Page 136 of We Met Like This
“Boys,” I said squatting down. “This is Oliver.”
“Liver?” Sammy asked, curling his lip.
“She said Oliver,” Jack said.
“Oh! Hi!” Sammy laughed and then they both ran out the back door, where I assumed their parents were.
“Welcome!” Mom said from the kitchen, where she stood next to my dad. Together they were chopping up veggies for a salad.
“Mom, Dad, this is Oliver.”
“I forgot the wine in the car,” Oliver said. “I brought you wine.” He took a step back.
I looked over at him. His face was on the pale side. He was more nervous than I thought. “It’s okay, we’ll get it in a bit,” I said.
“That was thoughtful,” Mom said. “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for having me.”
“Of course,” Mom said. “We’re glad to finally meet you… I mean, through Margot, not through…” Okay, my mom was nervous too.
The back door opened and Audrey breezed in. Chase must’ve been out at the grill. “Hello!” she said, light and airy. “Oliver! So great to see you. You look exactly the same.” She gave me a hug and then extended a hand to Oliver.
He took it in a single shake, then let go.
“Okay,” I said. “Now that we’ve all gotten the awkward part out of the way, can we all be normal now?”
Dad laughed. “Can I get you a beer, Oliver?”
“Yes, please.” He followed my dad to the fridge.
“WasIawkward?” Audrey asked. “I didn’t feel awkward.”
“You put on your YouTube voice,” I said.
“You did,” Mom agreed with a giggle.
“You were no better,” I said to Mom.
“I’m sorry! He’s so handsome, I couldn’t help it.”
“He’s still in the room,” Dad said. “At least wait until I take him outside.”
Oliver gave me asave melook and I just mouthedpenance.
It didn’t take long for everyone to settle into normalcy. We ate outside on the patio with bistro lights strung overhead and soft music piped through the outdoor speakers. Chase was telling a story about a property he showed where a rat fell from a ceiling panel directly onto the client’s head.
“How do you recover from that?” Oliver asked. The color had returned to his cheeks and he was sitting back in his chair, relaxed. He’d even rested his hand on my knee or my back or my arm throughout dinner.
“You don’t,” Chase said with a laugh. “You lead them back outside, wish them well, then immediately call an exterminator.”
Audrey stood and picked up her empty plate, then raised her eyebrows at me, asking if I was done. Instead of handing it to her, I stood as well, helping her clear. When Oliver moved to do the same, I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Give me a sec to talk to her,” I said near his ear.
He nodded and settled back into his chair.
Audrey and I carried four plates each into the kitchen and began scraping the leftover food into the garbage. She was uncharacteristically quiet.
“How are you feeling? About tonight and all this?” I asked.
