“Yes, mom, that’s what I said. Afriend.”
“I was just clarifying,” Michelle said, grinningatme.
Grabbing Emma’s hand, I gave her an adoring smile. This was not acting on my part. I genuinely found this girl something special. “Yeah, afriend. ”
Michelle’s eyes bulged as she looked between the two of us, and the shocked expression on her face turned to shamelessexhilaration.
“Oh, my goodness, this is wonderful, isn’t it, Scott? Emma’sfriend.”
“Shoot me now,” Emma whispered inmyear.
“Say ‘hi,’ Scott,” Michelle said, smacking him in the arm. “Don’t just sit there with the stupid look onyourface.”
“I wasn’t just sitting here, I was waiting for you to stop embarrassingyourself.”
I extended my hand to her father. “Happybirthday.”
“Ah, thank you. Finally someone who cares. I’m surrounded byingrates.”
“Just because we don’t infuse every conversation with mention of your birthday doesn’t mean we aren’t impressed you’ve lived this long. Hi Finn, I’m Keith, Emma’s olderbrother.”
“And this is my sister Grace, and my younger brothers Jake and Quinn. Kenzie and Casey you met last night. Casey is Jake’s fiancée, and Kenzie is my other brother Kyle’s girlfriend. Where is he, bytheway?”
“Taking a crap,” the youngest boyoffered.
“Quinn!” Michelle admonished, offering me up her sincerest apology. “We have company. Let’s all try to be normalplease.”
“This ismybirthday, Michelle, and I don’t want to donormal.”
Emma went over to greet her dad with a hug. “Happy birthday. Iloveyou.”
“Love you too,sweetheart.”
“Finn, please, come sit. You and Emma can take these seats right here. Scott, move over,” she demanded, nearly pushing the birthday boy from his seat as she made room for me. Emma wasn’t kidding… her mom was practically salivating. At this rate, we’d be married bysundown
“Knocks me off my throne on my birthday,” Scott mumbled as he moved spots. Clearly he was teasing, and it garnered the desiredresults.
“Oh, my God,” all the kids whined inunison.
“Stop it with the birthday stuff,” Keith added. “No one can milk it likeyou,Dad.”
“See what I have to put up with?” Scott asked me,grinning.
“Do not feel sorry for him,” Jake spoke to me for the first time. “He was just informing us all of what he wanted for his birthday… and it wasn’t worldpeace.”
“I hardly think a Lamborghini and a swimsuit model is too much toask,Jake.”
As I laughed, I was getting a clear picture of how this family worked. It was all sarcastic charm and off-color digs. This, right here, would be the family I would have wanted over my own twisted, backwoodsversion.
Michelle jumped back in, inching in closer as she gazed admiringly at me. Well, winning her over had been effortless, at least. Emma, seeing her mother’s exaggerated behavior, leaned back and whispered in my ear, “Toldya.”
“My daughter didn’t tell us she was bringingcompany.”
“Oh, yeah. It was a last minute thing. I hope youdon’tmind.”
“Mind?” Michelle asked. “Of course not. We’re thrilled to have you. How did youtwomeet?”
Emma and I exchanged a glance. We actually hadn’t thought this through very well and had no cover story. Somehow I doubted Michelle would appreciate the real one where her daughter plucked a stranger offtheroad.
