22. Great Quality

22

GREAT QUALITY

T he following Monday, Laurel called her Aunt Helen. She’d gotten a text about Easter dinner Sunday and what time they were going to eat.

She’d completely forgotten about it and realized that she hadn’t even told her father or aunt she was dating Easton.

It’d only been about a month that she even knew him. But after this past weekend that they spent together, it felt as if she knew him better than anyone else she’d ever dated.

“Hi, Laurel,” her aunt said when she answered the phone. “You don’t normally call me.”

“I did this time,” she said. She’d gotten home ten minutes ago, changed, and then looked around to try to figure out what to have for dinner. There were leftovers from the weekend that she and Easton had cooked together.

They went out on Saturday night. Friday she cooked for him and he was sleeping in the chair by seven in the family room. She wanted to laugh but hadn’t. She felt bad when she realized how much he was working and how early he was starting his days.

He thanked her on Saturday for not giving him a hard time about it. She never would. It wasn’t her way.

“I’m glad you did. You know I like to hear your voice over texts all the time.”

“I thought I’d call and talk to you about Easter.”

“Oh,” her aunt said. “We can eat whenever works for you. I know an earlier dinner is better.”

“Is it okay if I bring someone with me?” she asked. She hadn’t asked Easton yet and was pretty sure he’d be alone. That didn’t sit well with her, but she wasn’t sure he was ready to meet her family either. It was going to be a slippery slope to navigate.

“Always,” her aunt said. “Is it a guy or a girl?”

“It’s a guy,” she said.

“Let me find a chair and get comfortable. I need to hear all about this.”

“I figured you’d say that. His name is Easton Cooke and he’s temporarily living next door while helping his cousin run his business.”

She told her aunt everything that was going on, for the most part. She kept the sex out of it. Some things she’d never share.

“Sounds like you shoved those pretty toes of yours deep down your throat there in the beginning.”

“I did,” she said. “But he was nice enough to hear me out, let me apologize, and we’ve moved on from it.”

“Which is a great quality to have. Your father has no idea about this, right? Because you know he would have come to me to ask all sorts of questions. He’s still pissed about everything with Philip.”

“No, Dad doesn’t. Can I ask you a favor?”

“You want me to play the peacemaker?” Aunt Helen asked.

“Kind of. I’ll tell Dad when I hang up with you. But he’ll come up to talk to you to know what you know. I just don’t need Dad being Dad right away.”

“Girl,” Aunt Helen said. “Your father is who he is. You can’t ask someone to be someone they aren’t. You should know that well.”

She didn’t need to feel the shame with those words. “You know what I mean. It’s more about him not coming on so strong. He didn’t with Philip.”

“And look at how well that worked out,” Aunt Helen said.

“Fair point,” she agreed.

“I’m not telling your father what to do. It’s his right as a father. But you can tell him what you told me. Give him some information and ask him not to be too harsh. Do you think Easton can’t handle it?”

“I’m sure he can handle anything,” she said.

“Then I have no idea what the problem is,” Aunt Helen said.

She didn’t know either other than she worried that Easton would think it was too much too soon.

Normally she loved it when her father was protective of her, but this time, she wasn’t so sure she wanted it.

She hung up with her aunt and called her father. “What’s going on, Laurel?”

“I’m dating someone,” she said. Might as well lead with that information.

“Good,” her father said. “I’m glad to know you’re not still beating yourself up over Philip.”

“I didn’t beat myself up over him. He got what he deserved. I don’t regret one minute what I did.”

“I didn’t say that,” her father said. “I meant that you questioned what you could have done differently. You’ve done that your whole life.”

She had done that in the beginning. “I didn’t do it long,” she said. “He wasn’t for me and I was the idiot who fell for it. That’s on me and no one else. I learn from my mistakes.”

“Good to know, but tell me about this guy you’re dating now.”

She told him what she’d told her aunt. Almost everything she could think of. She didn’t have secrets from her father.

“We get along well despite the rocky start on my end.”

“How you handle those things is more important than anything else,” her father said. “I know it’s hard for you to admit when you’re wrong.”

“Always,” she said. “But I was and had to do it and did.”

“I’m glad to know he thought of coming to your defense when the little prick showed up.”

Her father always thought Philip was on the soft and small end. Again, nothing she’d ever been attracted to before.

She liked what Easton was.

“He did.”

“What’s his story?” her father asked. “You said he’s a bit older than you. No kids or ex-wives? At that age, the odds of one or the other is very possible.”

“No to either,” she said. “He was in a serious relationship that ended over six months ago.”

“Why did it end?” her father asked. Her father would want to know if Easton cheated.

“Easton’s ex ended it. She found someone else. Or she was starting to feel for someone else and broke it off before she cheated on him.”

Her father snorted. “Emotions are still cheating, if she’s even telling the truth.”

“It’s not for me to judge,” she said. “That is between them, but she is engaged to that person and Easton has moved on. He’s not someone to give a person another chance.”

“Good,” her father said. “Or not.”

“What does that mean?” she asked.

“It’s not always the best trait to not forgive,” her father said.

“Considering he gave me a second chance, I’d think he’s got a good handle on that trait.”

Her father laughed and she realized that maybe her father had said that on purpose to see if she’d defend her boyfriend.

Then she wondered when she started to think of him as such.

Considering they were sleeping together, telling people they were dating, and that she was going to ask him to a holiday dinner, it was a fair assessment in her eyes.

“I’m glad you noticed that,” her father said.

“I want him to come to Easter dinner. I talked to Aunt Helen. I haven’t asked him yet. He might say no, but I don’t like that he’d be alone. His only family is in Florida right now.”

“He’ll say yes,” her father said. “Or I’m going to want to know why.”

She let out a sigh. “Speaking of that. If he does come, can you tone it down a bit?”

“No,” his father said. “We are who we are. I’m not pretending to be someone I’m not. I love and care for my daughter and I want that known.”

She smiled.

Philip knew and hated it and she played the peacemaker at times.

She wasn’t going to do that. She realized that she didn’t want to.

Her father was right. Whoever she was with in her life had to accept them for who they were.

“I’ll let you know if he’s coming or not. I’ll talk to him tonight or tomorrow. He could be sleeping at the dinner table right now.”

“It’s not even six,” her father said. “How much older is he than you? You’re not lying to me about that, are you?”

She burst out laughing. “You’ll see I’m not when you meet him. He starts work early. He’s got a few projects overseas so the time change is catching up with him doing multiple things at once. He said by next week all the early morning calls and correspondences will stop or be few enough that he can reply the next day.”

“That’s between you two to figure out. You said he won’t be there much longer, so you’ll have to decide if long distance is the way to go.”

“It’s not that far away,” she said. “We don’t see each other much during the week. It will work the way it should.”

“Glad to know you feel that way. I’ll see you on Sunday.”

“I’ll be there.”

“With Easton,” her father said.

“We’ll see,” she said. But she was hoping she wasn’t going alone.

She hung up with her father and went out the backdoor, dashed between the two driveways and up the back porch, and knocked on the door.

She saw him moving into the kitchen and coming to open it. “Hey,” he said. “I’m just grabbing a sandwich. Want one?”

“No,” she said. “I’ve got food next door I’m going to heat up. I wanted to ask you something and felt it was better in person and not over text.”

He closed one eye at her. She found it adorable when he did that. “What’s that?”

“Sunday is Easter,” she said. “I’m going home and I’d like you to go with me. Maybe it’s too early for you to meet my father. I’m asking you more because I don’t want you to be alone, rather than meeting the family, if that makes sense.”

“Sure,” he said. “I’ll go. I have no plans.”

“Really?” she asked.

“Did you think I’d say no?”

“I wasn’t sure. I didn’t want you to think I was rushing.”

“It’s dinner,” he said.

She was reading more into it. “Well, it’s my father too. And since you know how my last relationship ended…”

“He’s going to be a hard ass,” he said. “Got it. I’m a big boy. I’m not going to wet myself over it.”

She started to laugh and threw herself into his arms. “Perfect response. Now you can eat your sandwich before you fall asleep in the chair.”

“Nope,” he said, picking her up. “I’m hungry for something else right now. This is what you get for coming over unannounced.”