“First time drinking the hard stuff?”
“Piece of cake,” I say, as the warm liquid starts to filter through my veins.
He shakes his head, a rueful smile on his lips. “Where exactly did you grow up again? I’m thinking there’s a ville on the end of it.”
“Shut up. And you’re calling me small town? There’s like four stoplights in this one.”
“Twelve.”
“I told you I didn’t party much in school.”
“Or ever,” he jests.
“I just…” I sigh.
“Just what?”
“Well, my mom was a mess and lush enough for both of us. One of us had to be the grown-up.”
Sean’s hazels soften and I decide they’re far more green than brown. “Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t trade her for the world. She was a lot of fun.”
“Was?”
“Yeah. I learned how to drive when I was eight.”
He leans forward. “Come again?”
“That’s right. I had mad skills,” I boast, braving another drink of my whiskey with a splash of flat Coke.
“Sure you did.”
“We didn’t have a lot of money, so we made do. My mom was creative. She always found a way to make that extra twenty dollars a week work. One sunny Saturday, she had this brilliant idea to take me on an abandoned road and let me go nuts.” I smile, lost in the memory. “She put a phone book in the driver’s seat and just let me at it, for hours. She let me two-wheel our minivan. Then afterward, she would take us to this roadside barbecue shack that had the best tater tots with cheese. So, for a year or so that became our Saturday ritual. Me, my mom, a phone book, our minivan, and tater tots with cheese.”
Sean leans back in his seat, his beer halfway to his mouth. “I love that.”
“She had this way about her, a way I’m envious of sometimes. She could make something out of nothing, made ordinary days spectacular.” I study Sean as he nods. “You remind me of her in that way.”
He winks. “It’s all about the company we keep.”
“Don’t credit me for being the fun one. We both know I’m not. I’m a ‘stay-in-the-lines’ kind of girl and you’re, well, you’re the red crayon.”
He kicks back and shrugs. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Nothing wrong with being responsible and taking care of the people you love.”
“It’s insanely boring,” I take another swig of my drink. “My friend Christy saved me from being a total introvert.” I dart my eyes down. “I’ve never wanted to be the center of attention, you know? But I always envied those people who could make ordinary days, extraordinary. Like you, and Christy, and my mom.”
“You have it in you.”
I shake my head. “No, I don’t. I’m just meant to be a fan of those who do. Anyway, what about your parents? Tell me about the restaurant.”
“I’ll do one better; I’ll take you there sometime soon. I want them to meet you.”
“I’d love that.”
“They’re my idols—both of them. Good people with strong opinions, big hearts, all about family and loyalty, married for over thirty years. They work side by side every single day. They live out in the open, fight out in the open, and make up out in the open.”
“They love each o
ther out in the open, huh? Maybe that’s why you’re so openly affectionate with me?”