“Clay should be down in a sec,” Jeff added.
“I understand congratulations are in order,” Finn said to Will, smiling. “I’m told he said yes.”
“Um, yeah. So why am I still nervous?” Will answered.
Finn laughed. “First-date jitters. But don’t worry, it’s gonna be okay.”
“What’s this?” Jeff asked. “You’ve got a date, Will? Is it with that guy Tom?”
“Yeah. I asked him this morning before class.” The color rose in Will’s face. “We’re going out Saturday night.”
Clay sauntered down the stairs just then and headed directly for Finn, kissing him lightly. “Hi, sweetheart.”
“Hi, you,” Finn replied. “We were just talking about Will’s upcoming date.”
“Oh yeah, that’s why I wanted you to stop by,” Clay said, turning toward Will. “Finn and I went to this great place a couple of weeks ago, and I figured we could tell you about it.”
“That’s right,” agreed Finn. “The Artisan Pig in Plymouth. Nice, but casual. I think you’ll like it.”
“I’ve heard of it,” Will said. “It’s a pizza place, right?”
“It is,” replied Finn. “The food was great, and best of all, it won’t break the bank.”
“It sounds perfect,” Will agreed. “Thanks, guys.”
CHAPTER SIX
Tom
“A date?”Char squealed. “That’s awesome! Now tell me exactly how he asked you.” Char hadn’t worked that day, but Tom had called her as soon as he got home.
“Honestly, he kind of caught me off guard,” Tom explained. “I was in the library this morning, studying before my Spanish class. He walked up to the carrel where I was sitting and said he had something to ask me. At first I thought I had forgotten about a study session or something.”
“I know you better than that,” Char said. “You wouldn’t miss a study session, especially since you told me it’s helping you a lot. Is that when he popped the question?”
“Yeah. He asked me if I’d like to have dinner with him Saturday night. I said yes, but now I’m wondering if maybe I should have just let him down easily,” he admitted.
“Why the hell would you do that? I mean, you like him, right?” Char asked, her voice rising in pitch.
“Yeah, I do like him, but I just know it’s not gonna last, so why even bother?” Tom’s voice broke slightly.
“Stop that right now, Tom!” Char exclaimed. “What have I told you about talking like that? I don’t wanna hear your mom’s words coming outta your mouth.”
“Sorry,” Tom said sincerely. “I know I shouldn’t say shit like that. But it’s not easy. Remember, I’ve been hearing that stuff almost all my life.”
“I know, hon.” Char’s tone changed, and Tom could hear the care in her words. “I’ve tried to be patient with you. But you know your mom is a bad influence when it comes to relationships. That alone is enough of a reason why you need to get a place of your own. I understand that your dad was a dick, but that doesn’t mean all guys are. But enough about that.” Char deftly changed the subject. “I wanna talk more about the date. So where is he taking you?”
“I dunno. We didn’t really talk about it. Just that he’s gonna pick me up around seven.”
“Okay, so you’ll need to wear something casual but nice. I don’t think he’s gonna take you anywhere too fancy.” She spoke like she was his older and wiser sister if he’d had one.
“There’s no placethatfancy around here anyway,” Tom said. “And I don’t think he’d take me up to Boston on a first date.”
They continued their date discussion until they both began to yawn and agreed to chat again the following day.
The next coupleof days flew by. Before he knew it, Tom was leaving his shift at the Whale to race home to change for his date. He hadn’t seen Will much at school, but he did get a text at one point just letting him know that they’d be going to The Artisan Pig in Plymouth for dinner.
His mom was in the living room in front of the TV when he got home, and he stopped to give her a quick kiss on the cheek before bounding up the stairs to his room. “No time to chat, Mom,” he said after the kiss. “I’ve only got a few minutes to shower and change.”
