Page 46 of Crimson Promises
“I’ll just have water, sir. I’m driving.” Ben was laying it on thick.
“Responsible choice. Aurora?”
“I’ll just have a glass of whatever wine you and Darlene are having.” One year, for their anniversary, Vic and Darlene’s kids had gotten them a trip down south to visit Napa. According to Darlene, it was the beginning of their love affair with wine. Every night for dinner, they would have a glass, and at the start of each week, they would open a new bottle. It was something to look forward to on Mondays. They sampled wines from regions all over the world, whether it was red, white, ice wine, champagne, Prosecco, dessert wine, or rose. They introduced me to some great labels that have become my favorites.
“We got a great Malbec from Argentina to try tonight. I’ll pour some glasses. Sit, sit,” Victor instructed. Ben and I both settled back into our seats.
Darlene came rushing into the kitchen. The splotch of flour on her cheek earlier was gone, and her bun was restyled, so no hair was out of place.
“Sorry about that.” She sat across from Ben. “Let’s eat! There’s a serving spoon for every dish, so please help yourselves. We are eating family-style tonight.”
Silence eclipsed the first few minutes as everyone scooped heaps of Darlene’s food onto their plates—Ben included.
“Darlene, this is delicious. Thank you for preparing all of this!” I said once I had swallowed down a bite of chicken and mashed potatoes.
“Of course, sweetheart, you know you are welcome here anytime. There will be plenty of leftovers, too, for you to bring home. How is your?—”
“So, Ben, what are you studying at ACU?” Vic interrupted while cutting his chicken into thick, evenly divided strips.
Darlene shot Vic a glare. He leaned over, kissed her forehead, then continued his cutting.
I sat back in my chair while chewing on some salad. Eager to hear his answer, I put down my cutlery, I realized he knew my major, but I didn’t find out what he was studying.
“I’m double majoring in Classics—Greek and Latin—and Classical Civilizations.”
“Impressive.” Vic acknowledged with a slight chin tilt.
“What’s your GPA?”
“3.8,” Ben stated.
“Humph.”
“How did you two meet?” Darlene, the sweet, sweet soul, interjected.
“We met in class—we’re working together on a project,” Ben answered.
Vic seized his opening. “And it turned into more while burning the midnight oil?”
“Oh my god,” I said simultaneously as Darlene’s admonishing, “Victor!”
“Respectfully, sir, that is really between Aurora and I. She’s an adult and capable of making her own decisions. And while I’m sure she appreciates you looking after her, ultimately, they are her decisions to make.”
All of us sat there stunned.
Ben continued eating his food like what he said wasn’t an artfully eloquent way of putting Vic in his place. As much as I liked the old man, he could be a bit of a nosy bugger, as Jean would put it.
“Alright, alright. I’ll get off your tail. Aurora’s been through a lot, and Darlene and I”—he reached for her hand. “Have viewed her like another daughter. We want to make sure whoever she spends time with is a good person. Aurora deserves nothing less.”
My chest swelled, and tears blurred my vision. “Aw, Vic. I love you both. Thank you for everything you do.”
“Ditto, chicky.” He leaned both of his elbows on the table. “In all seriousness, does your library carry any of the spicy books all those people are talking about on the TikTok?”
I looked over to Ben for any support. He was fighting a smile but arched that eyebrow.All on my own. Fabulous.
“Why do you even know what spicy books are? And please stop calling it ‘the TikTok.’ There is no ‘The’ in front of it.”
“I’m old, not dead.” He waived his fork, still with a piece of chicken on it, in the air. “How else do you think we keep things fresh after so many years?” Darlene looked like her red farmhouse door.
