Page 52 of One-Star Romance

“Yes, yes,” his father boomed. The reception sounded fine on Rob’s end. “That smart girlfriend of yours! Give her our congratulations on the paper.”

“I will,” Rob said, letting out a breath right as his father continued, “Now, when do we get to meet her?”

The ensuing silence seemed to stretch millennia, though it probably lasted only a second. Rob scrambled to find his footing, opened his mouth to force something out. But then his mom jumped in. “Yes, Rob? When do we get to meet the baby? We’d love to see her sometime.”

He swallowed, suddenly unsure whether he was being ridiculous. “I’ll ask Angus and Gabby,” he said, then couldn’t stop himself from continuing, “Mom, can I talk to you privately?”

“All right.” The sounds of her walking down the hallway and shutting a door filtered into Rob’s ear. “What is it?”

“Mom”—Rob’s heart thudded heavily in his chest—“is something going on?”

“What do you mean?” Her voice was strained, as if she was trying for cheerful but couldn’t quite get there. He remembered that voice. She’d used it all the time, that one summer when it had been just the two of them trying and failing to prove something.

“With Dad. With his memory.”

Rob stepped onto the grass. Dead dry leaves had fallen, scattered around the yard. He crumbled one under his shoe, driving it into the dirt.

His mother sighed. “Oh, goodness. You mean the Gabby and Zuri mix-up? He wouldn’t want me to tell you this, but he’s having some problems with his hearing. We should go to the doctor and see about hearing aids, but you know him, he’s so proud.”

“Really? That’s all?”

“Well, he’s getting older. He’s having the little lapses you might expect from someone his age, and I understand how that, combined with his hearing issues, could be disorienting over the phone. But I don’t think you need to worry too much. Just call him more often, won’t you?” She sounded suddenly energized. “And I’ll get him to look into hearing aids. I promise I will.”

“If you’re sure—”

“Yes. Oh, he’s calling for me, I have to go…But we love you, sweets, and we’ll talk again soon.” The call disconnected.

So his father was getting older, becoming more entrenched in his self-centered ways, cracks starting to show in his towering facade. Something that happened to everyone who was lucky enough to live that long. But for the first time, Rob really considered the fact that, someday, Professor Kapinsky would have to retire. What would he do with himself then? Who would he even be? And someday, after that, he wouldn’t be there at all.

Well, even better that Rob and Zuri were on the right track, right now. His father could see that Rob was doing better than fine, that his son had everything figured out. At their wedding, Professor Kapinsky would give some toast about how proud he was. He would go on for twenty minutes and receive a standing ovation from the crowd, stealing Rob and Zuri’s thunder, and Rob would be angry about it, but it would be so much better than the alternative. And Rob needed to double down on his research, so he could get tenure before…well, it would be good to stay on an efficient timeline.

Rob stood there in silence for a moment, then put his head in his hands, unsettled. His eyes stung, and he dug his palms into them to stop the sensation.

A crunching noise sounded behind him. He turned to see Natalie stepping on a dead leaf as she reached for the handle of the back door, trying to sneak back inside unnoticed. She froze with her hand on the doorknob.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“How long have you been out here?”

“Only thirty seconds. I was trying to get a…get some fresh air.”

“The backyard is all yours,” he said brusquely. “I should find Zuri.”

“She’s manning the food station. Gabby’s mom realized how helpful she was and is not letting her go.”

“Thanks,” he said, and made a move to walk past her, but she reached out and touched his arm, then drew her hand back, as if she’d accidentally put it on a hot stove.

“Wait. Are you okay?” she asked. Her dark eyes X-rayed him.

“Yes.” But she wouldn’t stop looking at him in that searching way, so he shrugged and continued. “I just had an unsettling conversation with my father. Him getting older, you know?”

“I do,” she said. “The other day, I was on the phone with my mom, and in the middle of a conversation about the weather, she just started talking about her will.”

“Of course,” Rob said, unable to stop a hint of a smile. “Wills and weather, closely related topics.”

“Maybe if you live in a flood zone and are trying to figure out the value of your house?” Natalie laughed. “But I am sorry about your dad. I remember meeting him at the wedding. He was…a presence. Are you two very close?”

Rob’s smile disappeared. “I don’t know how to answer that.” He didn’t like the way she kept watching him, forehead furrowed, like she wanted to ask him to talk more about it, to excavate his feelings, or like maybe she’d offer him a hug. Gritting his teeth, he said, “I’m sorry about insulting Tyler’s memoir.”

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