Page 12 of Loathe at First Sight

I watch her tap her pen on the bar, clearly getting annoyed with whoever is on the other end. Probably one of her distributors who is giving her bad news that an order is going to take longer than expected. She blows her blonde bangs out of her face and chews on her bottom lip.

As if she can feel me staring, her eyes dart to mine. And they stay there, watching me like a hawk as I force my legs to move toward her. When I reach the bar, she’s just hanging up the phone.

“Hi, Mom.”

Her eyes move from mine back to the notes she was writing on her notepad. As she scribbles, she replies, “Hello, Eliza. You’re late.”

“Car trouble,” I tell her.

“Did you call your brother?”

I nod. “He didn’t answer.”

“Why didn’t you call us?” I wonder if she was asking just to give me shit, or if she was worried about why I was late.

“A tow truck driver drove by and helped.”

That doesn’t get me a response. Her stoic exterior makes it impossible to tell what she’s thinking. Usually, she’s not quite so prickly.

But when she’s mad? Watch out.

A moment later, she says, “Your dad and I have a few more hours here. Why don’t you go on and head to the house?”

“Uhm, okay. But about that, can I borrow your car? Mine is in the shop.”

Before she has a chance to answer, my dad comes walking out of the kitchen.

“Suzanne, have you—” When he sees me, he loses his train of thought. “Lizzie Lou!”

He’s the only one in the entire world that I will still let call me that name.

He runs to the other side of the bar and wraps me in a giant hug. “Man, I’ve missed you!”

“I missed you too, Dad.”

“I’m glad you got here okay. We were getting worried about you.”

“Yeah, sorry. My car broke down, and I had to have it towed.”

Mom interjects, “Eliza was just asking to borrow one of our cars so that she can get back to the house.”

“Of course,” he says, pulling his keys out of his pocket and handing them to me. “What do you say the three of us do lunch tomorrow?”

Mom purses her lips together. “I’m busy. I’m meeting with a new supplier.”

He looks back at me. “Well, then, how about just the two of us?”

“Sounds great.”

I’d prefer it that way.

He gives me a huge, warm smile, showing off his pearly whites. That smile of his has prompted almost every woman in town to ask him out at one point or another. Andreas, or Andre as everyone around here calls him, got his mother’s Greek genes…and the Greek name.

Most women in town think that he’s ridiculously good-looking. Any of them would have gone home with him in a heartbeat. But ever since he met my mom, he’s only had eyes for her.

I take the keys from him and say a quick goodbye. As much fun as this little reunion has been, I’m exhausted.

That becomes more apparent when I take the short drive to their house and am barely able to keep my eyes open. After driving from Los Angeles to Oregon, I’m sick of being in a car.

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