me out to dinner tonight, but he canceled.”
“Oh no, Josh,” my mom said as she tucked her napkin back into her lap. “You didn’t have to change your plans for us. I’m sorry, dear,” she said to Stacie. “Are you two close?”
Stacie was chewing with her eyes closed, looking like she was tasting just a little bit of heaven. “Mmmhmmm,” she said. “Very close. Aren’t we, Joshy?”
“Not for much longer we aren’t,” he muttered under his breath as he reluctantly sat back down at the table.
“Joshy?” I couldn’t hide my grin, and Josh shot me a dark look. Stacie pouted a little that he wasn’t sitting next to her, and I braced for her to say something but she didn’t.
“So, Will,” Stacie speared some salad on her fork then waved it at me, “Josh got me hooked on your books.” She leaned close and lowered her voice as if no one else could hear her. “Have you ever written about him? I mean, you two MUST have dat—”
“WINE!” I stood up suddenly, shouting the word so loudly it startled my parents. Stacie stared at me with wide eyes like she was thinking I might be unbalanced.
Frankly, I was thinking the same thing.
“Willow?” My dad had this look on his face like he wanted to ask me a question but wasn’t quite sure how to phrase it.
Pushing my chair back, I was already heading for the glasses. “I didn’t offer you any wine, Stacie. How un-hostly of me.” I grabbed a goblet and turned around. “Or would you prefer beer?”
Josh was shaking his head no, like this was the WORST idea possible. And now that I thought about it, loosening her tongue with alcohol was perhaps the stupidest thing I could do given the circumstances, but it was the only thing I could think of at the time.
Thinking on the fly? NOT my strong suit. I do so much better when I have time to plan things out. Which made me good at writing, but not so much at Life-ing.
“Wine would be great,” Stacie said. “Thank you. You are so sweet. Not at all what I expected.”
As I was trying to figure out the appropriate response to that, my mom said, “So you two hadn’t met?” Her forehead furrowed in confusion. “Are you visiting, then?” she said to Stacie.
“Visiting? Well, I came by to see Josh.” Stacie smiled coquettishly at him and then suggestively swirled her tongue around a cherry tomato and popped it into her mouth.
“STACIE.” Josh shot to his feet, his chair clattering to the floor behind him. “I REALLY NEED TO TALK TO YOU OUT IN THE HALL RIGHT NOW.” He walked around the table, gently but firmly took her arm and led her toward the door. As he was opening it, he turned back and said, “I’ll be right back.”
Stacie said, “I will, t—”
But Josh yanked her out the door before she could finish her sentence.
My parents were silent for a few moments. And I didn’t have a clue what to say.
“Well,” my mom said, smoothing her hands over her lap, “that was…”
“I’m sorry,” I said, the words rushing out of my mouth. “This is all my fault, and I…I never should have…god, I’ve messed this all up. It’s just that you worry about me and I don’t want you to worry, and I’m sorry. Josh and I—”
The door opened and Josh came back in. Alone.
My mouth hung open in mid-sentence, but nothing more came out.
“Josh and you what, Willowbee?” my dad said, a crease in his forehead. “What were you going to say?”
Josh slid into his seat next to me and nudged me with his arm. “We’re just so glad you’re here,” he said, turning to my parents. “Especially me. It’s really great to finally meet you.”
I let out a deep and slightly shaky breath, my eyes stinging a little. If I believed in knights in shining armor, Josh would definitely be one.
“So, Josh,” my mom said, picking up from where we’d left off, as if Stacie had never even been here, “tell us how you proposed to our Willow.”
“Oh…” I said, panic prickling my skin, “it’s not
“Oh no, Josh,” my mom said as she tucked her napkin back into her lap. “You didn’t have to change your plans for us. I’m sorry, dear,” she said to Stacie. “Are you two close?”
Stacie was chewing with her eyes closed, looking like she was tasting just a little bit of heaven. “Mmmhmmm,” she said. “Very close. Aren’t we, Joshy?”
“Not for much longer we aren’t,” he muttered under his breath as he reluctantly sat back down at the table.
“Joshy?” I couldn’t hide my grin, and Josh shot me a dark look. Stacie pouted a little that he wasn’t sitting next to her, and I braced for her to say something but she didn’t.
“So, Will,” Stacie speared some salad on her fork then waved it at me, “Josh got me hooked on your books.” She leaned close and lowered her voice as if no one else could hear her. “Have you ever written about him? I mean, you two MUST have dat—”
“WINE!” I stood up suddenly, shouting the word so loudly it startled my parents. Stacie stared at me with wide eyes like she was thinking I might be unbalanced.
Frankly, I was thinking the same thing.
“Willow?” My dad had this look on his face like he wanted to ask me a question but wasn’t quite sure how to phrase it.
Pushing my chair back, I was already heading for the glasses. “I didn’t offer you any wine, Stacie. How un-hostly of me.” I grabbed a goblet and turned around. “Or would you prefer beer?”
Josh was shaking his head no, like this was the WORST idea possible. And now that I thought about it, loosening her tongue with alcohol was perhaps the stupidest thing I could do given the circumstances, but it was the only thing I could think of at the time.
Thinking on the fly? NOT my strong suit. I do so much better when I have time to plan things out. Which made me good at writing, but not so much at Life-ing.
“Wine would be great,” Stacie said. “Thank you. You are so sweet. Not at all what I expected.”
As I was trying to figure out the appropriate response to that, my mom said, “So you two hadn’t met?” Her forehead furrowed in confusion. “Are you visiting, then?” she said to Stacie.
“Visiting? Well, I came by to see Josh.” Stacie smiled coquettishly at him and then suggestively swirled her tongue around a cherry tomato and popped it into her mouth.
“STACIE.” Josh shot to his feet, his chair clattering to the floor behind him. “I REALLY NEED TO TALK TO YOU OUT IN THE HALL RIGHT NOW.” He walked around the table, gently but firmly took her arm and led her toward the door. As he was opening it, he turned back and said, “I’ll be right back.”
Stacie said, “I will, t—”
But Josh yanked her out the door before she could finish her sentence.
My parents were silent for a few moments. And I didn’t have a clue what to say.
“Well,” my mom said, smoothing her hands over her lap, “that was…”
“I’m sorry,” I said, the words rushing out of my mouth. “This is all my fault, and I…I never should have…god, I’ve messed this all up. It’s just that you worry about me and I don’t want you to worry, and I’m sorry. Josh and I—”
The door opened and Josh came back in. Alone.
My mouth hung open in mid-sentence, but nothing more came out.
“Josh and you what, Willowbee?” my dad said, a crease in his forehead. “What were you going to say?”
Josh slid into his seat next to me and nudged me with his arm. “We’re just so glad you’re here,” he said, turning to my parents. “Especially me. It’s really great to finally meet you.”
I let out a deep and slightly shaky breath, my eyes stinging a little. If I believed in knights in shining armor, Josh would definitely be one.
“So, Josh,” my mom said, picking up from where we’d left off, as if Stacie had never even been here, “tell us how you proposed to our Willow.”
“Oh…” I said, panic prickling my skin, “it’s not
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