Pulling on my suit pants and a t-shirt, I went out to look for her. Though I was somewhat surprised to come across Chester checking his blood sugar readings in his study.
“Chris,” he said, looking up suddenly, “Come, sit down.”
Politeness overriding my self-preservation instinct, I sat down across from Shae’s dad, noticing that his reading appeared to be healthy. I would have to make sure to tell Shae that when I found her. She was probably right about the reunion being a farce to get her back with her ex. Chester’s blood sugar issues being just another arrow in her mother’s quiver of guilt.
“You know we don’t mind having you here,” Chester said, making it sound like he very much did mind, “but you should try not to upset Diane so much.”
“I will. I’m sorry if I have upset your wife, it certainly wasn’t intentional,” I said, trying to remain calm.
“Good, the last thing we need is another blowup.”
“Like the one Ellis did over the room assignment yesterday,” I pointed out.
Chester had to stop to think for a moment, tripped up by the sudden attack of objective truth. I wasn’t trying to bust Ellis down. Not openly, at least. It was clear that Shae’s parents preferred him, and I wanted to make a good impression. All I was really trying to do was point out the relative differences in how Ellis and I handled the situation.
I wanted them to like me so they could see what a blunder it was trying to get Shae back with Ellis as well as the fact that I was hoping to make my relationship with Shae permanent. We had already gotten my family on our side. It would be nice if hers was too.
I scanned the room, mostly looking for any weapons I might have to watch out for, Chester seemed like the hunting type and likely had at least one gun around the place. Instead, I saw a half-finished Rolls Royce model sitting on the table behind his desk.
“That a Bandai?”
“Why yes, it is, do you build?”
“I dabble. Mostly Jags and MGBs. Just finished a Triumph last month.”
“No kidding.”
“Not a bit. I’ve always thought of model building as a sort of domestic sculpture. It should be considered a serious craft, if not an art form.”
“Here, here!” Chester agreed emphatically.
“What have you got up next?” I asked, taking a seat next to him.
“Well now, that’s a tough one. I was thinking a ’62 Corvette, but I’ve always wanted to do a Model-T, despite the cost and complexity.”
We continued chatting in a similar vein before being interrupted by Diane, who just came swooping in without knocking. I looked at my watch and realized that we had been talking for more than an hour, and Chester was smiling in a way that was not forced. I hadn’t expected to win him over so quickly, but that certainly seemed to be the case. Diane, on the other hand, was still glaring pretty hard.
I excused myself, nodding to her as I left, but I lingered around the door after she closed it. I couldn’t help but smile when I heard Chester say that inviting Ellis had been a mistake and suggest to Diane that she not push so hard for Shae to get back with her ex-husband. He was no longer sure that Ellis was the best guy for her.
“Who cares about matching?” Diane protested. “They made a vow before God. They need to be together. Until death. Those are the rules!”
“Certainly, the only reason I’m still with you,” Chester observed.
I had to stifle a laugh. I knew I had him, but I also knew that Diane was going to take a lot more work.
I finally found Shae in the dining room, hanging out with Dixie, who had turned the area into her studio. I was surprised but really shouldn’t have been at that point. It was a genuine surprise, however, when I saw the canvas and realized that it was my face she was paining. My body was still a bit of a blur, which was something of a relief.
Feeling awkward, I kissed Shae on the cheek and went to brew us all some coffee.
“What kept you?” Shae teased, as she followed me into the kitchen.
“Talking to your dad about model cars.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, he seemed really interested.”
“You build model cars?”
“Oh, yeah, my bedroom is full of them.”
“I guess I was a bit distracted,” Shae said, blushing.
The button on the machine clicked, and I placated my lady love with some gourmet coffee. She smelled it and took a sip, making a sound that I rarely heard outside the bedroom.
“Like it?” I asked, with a chuckle.
“Oh yeah,” she said ecstatically.
“There’s one for you too, Dixie,” I added as we joined her at the table again.
“Thanks, darlin’ I’m just a bit busy right now. Speaking of which, could you please take off your britches for me?”