Page 11 of I Think He Knows?

“Hi, hang on one second. I’m walking outside.”

“Did I interrupt a wild night out on the town?” he asks.

“You guessed it,” I say. “Jess dragged me out just as I was getting comfortable on my couch. I feel like I’m the only one who’s tired after a long week.”

“You’re not,” he insists. “I’m exhausted.”

I laugh. “Good to hear.”

Cam doesn’t say anything for a few seconds.

“Anyway, I hate to do this, but I have bad news. Unfortunately I need to reschedule our dinner tomorrow night.”

And there it is. I press my lips together to hold back tears. We’ve finally reached the point of making dinner plans, and then poof, my hopes are dashed.

“Oh, that’s okay,” I say, trying to hide my disappointment.

“My parents decided to surprise me with a visit,” he continues. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t cancel. I’m so sorry.”

Admittedly a rush of relief comes over me. An impromptu family visit is an acceptable reason.

“I totally understand,” I say.

“Can we move it to next weekend” he asks. “I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

“Ah, I like the sound of that.”

He chuckles. “Good. Because I feel terrible.”

“Please don’t,” I say. “You have to spend time with your parents.”

“Mm-hmm,” he says.

“Don’t sound too excited,” I tease.

“I’ll try not to,” he says. “Honestly my mom and dad can be a lot to take sometimes. And of course, they expect me to drop everything at the last minute when they call.”

“When was the last time you saw them?”

“I don’t know, a few months ago,” he says. “We all get busy and there’s been some rough patches with us in recent years.”

I didn’t know any of this because Cam and I haven’t shared much about our families. Our short lunch periods don’t allow for a lot of deep conversation, and we’re usually joined by other staff members.

“Well, maybe this will be a good visit?” I suggest.

“Yeah, maybe.”

That wasn’t convincing at all.

“I’m sorry I’m being so negative,” he says. “I just don’t expect much from these visits anymore.”

“It’s okay,” I assure him. “Family dynamics can be complicated.”

“Are you close to your family?” he asks.

“Yeah, we get along fine,” I say. “My sister and parents live near each other, so they spend a lot of time together. And ever since my nephew was born, my parents have been all about being grandparents. It’s basically their new identity.”

Cam laughs.

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