Page 30 of One Hot Summer

“Believe it or not, I’m not in any rush for that, but we do need to meet up. How about after you’ve met his parents? We could do lunch and you can tell me all about them.”

“That sounds like a plan,” I said with a smile.

I put down the phone, allowed myself a couple of moments to dream about a hot holiday with Zack in the not-too-distant future, and then headed inside to put the kettle on.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Iam a reasonably sensible, somewhat mature, thirty-one-year-old woman. I work in customer services, actually dealing with members of the public on a face-to-face basis, giving them joyous news that they can’t have what they want, and why they can’t have it. Needless to say, there is an element of crowd control and diffusing difficult situations involved. I have faced many obstacles in my life, not to mention living on my own all these years with a cat I was sure wanted to kill me during the first few years of being roomies. So, after all that, why was I suddenly terrified of meeting my boyfriend’s parents? They’re humans. Two humans who produced the love of my life. Two humans who supposedly already liked me before they’d even met me. Why was I so nervous? Because I knew how much it mattered to Zack that it went well tonight.

I was even more nervous because one of the nicest restaurants ever had been chosen for this momentous occasion. I had never been to Alice Garden before, not since I read the menu online and saw they charged over nine pounds for a small glass of wine. The food looked amazing on their online menu though. There were no tiny portions to be seen. I still had some making up to do with my digestive system after attempting vegan food, and had promised my stomach a big, juicy steak. Although, I wouldn’t want to be burping in front of Zack’s parents. What would they think of me? With names like Alistair and Miranda, they were sure to be posh.

We managed to find a parking space close to the restaurant. When I got out of the car, I checked over my dress to make sure I wasn’t covered in Bing’s white hair. Using my phone’s front camera, I checked over my make-up too, not wanting my eyeliner to appear smudged. I also needed to keep my phone close by. Sarah was on another blind date, and I had promised to call her straight away if she needed to escape, this time.

“Are you all right?” Zack asked, putting his arm around me to lead my resistant body to the restaurant.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” I lied, almost choking as my mouth and throat felt really dry.

“That’s their car.” Zack pointed to a silver Porsche Carrera. “Dad loves that car. Mum wanted him to sell it as it sits in a garage for six months out of the year. But he can’t part with it.”

“Why can’t you have it?” I said, trying to stop myself from drooling all over the bonnet.

“Ha, I asked my dad that a few years ago… He still laughs about it now. Come on, they’ll be waiting.”

He held my hand and squeezed it reassuringly as we walked up the stone stairs and through the door.

“Hello and welcome to Alice Garden,” the hostess said. “Do you have a reservation?”

“Yes, we’re meeting my parents.” Zack pointed to the table near the bar, where two very smiley people waved at us, and the waitress led us to them.

“I’ll be back shortly to take your drinks order.” She smiled.

Zack hugged his parents. It was very loving and affectionate. Not something I was used to myself.

“Mum, Dad, this is Jenny.” He was so comfortable in their presence. Again, not something I was used to personally.

“Hi, it’s so nice to meet you.” I almost curtsied. Then I remembered – this was not the time to be a tit.

“Hello!” His mother stepped forward. “I’m Miranda.” She pulled me in for a hug. It felt wonderful, very mumsy. “We’re so glad to finally meet you! We’ve heard so many good things.” Her smile was so genuine, and I felt instantly at ease.

“I’m Alistair. Would a hug seem too awkward or…” He held out his arms and I laughed.

“No, no, it sounds great!” I said, leaning in to hug him.

“Let’s sit, and let’s get some drinks ordered,” Alistair said as we pulled apart. “I’ve never been here before, but it’s very busy, which is always a good sign.”

“Can I get you anything to drink?” The waitress had returned.

We each gave our drinks choices. Miranda and I ordered the same glass of wine so decided to share a bottle instead, and the guys ordered Italian beer.

“Jenny,” Miranda began. “Zack tells me you own your own house. Is that true?” She seemed impressed.

“Yes, it is.”

“I’ve been wanting Zack to buy a house for years,” Alistair said. “But he never listens. Now house prices and interest rates have shot up, he’ll have to wait until they come back down. The market will be up and down for a while I expect.”

“Well, it’s so difficult to get on the property ladder these days,” I said. “My friend Sarah was lucky to get her house recently. But if I’m honest, I was only able to buy my house because I inherited half of it when my dad died. I got a mortgage for the other half, buying it from my brother.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry about your father.” Miranda looked mortified. “Alistair, stop talking about houses and finances.”

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