The Daddy Box Set

My eyes popped open. Oh, God. Saturday morning at Ian’s diner. That could be risky. Hopefully, I could stall, and he would be gone by the time we got there. There was no way I could deny my mother.

“Fine. Give me ten minutes,” I grumbled.

“I have your coffee ready, dear. Don’t be long,” she said, her voice trailing down the hall, back to the kitchen.

I groaned, rolled out of bed and headed for a quick shower. Her surprise visit was great, I supposed, but she nearly walked in on a very embarrassing situation. Ian had called right back, but I had to decline the call. I thought about texting him and letting him know what the situation was but never got to it. My mom kept me up late last night, wanting to talk. And now she was pulling my ass out of bed way too early.

Once I was fortified with a cup of coffee, we headed for the beach first.

“I can see why you come here,” my mom said, sitting beside me in my favorite place for peace and reflection.

“It’s nice,” I replied. This wasn’t a place I liked to share with anyone, but I knew it would make my mom feel better knowing I had somewhere like this to go.

“How are you really doing?” she asked.

I smiled. “Actually, very well. After my trip home, things have been pretty good.”

I couldn’t exactly tell her about Ian or the fact that he was my reason for doing better. I wished I could. I wanted to share it with her, but I knew it would only stress her out and earn me a serious lecture. For now, I would keep it for myself. It could turn out to be a fling, and that is certainly not information my mother needed.

“Ready to get some of the best French toast in the world?” I asked her.

“It’s about time. I thought I would starve to death before you fed me,” she laughed.

When we pulled off the street to park, I scanned the area, praying Ian wouldn’t be at the diner. The coast was clear. When we headed in, my heart dropped. There was that familiar head again. If I pretended not to see him, he would know and take it as a message I didn’t want to keep up our little thing.

He turned to wave at the waitress, and our eyes met. He appeared shocked at first before I saw the hurt wash over him. He thought I hung up on him and was dodging his calls. I was, but not for the reasons he thought.

“Mom, I’d like you to meet Professor Dunlap,” I said, walking towards him.

He stood and waited for us to reach him. “Good morning,” he said, in his most professional demeanor.

“Professor Dunlap, this is my mom, Lynn. She flew in to surprise me last night,” I said with a smile. I saw the instant realization dawned on him. “Mom, this is the professor I work for as a teaching assistant.”

“Nice to meet you,” he said, extending his hand.

“This is your boss?” my mom asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, I guess, technically he is my boss,” I clarified.

I looked at Ian who was fighting back a smirk. I could only imagine what he was thinking, and it would definitely not be appropriate for my mother to know.

“Well, thank you. Are you dining alone?” my mom asked.

My eyes widened, knowing exactly where this was going. “Mom, I’m sure the professor would prefer to eat in peace. He doesn’t need a couple of chatty woman bothering him.”

“Please, have a seat. I’d love the company,” he said with a smile, winking at me before I slid into the booth with my mother.

This was going to be awkward. We sat down, ordered, and waited for our food. I felt the need to fill the silence.

“So, yesterday, was crazy,” I started. “One of the students in my last class of the day has diabetes. His sugars spiked. He was acting strange and then he just keeled over. The professor called 911. Paramedics came, and, well, it was definitely a crazy day.”

“Wow,” Ian said. “I hadn’t heard.”

“That poor young man,” my mother added.

“The paramedics assured us he would be fine,” I said.

When our food arrived, I sighed in relief. Something to fill the gap. We didn’t have to talk if we were eating.