Page 119 of Not Fooling Anyone

“It’s nice to see two of my boys settling down,” his dad says. “A man’s only as good as the woman by his side.”

Scott rolls his eyes as he sets silverware in front of me but stays silent.

“I must be the greatest guy in the world, then,” Ethan whispers in my ear, bringing a smile to my lips.

“Did you set up a time yet for your match?” Scott asks Ethan, a small noise of displeasure coming from his mom a few feet away.

“Yeah. It’s tomorrow, actually.”

Scott pauses. “Is that why you asked for this weekend off? Why didn’t you tell me? I wouldn’t have put myself on the schedule tomorrow if I’d known.”

Ethan rubs at the back of his neck, looking embarrassed. “I don’t know if I’ll be any good, guys. It’s my first time. You won’t be missing much.”

So he doesn’t want his family there, but he wants me to come?

“What do you think of him boxing?” his mom asks me, setting down a pan of fresh garlic bread on the table.

It’s clear from her tone she doesn’t hold it in high regard, and while I want to agree with her, I can’t disparage boxing in front of Ethan’s family when it’s important to him.

I slip my hand in his under the table, squeezing. “I think he’s a great boxer, but I also worry about him getting seriously hurt. It can happen to anyone.”

He squeezes my fingers back reassuringly. “Lexie will be there to doctor me up in case anything happens.”

“At least someone with some common sense will,” his mom mutters, taking the pasta off the burner and draining it in a colander.

Ethan grins at me, not perturbed by his mother’s comments.

Ethan’s dad changes the topic then, going on about how the Patriots whooped the Eagles’ ass last night. “Either of you watch football?” he asks me and Savannah eagerly.

“I don’t do sports,” Savannah says, a hint of dismissiveness in her tone. Doesn’t she realize who she’s talking to?

I take a deep breath, deciding to just go for it. “That fifty-yard pass was amazing.” I didn’t actually watch the game, only skimmed the highlights, but I’m not telling him that.

His gaze flashes approval, but he doesn’t have time to say anything else about it as his wife brings the spaghetti over to the table, instructing me and Savannah to fill our plates before the boys ravage it.

Savannah doesn’t wait for me, taking the first turn, and his mom makes small talk, asking us what our majors are and what we plan to do after graduation.

Ugh. Small talk. Why does everyone insist on it?

“I’m majoring in Mass Communications,” Savannah says, loading up her plate. “I’m going to be a celebrity publicist.”

That sounds like my worst nightmare.

“And you, Lexie?” his mom asks, turning to me as she takes her seat.

“Accounting. I’ll take my CPA exam after I graduate and apply to some firms in the area.” Should I add something about France? Ethan said she dreamed about going there. “I might take a week or two after graduation and travel to Europe too. Especially France. I’ve always wanted to go there.”

Beside me, Ethan clears his throat, probably covering a laugh, but I don’t care because his mom’s eyes are lighting up.

I don’t get a chance to hear what she has to say, though, because Savannah butts her way into the conversation, commenting, “I did my summer semester abroad in France. Trust me, it’s not worth it.”

“You didn’t enjoy an entire summer in France?” Ethan’s mom asks, her mouth turned down at the corners.

Savannah makes a scoffing noise. “Oh, they were all so rude over there. No one would speak English.”

“Well, did you make an effort to speak their language?”

“No, but they should know English. They teach it over there.”

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