Page 87 of The Trouble with Flings

A shocked emoji pops up from Mia.

Jayla: It’s Mom and Dad’s anniversary. Who is it, and why are we just now finding out?

Mom: How lovely! I’ll set another place at the table. She added a smiling emoji.

Jared: Is it a man friend or a woman friend? Asking for everyone.

Jace: He’s asking for himself, hoping it’s a single female.

A devil emoji pops up from Jared.

Jayla sends an eyeroll emoji.

Dad: We’re looking forward to meeting whoever it is, sweetheart.

Jace: Jen, does this person have a name?

Jayla: …?

Jared: She’s not answering. It’s def a dude.

A celebration emoji pops up from Jayla.

Jared: Does he have a hot sister?

I set the phone face down on the cake box and take a deep breath.

Fitz glances over again. “What’s the verdict? I assume Jace knows I’m a good guy. He’s been to the island a few times, and we’ve never had issues.”

“I just said I’m bringing a friend. I didn’t tell them it was you.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know. It seemed like the less to deal with the better until we’re face to face. The last guy I brought home was Gary, and that was several years ago.”

“Do they know what went down with him?”

“No. Only Mia does. Everyone else thinks he broke my heart and that’s why I don’t do relationships.”

“Did he?” Fitz asks. “Break your heart, I mean?”

I think about brushing off the question, but I don’t want to do that to him. He deserves to know the truth. “Pretty much.”

“You were in love with him?” he asks carefully.

“No, but I thought we might be heading that way, and along with that, I thought we had the kind of respect and feelings for each other that make hurting the other person out of the realm of possibilities. But I’m the one who overlooked the signs, so that’s on me.”

“The hell it is,” he says. “You might’ve overlooked signs, but he chose to put his hands on you. The guy’s a criminal.” He squeezes my hand. “Let’s not talk about that while you’re anxious. How did your family respond to the idea of you bringing someone with you?”

“My parents and Jayla sound excited, Jared wants to know if you have a sister, and Jace wants your name, probably to do a full background investigation on you.”

“Sounds about right.”

The exit finally opens up, and I direct him off the highway and through the streets I know by heart. We pass the convenience store where Jace used to buy us candy with his lawn-mowing money, the park where Jared broke his arm showing off on the monkey bars, and the elementary school where my mother works. As we near my parents’ neighborhood, the streets are quieter, the houses more familiar.

We turn onto my parents’ street, and my siblings’ vehicles crowd the driveway. They’ve all done well for themselves, and their SUVs and cars aren’t cheap. But as Fitz eases his shiny black Porsche Cayenne to the curb, it’s my parents’ old Chevy sitting at the top of the driveway and my modest childhood home that catch my thoughts. I’m momentarily struck by the distance between the world Fitz comes from and the one that made me. It’s not something I’m ashamed of. Not even close. But sitting in this expensive car, with a man who has never had to stretch a paycheck, I feel that difference.

The funny thing is, he’s never once made me feel that gap.