Page 38 of Rebound With Me
“We’re a dying breed,” my Dad says.
Vince picks up his leather backpack, which he had already packed up with his stuff before we showered. “It was a real pleasure meeting both of you. I hope to see you again sometime, but I have a meeting to get to.”
“Oh I hope we can see you again too,” my mother says, more to me than to him.
“Hey, I’ve got a question for you,” my Dad says, as I start to walk Vince towards the door, and I brace myself.
“What’s that?”
“How do you get your hair like that? All stand-y up-y? I’ve tried using gel and mousse but it just gets crispy or flops back down.”
Oh, Daddy. His hair’s like that because your precious daughter’s been running her fingers through it for hours.“You’ve used mousse in your hair?” I wrinkle my nose.
“Your mother suggested it.”
“It’s mostly just the way it’s cut. Any longer it’ll flop, any shorter it’s spiky.”
“So no product?”
“Well, I don’t want to give away any trade secrets or anything, but you gotta keep messing it up while it’s drying.”
“Messing it up, eh?”
“Yessir, just have fun with it. There is a putty thing that’s good if you use just a little of it. I can give Nina the name of it.”
“Please do.”
He opens the front door and gives me a polite and very appropriate kiss on the cheek.
His eyes are a warm tea brown, comforting and energizing all at once, and I am already hopelessly addicted.
He whispers in my ear. “I left my card by your bed. Call me whenever you want. Okay?”
I nod and watch him go until he gets to the stairs, then I shut the door and sigh. He made cheesy jokes to charm my parentsandshower-sexed me. He is perfect.
“Well,” my Mom says. “Russell who, am I right? Holy duck, he’s handsome.”
“Yes, his resemblance to me is uncanny,” my Dad says, straight-faced, sending my Mom and I into another fit of laughter.
“What? Just wait until I get that hair putty and an arm tattoo. You’ll see.”
“It’s called a sleeve.”
“That too.”
“I’m so glad you met such a fine man so quickly.”
“Yeah, it’s…he’s not my boyfriend or anything, Mom, calm down.”
“Oh I saw the way he looked at you, Honey. That fella has got it bad for you.”
“Okay, okay. So did you tell me how much time you have before you have to get back to the airport?”
“Not long, really.” She gives my Dad a look. “Actually, we came because we wanted to bring you something.” She signals to my Dad to get something from one of the roller bags.
“You didn’t bring me a present, did you?”
“Not exactly.”
