It was then that the waitress arrived with our drinks and took our food orders.
My father raised his glass of recently delivered tap beer. “To the start of new beginnings,” he said as cheers.
“To new beginnings,” everyone echoed. I sipped at my pale ale and tried not to worry about what exactly my new beginning was going to be.
“Hey, let me have a sip,” Tommy whispered as I lowered my glass. I handed him my beer and he sipped slyly before passing it back. It made me wonder when the time would come where we would actually share drinks. It wasn’t really that far away, I realized while subtly studying my brother. Time had a way of flying past without us realizing it.
“So Caroline, any idea on where you want to teach at?” Mom asked, restarting the conversation.
“Anywhere that needs a new English teacher,” she replied, tucking a strand of shiny black hair behind her ear. “Right now, I’ve got to find somewhere that’ll take on a first year teacher, which is trickier than it sounds.”
“How’s that going?” my father asked.
“Not so well,” she said with a shrug. “I've had to expand my searches and apply for non-preferred grades. I just haven't gotten anything yet.”
“I'm glad to hear you're working on it,” Dad told her. He adjusted his glasses and looked over at me with raised eyebrows. I thought about throwing my beer at him, since I really was trying to find a job, but instead just smiled and took a sip.
“I’m sure Tommy would take you over his English teacher,” my mother said, pulling my father's focus away from me. “We haven’t been very pleased with her.”
“I applied at the school, but I haven't heard anything back,” Caroline replied. “Maybe you'll get lucky Tommy and get me next year instead.”
I was glad that Caroline had joined us for our dinner. It was supposed to be a miniature celebration for our graduation, and it wouldn’t have felt right without her. She was an honorary member of the family and had joined us for dinners for as long as I could remember, back when dinners were usually followed by a sleepover.
Caroline’s company was also a great excuse to talk about someone else’s unemployment instead of my own. It was almost a toss-up as to which one of us would find work first. At least with her here, my dad wouldn't use the entire meal to find out how many resumes I had sent out.
I tried to pay attention to the discussion about how terrible Tommy's teacher was, but the table next to us stood and left, giving me a clear view of the room. Instead of the conversation, I was draw
n to something else. Or rather, someone else. It was the guy who had saved me from falling in the entryway.
From where I sat, I had a perfect view of his face. My first impression of him was dead on. Gorgeous. He was strikingly handsome, with dark hair combed to one side and a square jaw covered in beard stubble. He wore square dark framed glasses that instantly gave him the impression of intelligence. My stomach fluttered with the thought that I had been wrapped up in his arms not that long ago. Warmth filled my belly and my heart skipped a beat. He must have felt me looking at him, because he glanced up and smiled at me.
I nearly melted at the subtle flirtation and even more so when I noticed his eyes. They were sky blue, unlike any I had ever seen in real life. They were beautiful and intriguing. I smiled back to the man, willing myself not to blush. He nodded and then brought his gaze to his menu once again.
If my family wasn't here, I'd go over and ask him out, I thought to myself. And then shook my head. Even if my family wasn't here and I'd been alone, I still wouldn't have had the guts to go over and talk to him. Besides, what would I say? Thanks again for saving me, maybe you could catch me again sometime? It sounded horrible even inside my head.
The stranger across the restaurant set his menu down and then brought his attention to his cell phone. I couldn't stop watching him. He stuck out like a sore thumb in the family style restaurant. He was well-dressed and his mannerisms were smooth and masculine. It didn't feel like he belonged in a little town like ours, though I certainly wasn't complaining.
My attention was forced back to my table when the waitress walked up and placed a plate of food in front of me. The warm smell of seasoned chicken wafted up into my face like a transparent fog. My mouth watered in anticipation, temporarily distracting me from the beautiful stranger at the nearby table.
In school with Caroline, we only ever cooked different types of pasta for the most part. It was cheap and hard to mess up, and neither of us were particularly good cooks. I had become especially fond of Japanese noodles with tofu, because it was cheaper than chicken. As we inched closer to graduation the effort allotted to grocery shopping took more and more of a hit. Finally, we had stopped shopping altogether and our goal became simply to finish everything in the pantry. I was more than eager for a nice meal that wasn't cobbled together spaghetti noodles and peanut butter.
“This looks so good. Thanks for dinner, Dad,” I said, flashing my dad a smile. I couldn't wait to devour a herb encrusted chicken breast.
“You're very welcome,” Dad replied. He grinned and took a bite of his own meal.“How's yours, Tommy?”
“It's great,” Tommy replied absently. He stared at his phone and pushed out his chair, already heading for the door. “I gotta go, but I”ll be right back.”
“Tommy where are you going?” my mother called after him.
“Your food just came, buddy. Come on, sit down,” my father said.
“I’ll be right back,” he shouted back. “Promise!” He was off before another objection could be spoken.
I watched him and then looked to my mother. “What was that about?” I asked.
“Just some phone game,” she said. She shook her head like I had asked a rhetorical question. “He's been doing that all week. I've given up trying to stop him.”
Caroline laughed. “He’s a funny kid.”