“Oh, really? Is Caroline is coming by?” Mom asked. She put a couple of dishes in the sink and waited for me to answer.
“No, a different friend.” I wanted to act casual, but it wasn’t easy. I wasn’t entirely sure where my nerves came from, especially with something as simple as introducing my parents to a new friend, but introducing a male friend was never simple.
“Who is she?” Dad asked, not looking up from his morning paper.
“It’s not a she.” I corrected him. “His name is Jacob. I met him in the park a few days ago.”
Dad stopped reading and looked over his paper. He didn't say anything, but I could tell he was trying to remember where he last put his shotgun. He liked to clean it whenever guys came over.
“When will he be here?” Mom asked. She looked excited. There was a gleam in her eye as she spoke. More than likely, she was already assuming Jacob to be a potential boyfriend for me even though she hadn’t met him yet.
“Any minute,” I said, glancing down at my watch. The sooner he got here, the sooner I could get out of here.
“Is he cute?” Mom asked, her lips curling up into an even wider smile.
“Moooooom.” I placed my hands onto my hips and cocked my head to the side, doing my best to impersonate an annoyed teenager. Mom just laughed.
“Well?” she pressed, not letting me off the hook. “Is he cute or not?”
“A little,” I replied. I tried not to smile, but I couldn't stop myself. “He’s a little bit cute.”
“Uh huh,” Mom replied with a knowing grin. She winked at me before pouring herself another cup of coffee. “When do we get to meet him?”
“Eventually,” I promised. “He's just a friend, Mom. I'm sure you'll meet him soon.”
?
??I hope so,” she replied. “I haven't seen you look this happy since you got here. If nothing else, I like this guy for that.”
“Me too,” Dad agreed. I turned to him, slightly surprised.
“Even though he's keeping me from my job hunting?” I asked, crossing my arms and preparing myself for my dad's disappointment.
“Honey, I just want you to be happy,” Dad replied, setting his paper down. “I want you to have a career that you're proud of and that lets you live your life. I don't care about the job search, just that you get where you need to go.”
My arms fell from their defensive posture. “Thanks, Daddy.”
Dad picked up his paper again. “Oh look, McMurray's Hardware is hiring...”
“Thanks, Dad,” I replied quickly and hurried out of the kitchen. I could hear Dad chuckling as I ran out the front door to meet Jacob.
Chapter 6
Jacob was poised to ring the doorbell as I opened the door. He jumped slightly, but smiled widely as I stepped out. He had on his glasses today, which I found out helped him with computer work.
“You forgot to take off your glasses,” I reminded him as I closed the door behind me.
“Thank you,” he replied, taking them off and putting them in his pocket. “I was working before I came. It was a busy work day today. You look great, by the way.”
I loved the way his eyes twinkled when he looked at me. I felt like I was the center of the universe when he looked at me like that, and it made my stomach do happy somersaults.
“Which direction should we go?” he asked, taking my hand in his and leading me down the driveway. I liked the way his hand felt wrapped around mine.
I looked to my left, where the park with the fountain was located, then I turned to my right. A couple of miles down the road in that direction was William’s Park. I hadn’t been there in a long time and I kind of wanted to see what it looked like after all these years. Besides, I thought Jacob might like it since it wouldn't be as crowded as the fountain.
“How about William’s Park?” I asked, taking a step to the right.
“I’m new here, so you’ll have to take the lead. I don’t have any idea where it is. But sure, sounds like a fun little adventure,” he said with a smile.