Page 61 of A Me and Him Thing
“Tell us a little about yourself, Bree,” Susan says. “Ren hasn’t mentioned you before.”
Ouch. Although she didn’t mean it as a barb. I think she’s just curious about the woman her son brought home.
“How did you two meet?” she asks, without waiting for an answer to her first question.
Ren takes a bite of bacon. “I met her at Exodus. Later that night, I found her in the parking lot with car trouble. So I waited with her until the tow truck came. We’ve been friends ever since.”
He doesn’t put an arm around me or hold my hand. It must be blatantly obvious that we really are only friends.
Susan brings a hand to her chest. “Well, it’s so nice to have good friends.”
Friends. Another theme.
Next, I’m bombarded with questions about my life and my job. I answer them all the best I can.
Ethan glances at me every now and then, but Kate out-and-out stares, like she’s fascinated. I can’t wait to get to know her a little better. I’d love to pamper her with all kinds of girl dates. New clothes. New shoes. Pedicures. Whatever she wants. If I have the chance, that is.
Ren’s father is quiet, but I can feel his watchful eyes on me. “You’re a beautiful young lady, Miss Breanna Kingston. It’s a pleasure to have you at our breakfast table this morning.”
I see where Ren gets his building-people-up abilities.
“All right, let’s clean up and get going. Sound good, kids?” Ren begins to collect the dishes.
Get going? Oh. I guess we’re taking the kids out. I thought we were here for the day.
Kate stands up, but before she can do anything, a cute little sneeze emerges from her.
Everyone—and I mean all of them—suddenly holler, “Shut up!”
And what does Kate do? She smiles like she’s the most special little girl on the planet.
What a hilarious family.
NO ONE WILLlet me help with cleanup, so I take a seat on the cushy couch and watch Ren interact with his children. They blow dish bubbles at each other and swipe at each other with the dish towels.
And they laugh. A lot.
Again, I wonder what it is that Ren wants me to see. Life with kids? He knows how much I want children. That can’t possibly be the issue.
“Young lady, would you like to join me on the patio?” Jack asks.
I tear my eyes away from Ren, turning my gaze to Jack. Do I detect a bit of pity in his expression?
“I’d love to.”
It’s a beautiful morning, sunny and bright, not a cloud in the sky. Crunchy leaves have taken over the lawn reminding us that fall is upon us.
“I could spend my entire life raking leaves and never make a dent. It’s nice living out here, though. Susan and I prefer the bustle of the city, but I’m getting used to the sounds of birds instead of honking cars. After we sold Ren’s childhood home, we bought a condo in downtown Portland, and a condo in Florida by the beach as well. Sounds like an idyllic retired life, huh? We enjoy taking the kids to Florida for a few weeks every summer.”
I smile, feeling very unsure of myself. I don’t care for the emotion. But I’m wondering why I’m here and what it is that Ren wants to “show” me.
We shoot the breeze for a bit, then Jack says casually, “You like my son. I can tell by the way you look at him.”
There’s no reason to pretend otherwise. “Yes, I do.”
“I can tell he likes you too. That’s a good thing. He needs someone. I worry about him and the way he lives his life, always taking care of everyone else but not himself. I’m glad he’s doing something for himself for a change.”
There’s a but coming. I’m sure of it.
