When his gaze returns to my face, I give him a look that makes it clear I caught him checking me out. He blushes a little and averts his eyes.
If Hayley and I were closer, I’d tell her about this later. Justin is not a good prospect—a man who ogles his girlfriend’s sister at a family dinner is unlikely to be faithful. But as things stand, Hayley would probably think I made it up to make trouble.
Hayley’s two years younger than me, and we’ve never been particularly close. Growing up, we had vastly different strengths—I was the athlete who struggled in school, and she was the brainy one who hated gym class. You might think that meant we didn’t compete with each other, but we were still rivals for our parents’ attention. Of course, our parents insisted they didn’t have a favorite daughter.
But for the past few years, there’s been no doubt that Hayley’s the favorite child. My dad and I had a blowout fight a few years ago, and we haven’t been able to move past it. My mother tries to play peacemaker, but Dad and I don’t make it easy.
And I know that deep down, my mother thinks I’m the one who should apologize.
Everyone sits down, and we pass the food around. There’s an open bottle of white wine in the middle of the table, and I help myself to a glass. I don’t drink a lot of alcohol—if I’m going to splurge on a drink, I’d rather buy coffee—but I’ve found wine greatly improves the Parker family dinner experience.
“How’s your new job going, Ally?” my mother asks. “Today was your first day at the hospital, right?”
“First day after the orientation, yeah,” I nod. “It was okay.”
“What kind of work do you do?” Justin asks. “No, wait, let me guess. I’m going to say you’re . . . not a nurse, but I bet a lot of people make that mistake.”
I try to jump in here, because there’s no way this guessing game will end well. “Actually, I’m a?—”
“Pediatrics resident?” Justin asks.
“Admin assistant,” I say, and it comes out a little too loudly.
Justin blinks. “Like a secretary?”
Next to him, Hayley tries to hide a smirk of amusement.
“A lot like a secretary, yep,” I say evenly. Although so far, the job seems more like that of a personal chef, but I’m not going to mention that.
Justin’s clearly surprised, but I can hardly blame him for it. I’m the outlier in a highly educated family. My dad’s a Greek history professor at Somerset U, and my mother’s a senior partner in an accounting firm.
And Hayley’s a student at Somerset U, finishing up a physiotherapy degree. She’s never liked sports, so I was a bit surprised when she chose physio, but apparently the job prospects are great.
And then there’s me, with my one-year community college diploma in medical office administration. I could have gone to university—I had scholarship offers from top schools—but I chose a different path, over my parents’ strong objections.
You’ll regret this for the rest of your life, Alexandra.
No one will take you seriously without a bachelor’s degree, Ally. It’s today’s equivalent of a high school diploma.
You’re throwing away a great opportunity, Alexandra.
My parents might have been right, but I’ll be damned before I’ll admit it.
“So, Justin,” I say, in an effort to change the subject. “Hayley mentioned you’re a physiotherapist?”
“Yep,” he says. “Hayley and I met at a physio conference in Halifax last fall. We got talking and realized we both lived in Somerset. It seemed like fate, right babe?”
“Definitely,” Hayley agrees, smiling at him. “Justin’s family owns a physio clinic.”
“Premier Physio, out by Maplehurst Mall,” Justin supplies. “I’ve been working there for the past year. Hayley’s going to join us after she graduates.”
“That’s great,” I murmur.
“We’re always accepting new patients,” Justin says. “So if you’ve got anyone looking for a physio recommendation, keep us in mind.”
“For sure,” I reply, although I doubt anyone’s going to ask me to recommend a physio clinic. In my current job, I doubt I’ll ever meet a patient.
As it often does in my parents’ house, the conversation shifts to Greek history. My dad’s writing another paper about the Peloponnesian War. It sounds pretty dull, but I’m probably not the target audience. I find most Greek history boring, except for the mythology.
