wondered if it
meant anything to him, and if it meant that perhaps he wanted something more,
too.
His
blue eyes penetrated mine. “I just needed to get away and clear my head and
think.”
“Did
it work?”
He
looked down at our entwined hands. “I don’t know.” And without a thought he
dropped my hand.
I
hated that he let go, but it was progress. “Can I help with something?” I hated
seeing him so unsettled.
He
shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. “Ava, you may be the only person
that can, but I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet.”
“You’re
confusing me.”
He
half smiled. “I know.” He didn’t offer any more of an explanation. “We better
get back to my place.”
I
followed him out the door hoping that maybe someday this would all make sense.
Chapter 6
I
was happily greeted by his parents once again. I was also introduced to his
sister, Deanna, and her husband, Eric, and his brother, Nick. Scott was the
oldest. Deanna was five years younger than him and Nick was seven years
younger. Deanna looked like her Mom minus the crazy dyed red hair. Her hair was
bleached blonde. The Langston women apparently like to experiment with hair
color (I came to find out his Mom was a hair stylist, so that made sense). They
were both fairly tall women with medium builds, but his Mom was slightly
heavier than Deanna. Nick and Scott could have almost been twins, but Nick was
a little taller than his big brother, and he had brown eyes like their dad’s
and a nose like their mom’s. They were a very nice looking family, and they
seemed nice too. They were certainly going out of their way to make me feel
welcome.
After
the initial greeting, they all kind of stood there staring at me and Scott, who
was by my side, but as always with a buffer.
I
decided we had all looked at each other enough. “Mrs. Langston, can I help with
anything.”
“Do
you hear this girl’s manners?” she exclaimed. “We’re going to wrap you up and
take two of you.”
I
almost thought she was going to pinch my cheeks, but instead she took my hand.
“Call me Myrna and come with me to the kitchen and tell me all about yourself.”
I
looked back at Scott while his mom was dragging me off and smiled; he grinned
back.
As
soon as we reached the kitchen, she turned back around. “Jerry, you better
check on those steaks,” she yelled, even though he was only a few feet away.
He
obediently walked out the back door as Deanna came and joined us in the
kitchen.
While
I chopped vegetables and fruit, I told my life story minus the husband and
divorce part. I got the feeling they knew that anyway. I was surprised that
Scott had talked to his family about me, but it was a pleasant surprise.
Sometimes
Myrna would interrupt me, ok more than sometimes, and she would look at her
daughter and say, “Listen to this girl, is she not the most adorable creature?”
Deanna
would agree, but I think she was just appeasing her mom. Not that she didn’t
seem to like me, but who calls an almost thirty-year-old woman adorable? Truth
be told, I was only a few months older than Deanna. Scott came back eventually,
but his mom promptly told him to leave—that this was her time with me. I
couldn’t figure out why she was so interested in me. After all, I was only
Scott’s friend, but I’ll admit, it felt good. I missed motherly affection, and
his mom had plenty to give.
It
didn’t take too long to get dinner ready, and it wasn’t like Scott had a table
to set. To be honest, I wasn’t sure why they would have a family gathering at
his house. His mom even berated him. “Here you are, a Doctor and on T.V. and
you have no furniture. We have to sit on camp chairs.”
“We
could eat at my place if you all want to. I have plenty of room at my table,” I
offered.
His
mom’s eyes lit up. “Excellent.”
I
had a feeling she wanted to see my place.
Scott
joined me at his breakfast bar. “Are you sure? My
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