“You do. You’re a strong moral, ethical, law-abiding human being. But I don’t think he’s lying. And if he’s keeping something from you, it’s probably for a good reason. Marco strikes me as equally ethical, and if he’s not being truthful, he’s got a very good reason for it.”
“Let’s hope so.”
________
“Did you speak to your parents today?” I asked over dinner. We were seated at the island in Marco’s kitchen, having a dinner of leftovers from a Thai place we loved. Marco had gotten off work later than usual, but we’d wanted to have dinner together, so I’d waited. I was spending the night at his place tonight. Or that was the plan, anyway.
He shook his head. “I was going to, but never got around to it. I’ll reach out to them tomorrow.”
“Maybe we should invite them to dinner?” I shrugged, hoping I was coming off extremely casually. “We could cook something here, or take them to a restaurant. I’d love to meet them.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”
“Really?”
He raised his eyebrows over his spring roll, giving me a questioning look. “Sure. I can’t wait for them to meet you. But I have a feeling they’re going to be busy for a while, so I don’t know when we’ll be able to get it on the schedule. It might be a bit.”
“Busy with what?” I asked, keeping my tone light.
“Oh, um, some of their friends are coming into town.”
That sounded a little off, but it could be true. I took a few more bites and pondered my next tactic. I had to get this out of my system, where it was beginning to fester. That wouldn’t be good for either of us. “You know, it’s okay if your parents don’t want to meet me,” I said. “I’m fine with that. I was actually surprised you decided to tell them we were together in the first place. We can give them as much time as they need.”
Instead of answering, he got off his stool and walked to the refrigerator. He glanced over his shoulder. “Do you want a beer?”
“Sure.”
He came back to the island, holding two beers. He picked up the bottle opener on the counter and popped the tops. “They totally want to meet you. We’ll set it up once their friends leave.” He handed me a cold one.
I took a sip and set it down. “Okay.” I moved my pad Thai around on my plate. This wasn’t going as well as I would’ve liked. “You know, it’s okay if you haven’t actually told them about us.” I hesitated, glancing up, trying to gauge his reaction. But he wasn’t looking at me. “I would totally understand. You were engaged to another woman only a few short months ago. You said your parents were understanding when you told them you and Yasmine broke it off, but that’s a lot for anyone to take in, so if you ultimately decided not to tell them about us, that’s fine.” Internally, I was pleading with him to tell me the truth without explicitly saying that. I was trying to give him an easy out by telling him I would forgive it all.
His phone chimed, and he picked it up. His brows furrowed for a quick second, then he set it down. He took a few hurried bites of food, then carried his plate to the sink. “I’m sorry, but I have to make a call.” He came to my side and planted a kiss on my forehead. “I’m going to step outside for a few minutes. I’ll be right back.”
“Is everything okay?” I asked his retreating back as he walked to the door.
“Yeah, it’s just my cousin Sophia. They’re planning to visit from Spain next month, and she needs some recommendations of where to stay and all that.”
I got off my stool, trailing after him. “When you get back, I’d love to finish our conversation.”
He nodded. “For sure.” He opened the door, then just as he was about to leave, he stepped back and gathered me into his arms. “Everything’s going to be fine. I promise.” He kissed the top of my head.
After he left, I stared at the door for a solid minute.
Then I padded over to the counter and grabbed my phone. I typed a quick text to Yasmine.
hey, are you free this week?
I was relieved when I saw the three dots emerge instantly.
sure. i’d love to see you. lunch? drinks?
I typed back.
anything works for me. how about tomorrow?
Yasmine replied.
i have meetings all morning. does a late lunch work? technically, it could be early drinks. are you going to be in ballard?
I responded.
yes. i’m at the shop all day tomorrow. we can work around your schedule. just text me, and we’ll figure it out.
She replied.
sounds good. see you then. [smiley face emoji]
I set my phone down and paced to the beautiful windows with the gorgeous, unobstructed view of Elliott Bay. I couldn’t help but bite my lip. I knew for certain that Marco was lying to me. I just couldn’t figure out why.
I hoped I’d get to the bottom of it tomorrow.