“Have you left already? I’m just checking because I just got here, and I didn’t want to go in without you.” My mom was always soft spoken except for when she was pissed off. Right now, I could tell there was something up. She never acted this happy or okay with me running late.
“I’m in my Jeep right now, headed toward you at sixty miles an hour,” I laughed, starting my Jeep.
“Good. I’ll see you soon.” I wondered why she had called altogether as I hung up the phone and headed toward the restaurant. I needed to get out more: go to a couple more parties or maybe join some type of sport. I needed more hobbies than reading every single night. College was meant to be bigger and better than this.
Going to parties means seeing Talon.
My mind reminded myself of that, and immediately staying in my room and reading sounded about ten times better. Ten minutes had passed since I spoke to my mom, and as I pulled into the restaurant parking lot my belly filled with anxiety. Call it intuition or whatever you want, but something told me that I was going to be in for one hell of a surprise.
Putting one foot in front of the other, I grabbed my stuff and headed toward the entrance of the restaurant. The Chop House was a high-end eatery, a place my mom seemed to frequent a lot lately, now that I thought about it. It seemed a bit above her taste and pay grade being that she was nothing other than a RN at the Heights hospital.
Yet, I didn’t question her or wherever she wanted to meet up. I should be thankful because most people’s parents didn’t take the time to meet up for dinner nowadays. It was as if the second we said we were going to college they threw a big party and moved somewhere warm.
I walked into Chop House and was taken back by the over-the-top décor. A chandelier hung from the ceiling in the entranceway and a small seating area was off to the right where a small bar was located.
A young man stood before me at the hostess stand. I could tell he didn’t want to be here just by the plain look of disinterest on his face. I looked down to his nametag, my eyes roaming over the name Leo. Why Leo, you seem to be more interested in watching paint dry than being here; I wanted to say but bit my tongue.
“Lacy Weston Party,” I said instead. I clutched my wallet in my hand as he checked the list before him for my mother’s name. Without even a “this way please”, or “over there”, he walked off, causing me to hustle behind him to catch up. He walked the aisles between the tables like a pro, where I did nothing but manage an excuse me here and there. The place was packed to the brim for a Tuesday night and all was okay, until I looked up from the marble floor and to my mother’s table. It was then my heart dropped into my stomach.
“Fuck no,” I mumbled under my breath gripping my wallet that much harder in my hand. The man I loathed more than anything in the world was sitting right next to my mother, and another man was sitting at the same table with them. This had to be some sick fucking joke.
Taking a deep breath and wiping the look of disgust from my face, I took my seat next to the man I didn’t know. The entire time I could feel Talon’s eyes on me, and as I took my seat I looked up at him. He wore a look of shock that matched my own. Looks like neither of us knew what was going on.
“Mother.” I narrowed me eyes at her, all but saying explain yourself now or else. She smiled at me like she did nothing wrong and then started to speak.
"Mia, this is Jackson Reed and his son Talon. I met Jackson at a widow support group last year.” She had to be kidding me; this couldn’t be going where I thought it was.
“This isn’t happening,” Talon spoke out loud. I shifted my attention to him and then back to my mother. I knew there was a reason she had been coming home late and eating at such high-end places. Here I thought it had something to do with working late but no, she was secretly seeing someone, that someone being Talon’s father. I couldn’t do this right now.
“We started dating months ago, and we decided that it was time for you both to meet as soon as things started to get serious,” Jackson, Talon’s father said smiling at me, as if he wanted to say welcome to the family, the smile alone giving me the heebie-jeebies. Not because he was creepy looking. He was actually quite handsome, but because he was Talon’s father, and I hated Talon.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to get married or some disturbing shit like that.” Talon sounded more pissed than I was, the mask he always worse slipping away to reveal an emotion I am sure no one had ever seen him show: fear. Wow, the man who showed no fear of being scared of anything was now on the border of pissing his pants.