Page 29 of The Need to Know

My mother had been a homemaker my whole life. She taught me how to cook, clean, and take care of myself, readying me for adulthood so that I wasn’t dependent on anyone. She got on me hard whenever Pops was out of town, and then when he got home, he got on me even harder for making my mother have to get on me. It was no surprise she was tagging in now.

“He just loves you, we both do, and he worries about you,” she said as she placed a cloth on her lap.

I sloshed my lemonade around in my glass. “I know.”

Pops came back out and handed my mother a plate and then sat down with us.

I eyed them both and heaved a sigh. “I’m sorry for last night. I was an ass, and I acted out. I never want to spend another birthday without either of you around.”

Pops glanced at my mother and she snuck him a smile. And that was the end of it.

I dug into my meal and enjoyed the taste of my mother’s cooking mixed with my father’s grilling. I’d never flake out on them again.

“Oh, before I forget, I was talking to my girlfriend, Shirley, and she was telling me about her daughter,” my mother brought up. “Leena’s a really nice girl, Zeke, you’d like her.”

I cut into my steak some more. “I’ll pass. I don’t like girls. I like women.”

Ow!

Swiftly, my mother came upside my head with a quick slap. “Smart ass.”

I shot her a grin and ate some more.

Pops wagged his finger in my direction. “Nah, let him be, Naomi, he’ll figure it out on his own and see what we’re talking about.”

I thought to mention meeting Nastasia, but didn’t want to lead the situation on more than what it really was. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure it was a good idea to pursue the conquest at all when I thought about it.

A part of me, my subconscious, told me to walk away. The red flags were already there, telling me this one was different. I was a career heartbreaker, and this was one delicate heart I should spare.

The image of Nastasia’s slender fingers covering her full, luscious lips to shield her smile flooded my mind and I could see her for what she was: a nice woman.

I decided, then and there, to leave it up to the universe, to fate, to her. Unless she called, or texted me, I would let it go.

It was a long weekend, with the Fourth of July being Monday, giving me an extra day off. As a rule, Paisley and I didn’t work Sundays. Being only two, we figured we’d use this day to rest and recuperate for Mondays. Having an extra day off was a bonus, but was I using it to my advantage? Going out, having fun, or getting lost in someone?

Of course not.

I was avoiding my parents’ calls and lounging back on my sofa with Scorsese beside me.

Things with my parents were better than they had been, but that didn’t mean I was ready, or that I wanted to spend my free time hanging out with them. This went beyond baby steps. I was taking fetal laps to get back into a casual and smooth relationship with David and Brandy Graham.

At the sound of my FaceTime ringer going off, I assumed my mother had advanced in her method of wanting to talk. Forgoing our usual audio calls. Only, just as I was getting ready to ignore it, I saw that it was my sister.

Dread and guilt consumed me, and I swallowed down the bile rising in my throat.

Ghosting my parents was one thing, but my sister was another. That came with regret and shame.

She was the younger version of me. The prettier version. The wiser version. Alannah was the better version of me.

I stiffened as I sat up and answered the call. I tried to put a cheery smile on, but it wouldn’t stick.

Alannah’s gentle face filled the screen of my phone, and at once I was taken aback by her beauty. Her big silky curls framed her brown face and fell to her shoulders. She was cute in her Boston Red Sox tee. Cute and glowing.

Good for her.

I waved. “Hey.”

Alannah giddily waved back. “Hey. Long time, no see.”