Page 27 of One Little Favor
“I got you an early Christmas present,” he says.
“What?” I ask, confusion surely written in the look I’m giving him. But then I hear a familiar, too-loud voice and glance across the restaurant. I’m not sure how, but my parents are at the host stand. “How ...?”
Tom just gives me a half smile and says, “I hope this is a good surprise?”
I can’t express how I’m feeling right now. Elated at the opportunity to see my parents, and dreading telling them I’m dating my boss—if you can even call this dating. “This is an amazing surprise, Tom. And I’m going to enjoy every awkward second of you explaining to my parents who you are and why we’re here together.”
My parents follow the host and head toward us. Dad is using his cane, which means his leg is bothering him, so they’re moving slowly across the room, and Mom is fussing over him so they haven’t seen us yet. Tom and I both step forward until we’re in front of the table, instead of on opposite sides of it. “You have no idea how uncomfortable this is about to get.” I can’t help but laugh.
He leans down and brushes his lips across my forehead, telling me, “It’s going to be fine.” And that must be when my mom sees us, because her gasp, followed by her too-loud “Oh my God!” with her thick Brooklyn accent has the whole restaurant falling into a hushed silence as everyone stares at us. “What are you doing here?” Mom approaches me with open arms and sweeps me into a hug so tight I’m afraid she’s going to break a rib.
“Surprise?” I say. Is my voice shaking, or does it just feel like it? I’ve never been so nervous about introducing my parents to anyone before.
“ReeRee!” Dad exclaims, using my childhood nickname. He leans in and I kiss him on the cheek.
“Mom, Dad, this is Tom,” I say, by way of introduction.
“Tom Shepherd,” Tom says as he shakes my dad’s hand first.
Mom’s gasp is again of the variety that has the whole restaurant staring at us—if they ever stopped in the first place.
“Your boss, Avery?” she says, and there is unmistakable disapproval mixed in with the surprise in her voice.
“The very one,” Tom answers as I gulp. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” He holds his hand out to my mom. “Avery talks about you all the time.”
I watch Tom curiously, amazed at how at ease he is outside of the office. He’s like a different man from the one I’ve worked for all year.
“All good things, I hope,” Mom says, a blush staining her cheeks. My goodness, is she flirting with him?
“Only good things. Here, please, join us for dinner,” he says, gesturing toward the table behind us.
Once we’re all situated, my dad clears his throat. “I gotta be honest,” he drawls, sounding every bit the Brooklynite that he is. “When the cruise delivered the message that you were sending us to a restaurant on the island as a Christmas gift, I in no way expected to see you here,” Dad says to me, then glances at Tom. “With your boss.”
That enormous pit in my stomach feels like a black hole that’s slowly pulling every particle of matter in my body into it.
Mom lets out a nervous laugh. “You didn’t tell us about you and Tom,” she says to me, reaching across the table to pat my hand. Hopefully soon I’ll just disintegrate into space dust and be sucked inside that black hole, so I don’t have to face my father and explain that I’m sleeping with my boss.
No luck. I’m still here, so I glance over at Tom. The ball is in his court to explain this one, and he knows it.
“This whole thing between Avery and me is very new,” he glances at me as he says it, but then looks over at my parents, his eyes darting back and forth between them. “But I couldn’t stand to see how much she was missing you, and I wanted her to be able to see you for Christmas.”
“So you brought her to St. Thomas?” Dad clarifies. His hands are clasped around his water glass, and he’s looking down into it like it’ll somehow explain what the hell is going on here.
“Yes. I surprised her with the trip, and with this dinner.” Tom doesn’t seem the least bit uncomfortable, so I’m not sure if he’s just a master at hiding that, or if he’s okay with how freaking stilted and painful this conversation is.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell us that something was happening with you two,” Mom says to me. She sounds like she’s teasing, but I can tell there’s hurt in her voice too.
I’m so torn between being mad at Tom for putting us in this awkward as hell situation, and being immeasurably grateful that he’s created this possibility for me to see my parents on Christmas Eve.
“There was nothing to tell until very recently,” I say honestly, glancing back and forth between my parents. This seems to get Dad’s attention, because he finally lifts his eyes from the water glass he’s still got his hands wrapped around.
“We just saw you a few days ago,” Dad says.
“Like I said, this is all very new.” I keep my voice firm, and there’s an edge to it that I know my dad doesn’t miss.
Dad looks over at Tom, who meets his gaze and doesn’t look down. “You always take women away on vacation when you’ve been dating them for mere days?”
I open my mouth but Tom squeezes my hand, and as I turn to look at him, he says to my dad, “I’ve never taken another woman on vacation. Ever. But I’d give Avery the moon if that’s what she wanted. And what she wanted more than anything was to see you two for Christmas. Like you, I just want her to be happy.”
