybe you could let off some of that pent-up steam you’re taking out on me.”
Jesus. “Okay, Mom. Thank you.”
“Okay, I’m going to go. I’ll see you soon. Love you.”
“Love you, too,” I say with an unintended high-pitch tone. Thankfully, she hangs up before hearing the way I sound, and hopefully she will forget about our conversation. I understand she has strong feelings about the fact that Parker doesn’t have a mother figure in her life. I also know it’s technically my fault at this point for not moving forward. But I will not join every single dating site out there so I can find some random profile that matches up with mine. Plus, this town doesn’t exactly offer many new faces on a regular basis. If I’m going to meet someone or be with someone, it’ll happen. If not, then it is what it is, and I’m fine with that too. Mom doesn’t see it that way, though, and the odds are not in my favor that she will give up on her pre-planned fate for me.
13
Melody isn’t home yet,and I’m walking into her house with Parker, following my parents. I feel like we’re intruding, but Mom assured me Mrs. Quinn was very welcoming of the idea to have company. However, we were already parked out in front of her house when she pulled into the driveway. A smile tugging at her lips might offer the sense that we’re welcome, but I doubt a smile of any kind is natural at the moment.
“Don’t forget what I said, Parker,” I say as she takes her boots off at the door, following my lead. “I won’t ask about Mr. Quinn. I already know,” she replies.
Parker hasn’t been to the Quinns's house before. She’s only seen Harold and Mrs. Quinn at the shop a couple of times. She’s enamored by the walls and how they are covered with various styles of picture frames, embracing the story being told of a happy family. Parker smiles at the wall of memories as she walks by. Maybe I should hang up more photos in the house. I have a couple, but decorating isn’t an area I excel in. I had an interior decorator handle the house before we moved in so I could avoid the tasks of making our new home feel homey. When we moved in, the rooms seemed a bit staged, but when the boxes arrived, clutter filled up the empty spaces. I should at least hang up her school pictures, I guess—just another moment of realizing failure.
I offer Mrs. Quinn a warm hug before saying anything else. “How are you doing, Mrs. Quinn? What can I help with?” I ask Mrs. Quinn as I step into the kitchen, watching Mom hustle around with her casserole dishes and salad bowl.
“Brett, why don’t you get the drinks,” Mom says to me before Mrs. Quinn has the chance to speak.
“Of course.” I spot the bottles of wine Mom and Pops brought in and notice the wine glasses hanging from beneath an overhead cabinet. “Parker, go tell Uncle Brody to take his shoes off.” I hear Brody make his entrance before walking through the front door, shouting at Hannah for whatever she just said to him. I’ll assume it was worthy of Brody raising his voice because she is the only person in this entire world who knows how to make Brody tick. I couldn’t even do that throughout our entire childhood. Brody brushed everything off or punched me in the gut to give me the hint I needed. Hannah, though, someone might think she’s shoving toothpicks under his nails with the way she tortures him. We’ve all chalked it up to her being a tween, and we’ve told Brody she’ll grow out of this phase of hating him at some point. I just hope Parker doesn’t go through the same thing because if this is a preview, I’m not sure I’ll survive.
I see Brody waltz in after kicking his boots off, his cheeks are burning red,and his eyes are wide, looking at me like he just ran away from a killer beast. “I need a drink,” he says.
“Red, white, or bourbon?” I ask while uncorking the bottle of red.
“All three should do,” he says, peeking over his shoulder. I assume he’s looking for Hannah,who took off into the dining room with Parker.
“Everything okay?” I ask with a raised brow.
“She wants me dead,” he whispers.
“No, she doesn’t. She’s just trying to show you who’s boss.”
