“Yeah. She gets it because her job is demanding too.”
Presley’s eyes narrow ever so slightly. “What does she do?”
Sami’s job pops into my extremely dumb brain. “Nurse.”
“Why do you look surprised, Mr. Steve?” Presley asks. “Did you not know what his girlfriend does?”
My dad, caught not keeping his face straight enough, is not going to lie for me. I brace for it.
“I’m surprised to hear about a girlfriend,” he admits.
He’s going to blow up my escape. Unless . . . “I haven’t mentioned it,” I say. “It’s pretty new.”
“How new?” Presley asks.
“Couple of weeks, but when you know, you know.” I throw that in with a smile. Let her think it’s immediate and true love.
“Fascinating,” my mom says. She’s in no hurry to acquire Presley as a daughter-in-law, but she’s not going to sit and enable any lies either. “What’s her name?”
“Samantha.” I keep my face as straight as possible. No need for them to know that she likes pho more than she likes me.
“A couple of weeks isn’t that long,” Presley says.
Her tone is full of doubt. I’m not making a convincing case. “Sometimes you don’t need that long. You can know someone for years and never feel that magic, or you can cross paths with someone once and feel a lightning strike. This was like that.”
“We’ll look forward to meeting her soon,” my mom says. That is a clearYou better put up or shut up, because you’re in trouble if you’re lying.
Throwing out Sami’s name was a desperate play, and now I’m going to pay the price of a very awkward conversation with Sami.
My mom changes the subject, and I work hard to keep it away from any talk of dating or relationships. As dinner ends, I make excuses to my parents and the Reillys about needing to get some work done for the next day. I jerk my thumb at my dad, likeThis guy. He frowns but doesn’t contradict me.
When I climb into bed that night, I haven’t gotten any threatening texts from my parents, so I fall asleep slightly less stressed; looks like they’re going to cover for me.
What a misplaced sense of security.
My dad summons me to his office as soon as he gets in. “A girlfriend, Josh?”
“Why are you looking at me like you don’t believe me?” Whenever you’ve got the weak position, play offense. He taught me that.
He doesn’t fall for it. “JP and Presley don’t believe you. They’re insisting on a last dinner before they leave town. They want you there with this girlfriend.”
“I don’t owe them that, Dad. Presley will get over it.”
He sighs. “Normally, I’d agree with you and say to ride it out. But JP mentioned discussing an adjustment to our retainer, which is a warning that he isn’t satisfied. He thinks you’re lying, and you know he’ll yank his business in a second if he thinks you’re not playing it straight with Presley. You’ve put us in the position of having to lie for you.”
“I haven’t,” I say, guilt immediately roiling my stomach. I’ve forced them into a position they’ll hate, unless . . . “I really am seeing someone named Sami.”A couple of nights a week on her balcony . . .
“And this is someone you have feelings for?”
“Yes.”Feelings like it’s nice to talk to her sometimes at night.
My dad’s forehead smooths. “So you were telling the truth at dinner.”
“It’s just so new. There was no reason to say anything before.” Also mostly true. “I would have introduced you guys eventually.” Possibly true, if we bump into her when my parents visit my condo, which they haven’t done yet despite an invitation.
“We’ll look forward to meeting her tomorrow night.” He sits back, a look of relief on his face.
“Tomorrow night?”
