Page 18 of Tides of Discovery
The temperature at the table seemed to drop by ten degrees. My mother’s smile froze in place, and my father’s jaw tightened.
“Cooper,” my mother began in herlet’s be reasonablevoice, “you know we only want what’s best for you.”
“And what’s best for me is pretending to be straight?” The words slipped out before I could stop them, sharper than I had intended.
“No one is asking you to pretend anything,” my father said stiffly. “We’re simply suggesting that perhaps you haven’t met the right woman yet.”
The familiar argument washed over me like stale coffee, cold and unpalatable. I felt my throat tighten, the rehearsed responses dying on my tongue. Sixteen years of this, and they still couldn’t accept the most fundamental truth about me.
“Uncle Cooper, what does ‘straight’ mean?” Lily piped up, her innocent question landing like a bomb at the table.
Ryan choked slightly on his wine. “It means, um?—”
“It means Grandpa and Grandma want me to date girls instead of boys.” I met my father’s glare head-on. “But I like boys, just like your daddy likes girls.”
Lily considered this for a moment, her forehead scrunching in concentration. “What’s wrong with that?”
A startled laugh escaped me, the tension momentarily broken. “Exactly, munchkin.”
Ryan’s shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. My parents, however, were not amused.
“This is hardly an appropriate dinner conversation,” my mother said tightly.
“I agree.” Ryan came to my rescue. “Mom, did I tell you Lily had an excellent parent-teacher conference?”
As Ryan diverted the conversation, I excused myself to use the restroom. Once safely behind the locked door, I pulled out my phone and typed.
Mom keeps talking about her church friend’s single daughter. Not subtle. Contemplating hiding in the bathroom. Send coffee. Or whiskey.
Jack’s response came quickly:
I’ll bring both. And a fire extinguisher for when things get heated.
I smiled, and some of the tension drained from my shoulders as I typed back.
Don’t know what I’d do without you, Anderson.
Thank God I’d never find out. Jack was my rock, and I’d never do anything to jeopardize that.
I splashed some cold water on my face, took a deep breath, and returned to the table. The main courses had arrived during my absence, and I settled in to focus on my salmon, having lost my appetite for anything heavier. Ryan masterfully kept the conversation flowing. I focused on my food and contributed just enough to appear engaged while internally counting the minutes until I could leave.
“So, Cooper,” my mother said during a lull, “have you given any thought to expanding beyond coffee? Perhaps a bakery or a small café? Something with…growth potential?”
I set down my fork carefully. “The Coffee Cove is exactly what I want it to be. It’s more than just the shop, too.” I warmed to the subject. “I’ve got an online coffee subscription service that’s really taken off. Customers can get our signature blends delivered, and it’s become a solid revenue stream.”
A wave of gratitude washed over me. Without Jack’s quick thinking and technical expertise, I could have lost everything—not just the physical shop, but the entire business I’d worked so hard to build.
“But is there really a future in it?” my father pressed. “Ryan’s just made senior loan officer at the bank. He has a clear career path, benefits, retirement plan.”
“And I have a successful business that I own.” Heat rose in my voice despite my efforts to stay calm. “I employ five people, provide health insurance, and have a retirement account that’s doing just fine.”
“There’s no need to get defensive, dear,” my mother said.
“I’m not being defensive. I’m stating facts about my career that you seem determined to ignore.” Not wanting to ruin Ryan’s birthday, I took a deep breath and reached for my water glass.
“Uncle Cooper’s coffee shop is the coolest place in town,” Lily declared loyally. “And he gives me free cookies sometimes.”
“That’s true,” Ryan added. “Cooper’s built something special there. The community and tourists love it.”
