Page 94 of Maybe You

“Your father?”

His jaw tightens before he nods.

I eye him silently.

“I have two stepbrothers. Brian’s sons from his previous marriage.”

“How old are they?” I ask.

“Teenagers. Sixteen and fourteen.”

I tilt my head to the side. I can’t really draw any conclusions based on his tone.

“Do you get along with them?” I eventually ask.

He shrugs.

“Brian is a social worker, so they’re all very mature and well adjusted.”

I study him for a bit.

“Is that a bad thing?”

He looks extra contemplative for a moment before he shakes his head.

“It’s just extremely different from what I’m used to.” With those words, he abruptly gets up. “I’m starving. Let’s go find something to eat.”

“Oh,” I say, startled by the sudden change of direction. “I sort of said I’d—” I stop and consider it for a quick second. “You could come to dinner at my place?”

He’s probably going to say no.

Even if I suddenly desperately want him to say yes.

He does look surprised by the offer, but not totally put off.

“Friends do eat dinner,” I say. “Sometimes even when the friend’s family is there.”

He still hasn’t said anything.

“They’re pretty cool people,” I add before I shut my mouth.

He’s going to say no.

“Okay,” he says. And then, “Sure.”

Relief.

I’m not going to address a single moment of that rush through my body that makes my mouth curl into a wide smile.

“Okay,” I say.

Casual.

Cool.

Nothing to see here.

He sends me a knowing smile.

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