Page 33 of The Problem with Dating
“Sayer, you’re supposed to help-Echo?”
I looked towards the back of the house where Gideon was walking out of the sliding glass door that led into the backyard.
This felt wrong.
“Uh…”
He stayed rooted on the deck, looking over at me, his face conveying his confusion. “What are you doing here?”
He didn’t seem happy to see me, and why would he be? Meeting someone’s family was a big deal. We weren’t even in a committed relationship. We’ve been screwing each other for a week, but that’s about it. Conversation in between bouts of sex did not equate a relationship.
Louise Hayes was meddling again, only this time, unbeknownst to her, she’d done more harm than good.
Chapter 18
Gideon~
Not the Saturday I had planned, that’s for sure.
My original plan had been to spend the entire day inside whatever orifice Echo was willing to give up, but when she had told me she had things to do before she started her new job Monday, what could I do but give her some space?
So, when my first choice of plans had gone bust, I had planned on going into the office and catching up on all the shit I had set aside to work on Echo’s flooring. But then Mom had text that she missed us all and wanted to have a family luncheon. But in all actuality, it had been a summons. None of us were stupid enough to piss off Dad and decline. Even Monroe and Andie knew better than to turn Mom down when she was being all in her maternal feelings.
It helped that Monroe, Leta, Andie, and Grant adored Mom just was much as we did. In fact, even Andie’s ex had dropped Grant off for a couple of hours, even though it was, technically, his custody time with Grant. When Mom had tried to bully Steven into staying, he’d gotten off by telling her he had some work to catch up on from taking Monday and Tuesday off for Grant’s procedure. That was the only reason he’d gotten off unscathed.
And now, Echo was standing in my parents’ backyard, looking like a deer caught in headlights, and this shitshow had my mother’s name written all over it.
I finally moved my ass and walked down the deck steps. Heading towards her, I asked again, “What are you doing here?” It wasn’t lost on my that my entire family had gone silent behind me either.
“I…uh, I was just leaving, actually,” she replied as Sayer took a couple of steps back with the platter and grocery bag in his arms.
“But you just got here,” I pointed out. No doubt Mom must have run into her at the store and had invited her over.
Her eyes kept darting behind me, and it was easy to tell she was nervous about being here. I couldn’t lie and say it wasn’t making me uncomfortable, too. If she felt awkward being here, then that meant she wasn’t ready to meet my family, and that probably meant she wasn’t as serious about me as I was about her.
That stung.
“I was just…uh, helping your…uh, Louise carry her groceries in,” she muttered. “I…”
“Echo-”
She finally tore her gaze away from the clowns behind me and looked up at me. “Gideon, she invited me for what she told me was a lunch between us. You know, some girl-time,” she whispered. “She didn’t…” Echo shook her head. “This is not what I was expecting or what she had implied.”
I let out quiet breath. “I’m sorry,” I told her. “I told you she…she gets ideas in her head sometime.”
Echo jerked her head to the side. “I’m…I’m going to go. I’m…I’m just going to head out.”
I wanted to tell her to stay. I wanted her to feel welcomed, but the panic in her eyes was unmistakable. She’d been ambushed, and I didn’t like it. I usually gave Mom leeway to do whatever she wanted, because she was my mother and I loved her dearly, but this was crossing the line.
“Okay,” I replied. “I’m really sorr-”
She threw her hand up to stop me. “It’s not your fault.” Her eyes darted behind me again before settling back on mine. “Tell Nathan I said hello, and…” Echo shook her head, and then just turned around and walked out of the backyard.
I kind of just stood there, torn between chasing after or giving her space. I had no idea what to do, and that was extremely bothersome for a man who was used to being in control and managing everything around him.
“Where is she going?” Mom asked from behind me.
I turned around, and I couldn’t believe how irritated I was with her. “She didn’t appreciate being ambushed, Mom,” I told her truthfully. “Feeling uncomfortable and out of place, she left.”
