Because her family was weird. She knew this.
Meghan carried a glass of sweet tea over to her father, and offered him a cookie. Rich went to stand and help her, but her father waved him away. “In this house, our women like to serve us. We take care of them and they take care of us.”
Rich was going to have a field day later. She felt her cheeks blaze as she passed Rich his glass. His fingers slid against hers as he took it, and she felt a jolt of electricity rush through her. Her gaze immediately lifted to his, and for a moment she was lost in it.
“Thank you, Meghan, that will be all. I’m sure your mother needs some help in the kitchen.”
She pulled her hand from the glass, mouthing ‘sorry’ to Rich. He shook his head, still amused at the crazy dynamics going on in her parents’ home.
“Are you sure I can’t help?”
She shook her head, imagining her mom’s horror at having a man in the kitchen. “It’s fine. Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes.”
“Whatever it is, it smells delicious.”
“Beef pot roast with potatoes and cabbage, the same thing we always have on Sundays.” Her dad sounded proud about that. “My wife’s a wonderful cook, Richard. And she’s taught Meghan how to be, too. She’ll make a great wife to somebody someday.”
And there it was. The big sell was beginning. She couldn’t have felt more like a cow in the market if he’d tried.
After dinner they could leave. She was already counting down the minutes.
Rich glanced at Meghan from the corner of his eye as they drove down the highway back to Angel Sands. After eating, they’d sat in the living room while Isla and Meghan’s mom had baked some more cookies. This time, Meghan had been allowed to sit with the men, though she’d been uncharacteristically quiet. At exactly four p.m., she’d jumped up and told Isla it was time to go. They’d said their goodbyes quickly, and Isla had carried a large bag of the cookies she’d baked out to the car, promising one to Rich when they got back to Angel Sands.
And now Isla was asleep in the back seat, her breathing rhythmic as they traveled along the highway. This time the windows were closed, and he had the air conditioning on.
“So what was that?” he asked, still trying to work out the dynamics in her family home.
“Sorry.” She sighed. “I should have warned you. My parents have what they call a traditional marriage. Kind of like from the nineteen fifties. My dad brings home the bacon and my mom lives to serve.”
“I didn’t know people still lived like that.”
She looked over at him, a smile playing at her lips. “You’d be surprised how many people do. Their church encourages it. Says that’s how the bible tells them to live.”
“It kind of put equality back a hundred years,” Rich murmured.
Meghan smiled. “Yeah. They think that’s the root of all evil. That things were good in the world before women started asking for equal rights. My dad says ever since then the world has become an evil place. That equality has led to divorce and broken homes, to gangs and drug taking. It’s as if none of that existed before the nineteen fifties.”
He lifted his hand from the wheel, raking his fingers through his hair. “How did you survive growing up in a house like that?”
Her lips twitched. “Not very well. I was lucky to have my grandma, that’s my dad’s mom. She spoiled me whenever she could to make up for things. But it was still difficult and I left at the first opportunity.” She glanced over her shoulder at Isla. “And of course when I got pregnant, they went apeshit.”
“That’s another dollar for the swear jar,” Rich teased.
“Yeah, well maybe it’ll get filled faster than I thought.”
He glanced at her again. She looked more relaxed now. Like she’d done her duty and could shake off the expectations of her parents. “Can I ask you about Isla’s father?” It had been bugging him for weeks. She never mentioned him at all.
“Okay.” Her voice was soft. She checked behind her, no doubt to make sure Isla was asleep. “What do you want to know?”
“How did you meet?”
“We met at a festival.” She leaned her head back against the seat. “I was working there the summer after graduating from college. I tended the bar in the band area, and he was one of the VIPs. We hit it off, and then…” Her voice trailed off. “I got pregnant. Except by the time I found out, he was off touring and didn’t want to be part of having a baby.”
“He’s never met her?”
“No.”
“But he pays child support?”