11
Chris
For once, Evan and I get to theRed Cherryexactly on time. It’s Saturday morning, and I’ve given Vic the morning off to recover from the night before. It would’ve taken me more than half a day to get over it – and I’m not talking about the wine.
I’m talking about him.
How could I ever have thought that his aftershave smelled so good? How did I let myself close my eyes and lose myself in the heat of his fingers against mine? How could I let myself be so naïve, be carried away by a teenage fantasy?
That man is just a bastard with an ego bigger than his mouth.
Definitely one to steer clear of.
Evan huffs as he helps me take the chairs down from the tables. He’s right, I force him to come along to the café every weekend, a firm family tradition. Every Saturday morning, my father, my mother and my sister all come here to have breakfast together. I can’t get out of it, for obvious reasons, but Evan’s still at the age where he has to suffer through these family events. At least until he’s old enough to escape. My parents love us, but in a way, it’s me who forces them to come here. I like them coming to spend time with him, while he’s still around.
I fire up the hob and start to fry some bacon and eggs, as Leah and Brad help me get the café ready. The first few clients, still half-asleep, start to take their seats, salivating for something to eat, and desperate for the first of their many coffees that day.
My parents arrive at nine-thirty on the dot, as I scrabble around trying to hide my already-finished coffee cup. My father still tells me off as if I’m a little girl.
I go over and hug them affectionately, as they sit down at their usual table in the corner. It’s the most private table in the café, which gives them a good vantage point from which to judge my life at a distance, without disturbing the other clients.
I go behind the counter to make the coffee and get breakfast ready for everyone, leaving Evan to fend for himself amongst the thousands of questions his grandparents are throwing at him. They always try to involve themselves in his life, just as I let them do with mine.
My sister Emily approaches me, with the excuse of helping me bring breakfast over. She flashes me one of her mega-watt smiles, which always attracts every member of the male sex in the vicinity.
Emily is beautiful, and I have no idea where she gets it from. She has long, perfectly straight golden hair, charming, bright eyes, and a sweet, gentle face that makes men of all ages fall madly in love with her. She’s twenty-five and still lives at home with my parents, studying for a Master’s in Public Relations, and hoping to escape as soon as she gets the chance.
“So, any updates?” she asks innocently.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No, why?”
“What updates would I have? You’re normally the one with something to tell me.”
Here’s a summary of my life: home,Red Cherry, home. A few drinking sessions with Vic here and there. End of story. Emily’s the one with the exciting, whirlwind lifestyle.
“It’s been a really boring week. I had an exam.”
“How did it go?”
“Really well, obviously.”
I smile, shaking my head. Aside from being stunning, Emily’s also very confident, if not exactly modest – but who could blame her? I’d be the same in her position.
We go back to our table, where my parents are animatedly interrogating my son. Evan’s eyes find mine, begging me to come and save him, but I’m enjoying watching him squirm – so I sit down and make myself comfortable, laughing into my coffee.
“Mum came home drunk last night. And she brought a guy with her.”
I choke on my coffee, coughing until I’m almost blue in the face.
The little bastard.
The conversation suddenly grinds to a halt, everyone’s eyes fixed on me. I try to make myself as small as possible in my seat, staring at the table, embarrassed and very pissed off with my son, who thought it would be a good idea to save himself by diverting all the attention onto me.
No way is he leaving the house for the next two weeks.
“What’s this?” my mother asks, raising an eyebrow. “Do you have a boyfriend?”
