Page 70 of The Art of Deception
She exhales. “I’m only agreeing to this for the sake of peanut.”
I hold in my laugh. “Got it! So, listen, I just had my father in here—”
“Oh, God, how’d that go?”
I tense a little. “I told him about us. How I’m moving in, but that’s all I managed to get out before he invited you and me over for dinner on Saturday.”
She’s quiet down the line. A little too quiet.
I tense up as I exhale. “Tomi?”
“I’m meeting your parents in two days?”
I grimace. “If you’re okay with that?”
I can practically hear her overthinking from here. “Yeah, I mean, I have no idea what to say to them. What the hell do I wear?”
“Babe, you wear what you normally wear. You’re beautifulhowever you dress.”
“Shouldn’t I like… dress up or something? I mean, I’m meeting them for the first time. I should at least dress up a little?”
The tone in her voice lets me know she’s concerned about this, so I try to ease her nerves. “What about if I go in jeans and a tank top? Will that make you feel better?”
She’s quiet for a pause, and then she exhales. “If you believe they will accept us wearing our normal clothes, then okay. I just… I want them to like me, Xander.”
I tense up, knowing that Dad already has a sour impression of her. But Mom, she will be easier to convince. “It’s going to be fine… I promise.”
She scoffs. “Wanna say that like you mean it?”
Dammit.She can see straight through me. “I’ll be there and hold your hand through every step of the way. We’re in this together.”
“Why do I suspect I’m in for a rough night?”
Why do I suspect she’s one hundred percent right?
“Like I said, it’ll be fine.”
“Ah-huh, now I’m off to brainstorm topics of small talk at dinner parties.”
I chuckle. “There you go. Just don’t stress about it. You need to keep calm for peanut.”
She exhales. “Yeah, fine. Friday night, we start moving your stuff in, and then on Saturday night, we meet the parents. We’re doing this.”
I smile, feeling nothing but excitement that we’re moving forward instead of ten steps back like we have been. “Yeah, Tomi, we’re doing this.”
“Well, Mr. Businessman, have a good day. Don’t work too hard.”
I smile, glancing at the design work of her studio on my desk.“I’m working on a certain new development today. Something to do with the design layout of a tattoo studio.”
“Well, I look forward to hearing all about it tonight when you come home to us. I can’t wait. Talk to you later.”
“Rest up,” I tell her as I end the call.
The call has sent me into a tailspin.
Will Dad be on his best behavior at dinner?
Will Tomi?
