“I’m Rylee. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Watson.” I thrust my hand forward, trying to cut through the tension.
“Welcome, Rylee.” He shook my hand and looked over my shoulder. “Do you need any help bringing in your things?”
“We’re good,” JP said as we followed his dad into the living room.
The house was an open-concept that looked like it had been recently renovated. JP told me on the drive here that his parents sold his childhood home after the divorce. While this house wasn’t huge, I could tell by the upgraded kitchen and top-of-the-line appliances that this was considered prime real estate. And way out of the salary range for a small-town police chief.
“How was your flight?” Greg asked, walking over to a built-in cabinet with fully stocked liquor.
“It was a direct flight, so not bad.” JP sat down on the long white sectional and stretched his legs out.
“Good.” Greg pulled a bottle of Kettle One from the shelf. “What can I get you guys to drink?”
“I’ll have a glass of wine, white if you have some, please.”
JP squeezed my leg. “I’ll have a vodka tonic, light on the tonic.”
After making us both a drink, Greg sat directly across from us. My gaze moved across the room, looking for family photos or mementos, but my eyes were coming up short. Unlike my parents’ house, where I was sure my mom still had artwork from my brothers and my elementary school days, these white walls were empty and depressing. If it weren’t for the pile of shoes by the front door, you wouldn’t even know anyone lived here.
“You have a lovely home,” I said, trying to come up with a nice conversation starter.
“Thank you.” He swirled the liquid around in his tumbler. “It’s been a long time since my son has brought a girlfriend home. Never thought I’d see it happen again.”
Maybe I’d get some answers about the mystery girlfriend after all. Ever since our conversation the night he was sick, I’ve been holding back questions and felt like a fool for letting him off so easily. He promised we would talk about it, and my spirit sank with each passing day that we didn’t.
“Sorry, I’m late.” A dainty woman with long auburn hair stood in the entryway. She was younger than I expected, probably no more than a few years older than me.
“Vicky.” Greg stood and helped her take off her coat.
“Hello, JP, welcome.”
“Vicky,” he said with a nod. There was no hug, no kiss on the cheek, not even a handshake.
The woman shifted on her feet, unsure what to do. After another beat of awkward silence, I stood up, held out my hand, and introduced myself. This was my first time meeting his family, regardless of their issues, I wanted to make a good first impression. JP, however, didn’t move; he just sat in his seat and sipped his drink.
We exchanged small talk and walked into the small dining area off to the side. The table was set with fine china and crystal glasses. You could tell Vicky put a lot of effort into tonight.
Greg walked back into the room, holding a casserole dish. He placed it in the middle of the table and kissed Vicky’s head before getting the salad on the counter.
“Do you have your speech all memorized?” Vicky asked JP. She’s been looking for things to talk to him about, but he wasn’t giving her much to work with.
“I hope so.” He piled food on his plate.
Greg cleared his throat. “That playoff game against San Diego was brutal.”
“You watched?”
Greg’s spoon paused as he scooped chicken out of the casserole dish. “I met a few friends at the Lakehouse Pub so we could watch it. You looked good out there despite the loss.”
“You could have actually seen it in person if you really wanted to.” His tone had a bite to it that had all heads swirling in his direction.
“Some of us have to work arealjob. I can’t just jump on a plane whenever I want.”
JP’s fork dropped on his plate. “Don’t start with this bullshit.”
Greg met his son’s stare. “What bullshit? You know I don’t get much time off. It’s pretty much a one-man show around here. I have no one to cover for me.”
His jaw was clenched, and a muscle twitched in his cheek. “But you managed to find the time to take your wife to Hawaii for two weeks.”