David handed me a plate that he’d filled up with an overwhelming variety of foods: some sort of crusted chicken, mac and cheese, a spinach salad, herbed potatoes, and four other things. I had to admit to myself, it all looked and smelled amazing. I was always ravenous on the days I worked.
I dug in as he served himself. After a few bites, I made myself stop, not wanting to gobble everything up in front of him. I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea about this lunch meeting of ours. I wasn’t really sure what that idea might be, though, because I didn’t understand why he was doing this. I didn’t understand what was going on in his head. But, then again, I never really had.
“You didn’t have to do all this.” I set my fork down and looked at him across the table. The sunlight made his hair look golden. I took a glance at my watch, hoping to subtly imply that I wasn’t going to be able to stick around for very long.
“I think I did,” he argued.
“To thank me for taking care of your mother? Even though that’s what I get paid to do? You know that I didn’t know who she was, right?”
“I do want to thank you for that, regardless of you getting paid and being unaware that she’s my mother.” He said it calmly, still eating his food. I felt like he was taking us on a drive down a bumpy road, and he was perfectly in control. “My motives are twofold, though, Drew. I also want to apologize to you.”
I was about to take another bite of chicken, but that made me pause.
“Apologize?”
“I know I made some mistakes back when we were together. I’m sorry. For all of it. I know you’re probably not interested in excuses, but the reality is, I was under a lot of stress back then. That doesn’t mean I had any right to treat you the way I did. I just want you to know that I’m sorry, and that I was an idiot.”
If I had put on any armor before lunch, David seemed to be finding the cracks in it. His words were getting through the chinks and the gaps—only a little, but a little with David went a long way. I decided to turn my attention back to my plate and put food in my mouth before I said anything that I might later regret.
“How do you like being a nurse?”
I took a sip of water and said, “It’s pretty good. It’s secure.”
That seemed to resonate with him for some reason. “Nursing is a great job. You’re working hard, but you’re helping people—helping the people of your community. Nobody can argue with that kind of work.”
Even though I knew I shouldn’t, I took it as a deep compliment from him. It somehow made me feel better about my work, which was something I’d been struggling with ever since I started it.
“And you? What are you doing now that you’ve finished law school?” I tried to ask it in a nonchalant manner.
“I’ve been working at my father’s law firm, as per the plan. Probably two more years there. These things take a while to get traction. Credibility.”
“These things?”
“Getting into the political scene, I mean. In two years I’ll be thirty and more experienced. Then I’ll run for city council.”
I nodded my head and ate the rest of my food. David offered me more but I declined, telling him I had to get back to work. Really, I had about fifteen more minutes remaining of my lunch break, but I was afraid to be around him for much longer. His charm was as real and solid as a bronze statue.
I stood up from the table, and David mimicked me. I picked up my empty plate and water cup, about to make my escape.
“My mother really likes you, Drew.”
I looked at him. As much as I didn’t want to admit it to him, I didn’t feel I could lie about it. “I like her, too.”
“Thank you for letting me have lunch with you.”
“Thank you for the food.”
Then he did something dangerous. He stepped around the table, got near me, and put his hand on my upper arm. It made my breathing shallow.
“Would you want to come to my parents’ house for dinner sometime? When my mother’s home and well enough. She makes an amazing brisket.”
“Your parents’ house?”
“She would really like it if you came. And honestly, I would, too. I would love it, actually.”
His hand was still on my arm. It rested there gently, but to me it felt strong and overwhelming.
“Okay,” I said.
“Really? You don’t have to.”
“I’ll come. Just for dinner. With your parents.”
“I will be there, too, just to clarify.”
“That’s okay,” I stated. “Just let me know when.”
His hand slid off my arm, and I went back to work, but it was like I could still feel his hand resting on me, like it had made an imprint that wouldn’t go away.
◈ ◈ ◈
I couldn’t believe where I was. What I was doing. I was standing at the front door of Nick Valentine and Tiffany Schneider’s colonial house on the outskirts of Freya. With David Valentine standing right next to me.
David had called me a week after our lunch at the hospital and invited me over to his parents’ house, as we had previously discussed. He restated that his mother wanted to have me over, that she made an amazing brisket, and that he would be there, too. He offered to pick me up, and I had accepted, knowing that Cambria wouldn’t be at the apartment at that time of day.
I didn’t want her to see what I was doing. I didn’t want her to know, or to tell Chloe about it. If there was ever a time my conscience was trying to tell me something, that was probably it. But I rationalized my conscience into obsequious silence.
Nick and Tiffany’s home was historic and beautiful. David took me on a tour of the place after introducing me to his father and giving me the chance to greet Tiffany. She seemed to have recovered from her hospital visits and told me she had not experienced any more atrial fibrillation. David’s father, Nick, had given me a strong handshake followed by a hug that caught me off guard. His demeanor was warmer than I’d expected, especially after initially noticing his pointed features and stiff face.
We had dinner in their backyard, which was more like a park stolen out of Europe. There were rows of rosebushes, perfectly manicured grass, a gazebo, and even a fountain. I’d never seen anything like it, although that wasn’t saying much, since I still had never left the state of Washington.
It was just the four of us at their patio table, and I was surprised by how comfortable I felt as we ate and conversed. Tiffany was in a better mood than when she’d been my patient, and Nick had a way of asking me questions and laughing at things I said that put me at ease. Just like David, they both seemed excessively pleased that I worked as a nurse, and I noticed they both smiled when I told them I was born and raised in Eastern Washington.
David himself was quiet during dinner, a condition I was not accustomed to seeing him in. He just looked at me from time to time, smiled, and looked back down at his brisket. And he was completely right about that—the brisket was amazing.
I helped Tiffany with the dishes while Nick and David stayed outside and chatted. I could see them through the windows in the kitchen. They each held their hands around their chins. They looked like a pair of business partners, which, I supposed, they were.