Chapter Four

"Dinner was really good tonight, mom." Edwin pulls his phone out of his pocket and places it on the edge of the table.

As far back as he can remember, Vivian Wesley has always prepared meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans for dinner on Sundays. Occasionally, she swaps the green beans for some other type of "green" healthy vegetable, but come five ‘clock, dinner is always ready and sitting on the table for him and his father. He's hinted a few times that she doesn't have to keep up with this tradition, but she insists on doing it.

"Did you hear what's coming to town?" Vivian announces excitedly as she gathers the empty dinner plates.

"No, what? We've been so busy at the coffee shop these last few days, I've hardly had time to breathe," Edwin tries to make a joke of it, but truth of the matter, the only time he's been able to slow down is when he dashes off to the back for more supplies.

"Do you remember that talent show, oh, what's the name of it, the one that has all these people audition? Some sing, some dance, and some do these weird tricks. They hand out purple tickets to the ones who advance. The name is on the tip of my tongue." Vivian wrinkles her forehead while she tries to come up with the name.

"Are you talking about Tahoe's Got Talent?" Eager to hear more, he sits up straight in his chair.

"Yes, that's the one," Vivian's voice is filled with excitement. "I always thought the guy interviewing the contestants was so cute."

Edwin rolls his eyes. "You would think that, wouldn't you?"

"They're coming to the casino next month. We should get tickets to see the show. I bet it'd be a lot of fun. Better yet, you should audition for it."

"Come on, mom. I like to sing, but I'm not that good." He's participated in a couple of open mic nights at the Coffee Loft, something Deanna suggested they do when business was a little slow at the beginning of the summer, but that's way different than an auditorium full of people.

"Edwin, you never give yourself enough credit." Grabbing the dish towel from the handle on the stove, she dries her hands before ruffling her son's hair. "You're as good, if not better, than so many of the other Elvis impersonators."

"Eh, if you say so. Moms are supposed to say that kind of stuff. Let me help you with the rest of the dishes," he says, quickly changing the subject, and pushes his chair back.

He knows that she means well, and he's sure it'd be a lot of fun, but he'd rather leave that to the professionals. His generation…he's lucky if they even know who Elvis is.

It's not until later and everyone is in bed that he realizes he left his phone in the kitchen earlier. He quietly leaves his bedroom and pads down the hallway to retrieve it.

Having lived in the same house all of his life, there's no need to turn on any lights. Sure enough, he finds his phone on the edge of the table, in the exact spot he left it. The screen lights up as soon as he picks it up, and he's surprised to see a message waiting for him.

Charlotte: I made an A on my first test. Thank you again for offering me your book.

Afraid that his eyes are deceiving him, his scrubs his hands across his face and looks at the phone a second time. Sure enough, there's no mistaken it's from Charlotte.

He immediately feels bad for not seeing it until now, so he punches in a quick response.

Edwin: Congratulations! I knew you could do it!

He had high hopes she'd drop by the coffee shop sometime over the weekend, but much to his dismay, that hadn't happened. And now that she had her own textbook, catching her on the bench again wasn't likely to happen.

"Is everything okay?" Vivian flips on the kitchen light, startling him.

His stomach does a summersault and he scrambles to hold onto his phone. "Mom, you scared me to death."

"I was about to say the same thing. I wasn't expecting anyone to be in here," she chuckles, her hand pressed against her chest.

Edwin holds up his phone for her to see. "I went to set my alarm and realized I left it here in the kitchen."

"Thank goodness you remembered where it was. Your father is snoring so loudly, I had trouble falling asleep. I figured I'd work on one of my word search puzzles until I grew tired again."

"I'm sorry, mom," Edwin quickly apologizes, knowing how important it is for her to get a full night's sleep.

"You'd think after all of these years, I'd be used to it by now." Vivian winks. "It's not the first time he's kept me awake and I'm certain it won't be the last."

Hearing the notification alert on his phone, they both look down at it. "I've got a friend texting me about something. I'm going to head on back to my room now."

"Would this be a female friend?"

"Mom…"

"You don't ever bring anyone home for us to meet," she teases then wraps her arm around his shoulder, followed by a quick peck on the cheek. "Goodnight, son. I love you."

Edwin rushes back to his bedroom, eager to read the message from Charlotte. While he may have been tired a few minutes ago, he's very much awake now.

Charlotte: I'm going to have to find a job soon.

Edwin: There's lot of places downtown and the casinos are always looking for people. I worked in valet my senior year of high school. I made great tips, too.

Charlotte: Someone suggested finding something on campus, but I don't know. We'll see.

Edwin: If I hear of anything, I'll be sure to let you know.

They continue to message back and forth until well after midnight. They finally say goodbye when they both realize the time. With his head resting against his pillow, Edwin closes his eyes with a smile spread across his face.