“Alexa’s never brought a date to our Sunday dinners,” my mom said, suspiciously eyeing Cade.
Cade, thinking quick on his feet, grasped my hand on top of the table. “Well I’m happy to be here.”
My mom settled back into her chair, her back still ramrod straight, but seemingly satisfied with his response.
The server came by for our drink order, beginning with Cade—he ordered a bottle of beer. I winced. We never drank at Sunday dinners. It was sort of a thing with my parents. The rest of us ordered iced tea.
When the server returned with our drinks, Cade waved away the suggestion of a pilsner glass and I thought my mother’s eyes were going to pop out of her head. But when he tipped his head back and drank straight from the bottle, exposing a little section of his tattoo, my mother sucked in a gasp and gripped the tablecloth in front of her.
I wanted to go to the bathroom and hide. It wouldn’t have been the first time I’d done so. The farthest stall back on the left side of the ladies’ room had served as a disappearing place a few times over the years when I needed to escape my mother’s meddling.
Dad finally asked the question I knew had been on his mind since meeting Cade. “So, what do you do, Cade?”
Cade pulled back another fortifying swig of this beer before answering. “I work construction. Roofing mostly.”
“Hmm,” my mother pursed her lips.
My dad simply nodded. “You enjoy working with your hands? I never was much good at it. Hell, I practically have to call an electrician just to change a lightbulb.”
Cade smiled, relaxing just a bit into his chair. “Yeah, I like seeing the tangible results of my work. I do all sorts of things, carpentry, electrical—let me know if you ever need a hand. I draw the line at plumbing, but the rest I can usually figure out.”
I’d never really heard Cade talk about his work, I realized. I liked hearing him describe it. It was the same way I felt about nursing. I liked the notion of helping to improve something, leaving it in better condition than the way I found it. Sure, my work was with people, and Cade’s was with inanimate materials, but I still understood what he meant. I doubted my dad could relate, balance sheets weren’t exactly exciting. But I liked that he nodded and smiled, at least trying to relate to Cade.
The waiter was soon back, taking our order. “The prime-rib special Mr. and Mrs. Blake?”
My parents nodded in agreement. Cade handed over his menu without looking at it. “You have burgers here?”
The waiter nodded. “Certainly, sir.”
Without knowing what possessed me, perhaps it was the carefree chicken-wing-eating Lexa making her comeback, I followed Cade’s lead. “I’ll take the burger too.”
“But you always get the prime rib—” my mother interrupted.
“I know, but I’m in the mood for a burger tonight.”
“Don’t be silly, she’ll have the prime rib,” my mother told the waiter.
The waiter’s gaze bounced between me and my mother, seemingly unsure of who to listen to, when Cade interrupted. “Alexa’s a big girl, she knows what she wants.” The statement was laced with deeper meaning and we all knew it.
I couldn’t help but smile at him before turning to the waiter. “The burger, please. Well done with gouda cheese.”
Cade leaned back, draping his arm over the back of my chair, casually sipping his beer.
“Have you seen much of Peter, dear?” my mom asked.
Nice timing Mom.
Cade’s gazed flicked to mine, clearly interested in my response.
“No, mother,” I said in a clipped tone, sending her a drop it glare.
The rest of the dinner passed without further drama. My dad and Cade tried to find topics to discuss, and after several false starts with 401k investments, and then politics, they finally settled on something on which they could both agree—Chicago Bears football. They were soon animatedly discussing draft picks and the quarterback’s latest arrest.
My mother ate in silence, stabbing at her dinner and pushing it around her plate. My burger was delicious, and I wondered why I’d never ordered for myself before. I ate every bite and was nearly bursting from my dress by the time we left the restaurant a short while later.
Cade and I lingered in the parking lot after my parents pulled away. His pickup truck stuck out like a sore thumb in the parking lot full of luxury sedans and SUVs. My own included.
“Is Sophia watching Lily?”
“Yeah,” he replied.
“Do you have time to come over for a drink? I don’t live far from here.” I liked the idea of him seeing where I lived, not to mention, I was eager to finish where we left off last night before we were interrupted by Lily’s nightmare.
He sighed and ran his hands through his hair, then yanked his tie loose at the collar. “I’d better not.”
The air around us changed. It felt stiff, cold. “Cade?” I shifted a step closer. “What is it?” I braced myself, ready to hear that my judgmental mother had proved too much for him and he was cutting out on me.
“I need to get home to Lily.” His eyes refused to meet mine and I knew there was something he was holding back.
I was about to tell him that Lily would be fine for an hour, but something about his stiff stance told me to not to press him. “Oh, I suppose I could come to your place, then.”
He took a step back. “Not tonight, Alexa.”
I frowned, and when I suddenly realized that he’d called me Alexa rather than cupcake, my stomach twisted into a painful knot. “What’s wrong?”