“Well, I’m not surprised he hadn’t mentioned me,” I say, glancing at Calvin. Of course we discussed how we would approach the story of how we met in polite company, but now that the moment is upon us, my palms feel a little sweaty. “We actually haven’t been together for very long.”
I expect his father to jump on the opportunity to criticize his son, but the older man is silent, using his fork to slice into the cherry cheesecake on his plate.
“She was dating an employee of mine and I snatched her right up,” Calvin says simply.
“After we broke up,” I add, so she doesn’t think I leapt off a smooth-sailing ship when I caught sight of a better offer.
“Mm-hmm.” Calvin unwittingly mirrors his father, using his fork to slice off a bit of cheesecake, too. “The man was a moron who didn’t appreciate what he had. He’s lucky I waited that long and didn’t pluck you right out of his arms.” Glancing at his father, he adds, “Unappreciative men don’t deserve to have extraordinary women.”
His father smiles a mad sort of grin like he’s close to losing it and shakes his head.
Wanting to spare poor Rose from another battle, I speak up again. “My cat loves him.”
Peter halts and stares at me across the table.
“The furry one,” Calvin says drolly. “Though I suppose the other one is fond of me, too.”
It takes a moment for what he said to land, then I stare at him in open horror. “Calvin! Oh my god.”
He looks at me as if innocent. “What?” He holds my gaze, his eyes flashing with mischief. “Marie loves me.”
Ignoring her son’s highly inappropriate comment, Rose says, “I’ve always loved cats. We used to have a Chartreux named Misty. She just loved Calvin, she would follow him around everywhere he went looking for a snuggle.”
“Damn thing always chased my feet,” Peter says.
“Do you have a picture?” Rose asks me.
“Oh, yes,” I say, eagerly pulling out my phone so I can show off my kitty.
“When’s the wedding?” his father asks.
“We haven’t decided yet,” Calvin answers. “There wasn’t really a lot of time to think about it ahead of time. It probably sounds impulsive, I’ve never been one to spew lines like, ‘When you know, you know,’ but after just a few weeks together…” He hesitates, then looks at me. “I knew I had to marry her.”
My chest constricts, but not with anxiety this time. It’s the vulnerability in his gaze as he looks at me now, like it’s the simple truth amid all his fuckery.
My heart aches, and I don’t even know why.
Since he’s sitting near me, it’s easy to reach across the table and cover his hand with mine.
And since my hand is covering his, I feel the tension hit his body the instant his father says, “Doesn’t sound impulsive to me at all. By the end of the first date I went on with your mother, I knew I’d marry her.” He smiles faintly at his wife and reaches over to touch her hand atop the table. She gazes back with absolute adoration. “Sometimes you see a piece you like, and you know right away you can’t let anyone else have it.”
All the movement in the room dies. The sunlight still streams in through the spotless window and the birds chirp outside as they dine at the feeder Rose put out for them, but inside this house, nothing moves.
I don’t know what to do. I can feel the tension in Calvin’s body building, and then he glances across the room at his parents, somehow a reflection of us as they sit there in the same pose.
Quietly, I pull my hand away from Calvin’s. I don’t want him to notice if he hasn’t already.
Thankfully, we’re at the end of the visit. Calvin scarcely says another word. His mother starts to ask if I’d like to see her rose garden, but then she notices her son’s volatile expression and she says she’ll show it to me next time.
She hugs us both goodbye and gives Hollis a slice of cheesecake she packed for him since he didn’t come inside with us. He cracks a smile and thanks her because she’s just too lovely not to feel good around.
Then we get in the car, and it feels like the storm clouds followed us.
Calvin slides over into his seat and sits there with the heaviness of a boulder.
I usually sit on the seat at the back of the limo so there’s a bit of distance between us, but today I drop my purse on that one and scoot over so I’m next to him. I curl my legs up on the seat behind me and lean into him, placing a palm on his firm chest and gently rubbing.
He looks over at me.
I look back, offering sympathy. “I’m sorry your father agreed with you.”