Rya looked over at me, and while I doubted that my parents would get Kelly fired, it’d be worth it to me now that Rya no longer had a sparkle in her eyes.Even though she’d been nervous when we’d first gotten here, she had relaxed a bit after realizing that my parents weren’t assholes, and we’d all been having a good time.
However, now we were all uncomfortable, and for what?Because Kelly was jealous?Because she felt as if Rya didn’t belong?Since Kelly and I had always been casual acquaintances at best, I honestly had no idea.Plus, as a server, Kelly wasn’t a member here, so it couldn’t be a social class thing, could it?
At any rate, I was pissed, my mother was pissed, my father was trying to keep the peace, and Rya was embarrassed, and I really, really, really wanted to fucking say something.I wanted to cause a scene and make it clear to everyone within hearing distance that they couldn’t treat my girlfriend like that.
So...
“I’ll be right back, baby.”
Rya immediately grabbed my hand that was resting on her thigh.“Koen, don’t.It’s fine, I promise.”
“No, it’s not,” I argued.“And it’s not okay that you think it’s fine, Rya.”
Then, as clear as day, not caring that my parents could hear us, she said, “I’m not going to be the reason that your life starts to unravel, Koen.We’re either strong enough to ignore people like her, or else we’re never going to be able to leave the house, and is that really the kind of relationship you want to have?”
“You can’t ask me not to defend you, Rya,” I told her honestly.“You can’t ask that of me.”
Her face softened as she said, “And you’re free to defend me any time you want, but only when it’s warranted, and her being...her being an idiot doesn’t warrant it.”
“Baby...”
“It’s fine, Koen,” she repeated.“I promise it is.”
“How about we eat our food, and then we can just remember never to come here again?”my father suggested.
Rya immediately looked over at him.“That’s not necessary, Mr.Wilder.”
“Ashford,” he corrected.“And I think it is.”
I could feel Rya begin to withdrawal, and I couldn’t let that happen.So, against my better judgement, I gave in.“I think we should eat.Thankfully, none of it is hot food.”
“Despite what happened, the chicken wraps really do look good,” Rya remarked, doing her best to set things right.“I mean, they’re no tacos, but then what is, right?”
Everyone smiled, then we went about eating our food in silence, but that only lasted a small while.My father being my father had picked up the conversation again, this time, discussing work because it was the safest topic.Since it was a family business, it wasn’t a hardship to talk shop.
However, once that subject had been exhausted, my mother decided to chime in.“You know, it just occurred to me that Rya might like to see the rose lake.”
“The rose lake?”Rya echoed.“What’s a rose lake?”
“It’s an optical illusion that our monthly dues pay for,” my dad drawled out.
Mom just laughed.“It is not.”
“What is it?”Rya asked, and I felt better seeing her smile again.
“Let’s finish our lunch, and then I’ll be happy to show you,” my mother said.“Hopefully, it’ll make up for the horrible service.”
“I’m game,” Rya easily agreed, grinning over at me.“You don’t mind, do you?”
“Even if I did, I know better than to tell my mother no,” I teased.
“That’s Rule #1 in our house,” my father added, and he wasn’t necessarily joking.
