Chapter Twelve

Gavin

I'm starting to think this night is never going to end. First cocktails and then dinner, which took three hours, not including the time it took to get everyone to the restaurant in rush-hour traffic. Then the team-building games took forever and now we're arriving at the bar for more drinks. I want to sneak out and go home but Jett is going to make a speech later so we're all expected to be here.

"Having fun?" Lacey asks as she slips her arm around mine and comes around to face me. She's been flirting with me all night. Lacey doesn't seem to care that I have a live-in girlfriend, as evidenced by the fact that she has her face lifted to mine as if she's waiting for a kiss. She'll be waiting a long time because it's not going to happen. I don't cheat. Never have. Never will. I love Kate and there's no other girl in the world for me.

"I need to call my girlfriend," I say to Lacey, stepping around her as I get out my phone. I've called Kate twice tonight but she hasn't picked up. She's mad at me and doesn't want to talk, but I need to hear her voice. It's Friday night and I miss her. We haven't been apart on a Friday night for months. The last time was when she went to visit her mom in Florida. We talked on the phone for hours because we missed each other so much.

But now she's ignoring my calls. She won't talk to me, which concerns me. She can't get this way every time I have to go to a work function. And she can't shut me out when she's mad at me. We've talked about this and agreed we wouldn't do that and yet here she is shutting me out.

I call her and hear the phone ringing over and over. I wait for the message so I can leave another voicemail but then she picks up.

"Hey, Gavin." 

"Hey." I move to the side of the bar where it's quieter. "I've been calling you all night. Why didn't you pick up?"

"Because I was out having dinner with my mom and Henry. My mom gets really annoyed when I answer the phone during dinner."

That's not the only reason she didn't pick up, but I'm not going to call her on it. I don't want to fight.

"It's good you went out. Did you have a good time?"

"I had a great time. Your grandpa's hilarious. And he has so many stories. My mom loved him. She'd probably date him if he was interested."

"Are you serious?"

"I'm pretty sure she thought he was flirting with her. She was blushing and smiling and...I don't know. Maybe I was reading it wrong."

"Okay, that's weird. I don't want them dating."

"I don't either."

"You need to tell her my grandfather is always like that. He flirts with all women. He can't help himself. It doesn't mean he's interested."

"I know. I'll explain that to her tomorrow when I see her."

"You two are going out tomorrow?"

"Just shopping in the afternoon. What are you doing?"

It used to be we just assumed we'd spend our weekends together but now that's starting to change. We're doing things separately, which I guess is okay as long as it doesn't happen all the time.

"I was hoping to spend time with you, but I know you want to see your mom. Maybe we can go out to dinner when you get back."

"My mom and I might have dinner after we shop."

"Then I guess we'll go out on Sunday."

"I'm working, remember?"

"Yeah, that's right."

This isn't good. We shouldn't be spending so much time apart. I've barely seen her all week and now it sounds like I won't see her much this weekend either.

"Something happened when I was out tonight," Kate says.

"What happened?"

"When we were leaving the restaurant, we ran into my dad." She pauses. "And your mom."

"They were both at the same restaurant? I'm surprised your dad would go to a place my mom goes to. It had to have been fancy if she was there."

"It was. Your grandpa insisted on taking us to a nice place."

"So was your dad there on a date or something?"

"Yeah." She pauses. "With your mom."

I laugh. "Yeah, that's funny. Who was he really with? Did you know her?"

"I'm serious. He was on a date with your mom."

"If they were together, it wasn't a date. My mom hasn't dated since my dad died, and if she decided she was ready to date, it definitely wouldn't be with your dad. No offense, but he's not exactly her type. He needs a few more zeros in his bank account to be her type."

"I thought the same thing but they were both dressed up like they were on a date. And that restaurant is the type of place you'd go on a date. Plus, it's Friday night. Why else would they be out together on a Friday night?"

"Did you go up and talk to them?"

"Yes, and my dad said it was a business meeting but none of us believed him. And then the strangest thing happened."

"Stranger than our parents dating each other?"

"My dad was looking at my mom like he still loves her. And I'm not just making that up because I'm trying to get them together. I gave up on that dream a long time ago. The look he was giving her was real. Like he wants her back."

"And yet he was on a date with my mom."

"This is why I'm so confused. Maybe he figures my mom would never take him back so he's trying to move on."

"None of this makes sense. Your dad and my mom couldn't possibly be dating. There's no way. It had to be a business meeting."

"On a Friday night? And why would your mom hire my dad? He catches cheating spouses. Your mom doesn't have a cheating spouse."

"He could do other investigative work."

"Yeah, but so could some other private investigator. One who specializes in whatever she needs help with."

"I don't know what to tell you. I don't know what's going on. I'll call her this weekend and see what I can find out. Or maybe I'll go over there since you'll be out with your mom."

"Gavin!" Lacey yells, waving her hand at me. "We need you over here!"

It looks like Lacey and her friends are doing some kind of drinking game. I've had enough to drink tonight. I'm not having any more, but if I don't go over there, Lacey will keep bothering me until I agree to it.

"I have to go," I say to Kate.

"Any idea when you'll be home?"

"I'd like to say soon but we just got here so I'm guessing it'll be at least another hour, probably more than that."

"I'm going to sleep, so I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"Kate, I'm sorry about this. I'm sorry we couldn't be together tonight and I'm sorry this is going on so late."

"It's work. I understand." She says that, but I hear the hint of anger in her tone and know she's not okay with it. "Have fun."

"This isn't fun. I'd rather be home with you."

"I know."

"I love you, Kate."

"I love you too. Goodnight."

She hangs up just as Lacey runs over to me. "Didn't you hear me?" she asks, grabbing my arm. "We need you for our drinking game."

"I'm not drinking. I've had enough for tonight."

"Then you can be the referee." She pulls on my arm. "C'mon. It's a fun game, and it'll be even more fun with you there." She reaches up and kisses my cheek. I'm sure her pink lipstick left a mark behind so I rub my face, trying to get it off. That's just what I need. To go home to Kate with lipstick all over my face.

The night continues until early morning and then I have to catch the train, so by the time I get back to the apartment, it's after three. I get into bed and snuggle up next to Kate, realizing how much I love being home with her so much more than I like going out to bars. I've moved on from that stage in my life. Going out and partying was fun back in college but I'm growing up and finding that nights like tonight just don't excite me like they used to. I'd rather be home watching a movie on the couch with Kate in my arms. She's what excites me now. She also calms me. As I hold her closer, I feel myself relaxing and eventually fall asleep.

When I wake up, I reach over to find her but she's not in bed. I sit up and find a note on her pillow.

Had to go to the restaurant. Plumber called. Said he'd fix the sink today instead of Monday. Be back later.

Checking the clock, I see it's after eleven. Why didn't she wake me up? I would've gone to the restaurant with her.

I give her a call and before I can say hi, she says, "Hey, I'm heading out to meet my mom. The plumber just left. I gave him a pie, and to thank me, he didn't charge me weekend rates. Isn't that great?"

"Yeah. Hey, so, why didn't you wake me up?"

"You got home after three. I wanted to let you sleep."

"You were awake when I got home? Why didn't you say something?"

"I was trying to go back to sleep."

This isn't right. Pretending to be asleep when she's not? That's not Kate, or it didn't used to be. Normally, in the few times I've gotten home late, she'd turn to me in bed and we'd kiss and sometimes it would lead somewhere or she'd just hug me and fall asleep in my arms. But last night, she kept her back to me and faked being asleep.

"You're still mad at me," I say.

"I'm not mad at you," she says unconvincingly.

"Just so you know, I didn't have fun last night. In fact, I hated it. I was tired and I had to be on all night and talk to people I didn't want to talk to. And I missed you. I thought about you all night."

"Gavin, I'm not mad. I swear to you, I'm not. Can we talk later? I'm heading out to meet my mom."

"Already? I thought you were meeting her later this afternoon."

"I was, but then she called and asked if we could have lunch before we went shopping so I told her yes, which means I have to leave now or I'll be late."

"What about dinner? Are you two still having dinner together?"

"Yeah, she made reservations at some new restaurant she wants to try. Why don't you meet us there?"

I'd rather have dinner alone with Kate, but if I don't meet up with her and her mom, I won't see her all day.

"Text me the time and place. I'll see you there."

"Okay. Have a good day."

"You too."

Have a good day? We sound like roommates. She didn't even say 'I love you' which we always say before ending a call. I have to get us back on track. I'm not even sure how we got to this place.

After I shower and have breakfast, I call my mom. "Hey, Mom, what are you up to today?"

"Gavin, that's not how you greet someone," she scolds.

I sigh. "Hello, Mother. It's Gavin, your son. How are you doing today?"

"Fine. And how are you?"

"Good. Now can I continue?"

"Go ahead."

"I was thinking I could take you out for lunch. I haven't seen you for over a week and thought we should catch up."

"Why the sudden interest in seeing me? You've gone weeks without seeing me and never expressed any concern."

"Mom, let's not argue about this. Can we go to lunch or not?"

"I suppose we could, although I already ate. But you could eat and we could chat about whatever it is you want to chat about."

She knows I heard about last night. She hinted about it just now with the tone she used. It was a tone that implies she's curious what I think about the fact that she was out with Kate's father.

I have to be careful how I handle this. Sometimes if she knows something bothers me, she'll do it all the more, then make me do something in return to get her to stop whatever it is I don't want her doing. It's manipulative and I hate it but it's just how she is. At least I know when she's doing it and can prepare myself.

"If you already ate, we can just go for coffee."

"Don't be silly. I don't want my son going hungry. You'll have lunch and I'll have an iced tea."

In the past, she would've said martini, not iced tea, and it would've been four not one. I have to say, I'm shocked she's been able to go without a drink for this long. That rehab place must be really good.

"I'll be there in a half hour," I tell her.

When I get to the house, she's waiting outside the front door. She never does that. Usually, I have to go in the house and search for her.

"What are you doing out here?" I ask as I get out and open the car door for her.

She huffs. "Henry drove me out of my own house!"

"What are you talking about?"

"He's singing in the foyer and it echoes throughout the entire house. I can't escape it and he won't quit!"

I try not to laugh. "Why is he singing?"

"To anger me, of course! I told you, he's trying to drive me out of my house, probably so he can have it all to himself and have one of his whores over."

"The women he dates are not whores. And I don't think he's seeing anyone right now."

"It doesn't matter. He's being rude and ungrateful and I want him out of my house immediately."

"Did you tell him that?"

"Numerous times, but he doesn't listen."

I'm surprised she hasn't kicked him out by now. I know he refuses to leave, but if she really wanted him gone, she could get a cop over there and force him out.

"He won't be there much longer," I say as I get in the car.

She fastens her seatbelt. "He claims he's staying until the restaurant opens."

"That's only a few weeks away."

"A few weeks living with Henry is like a few years."

I really want to laugh. She usually tries to conceal her anger but my grandfather has her so riled up she can't hide it. I can't believe he was singing. He's a horrible singer so I could see how that could drive her out of the house. It'd drive me out of the house.

"Where are we going?" she asks, flipping the visor down to shield the sun.

"Calderra's."

"The service there is extremely slow. Let's go somewhere else."

"Are you in a hurry?"

"I suppose not."

"Then we're going to Calderra's. I've been craving their roast beef sandwich. You sure you don't want to eat?"

"I told you, I already had lunch."

When she used to say that, it meant she had alcohol, not food. I hope she's eating. She looks like she is. She's not as rail thin as she was before. She looks a lot healthier now, although she's still too thin.

At the restaurant, I wait until I've ordered before bringing up last night.

"Kate said she saw you at dinner."

My mom smiles like she's happy this topic came up. She likes to create drama and she knows last night she succeeded in doing that by being seen with Kate's dad.

"It was a lovely dinner. I had the sea bass, which I normally don't care for, but last night it was exquisitely done. It had a citrus-cream sauce and was served with a side of roasted asparagus. You should tell Kate to include something similar on her menu."

"She's serving diner food. Sea bass wouldn't be appropriate."

"What exactly is diner food?"

"Meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Fried chicken. Pie. She has a whole pie menu. She likes making pies." I smile thinking of how excited Kate gets when she talks about the menu. Seeing her that excited makes me happy. She's finally doing what she really wants to do. She's living her dream.

"You're coming to the opening, right?" I ask, but I know the answer. She'll refuse to come because she doesn't like Kate. Or more likely, she'll come up with some excuse for why she can't be there.

"Of course I'll come," she says. "I'm looking forward to it."

I stare at her, wondering if I heard her right.

"So you'll be there?" I ask, confirming it.

"Gavin, I just said I would. Did you not hear me?"

"I heard you. I'm just surprised. I thought you wouldn't agree to it. A diner isn't exactly your scene."

"I'm going to support your girlfriend."

"You've never supported her before."

"Well, I've changed." She lays her napkin on her lap. "I assume she'll be your wife someday so it's not like I can avoid her. And besides, she's growing on me. I'm finding her more tolerable now, perhaps because she makes you so happy."

"That's great. I really want you two to get along."

And yet part of me thinks she's only doing this to win over Kate's dad. But why does she care? Is she really interested in him?

"So you had dinner with Craig last night?"

"I did." She smiles. "He was wonderful company. He has so many interesting things to say."

"Like what?"

She sips her iced tea, then sets it down. "I don't remember specifically. Just overall, I found him to be very interesting."

"How did you end up having dinner with him?"

"I had some questions regarding his services."

"Why do you need his services? You don't have a cheating spouse."

"It's for a friend of mine." She messes with the napkin in her lap.

"What friend?"

"Someone you don't know. She's on one of the committees I'm on. Her husband has been working late and taking last minute trips which she knows aren't for business. She thinks he might be cheating."

"Why didn't she just talk to Craig herself?"

"She was worried someone might see her. She doesn't want anyone knowing about this, except me, of course. She only told me because of my connection to Craig via Kate."

"You could've met at his office."

"I could have, but I suggested dinner and he agreed to it. I needed to get out of the house. You have no idea what it's like living with Henry. The man is incorrigible."

"I'm surprised Craig agreed to it. You two don't exactly have a lot in common."

"We're both single. Attractive. Alone on a Friday night. It made perfect sense that we'd go out."

"Are you saying last night was a date?"

A smug grin lights up her face. "I suppose you could call it that."

That's just great. Kate's going to freak out. She doesn't want them dating and neither do I.

"Are you going out again?"

"We don't have any definite plans but I'm sure we'll find time to see each other again."

My food arrives. I wait for the waiter to leave, then say, "Mom, why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Why are you going after Kate's dad? He's not your type, and you, yourself, said you weren't ready to date."

"That was months ago. I just needed some time to mourn your father. But now I'm ready to try dating, and I'm open to meeting new people. People from all walks of life. Craig may not be wealthy but neither was your father when I met him and we ended up falling in love."

She better not fall in love with Craig. I can't imagine those two even liking each other, let alone falling in love.

"It was one date, Gavin. It's not like I'm marrying him. We're just seeing where this might go. And I'd appreciate it if you'd stay out of it. I don't need you monitoring when I go out and how much time Craig and I spend together."

"I wasn't monitoring you. I was just asking what was going on last night."

"And now you know. But from here on out, I suggest you focus on your own affairs. Focus on keeping Kate happy." She smiles. "Keeping a woman happy isn't easy. Your father should've taught you that."

He didn't. In fact, we never talked about girls. When I had questions, I went to my grandfather, not my dad. But my mom is right. Keeping a woman happy takes work. I feel like I'm failing with Kate, but I'm trying to get things back on track.

My mom waves the waiter over to refill her iced tea. I can't believe she's going out with Craig, and that he agreed to go out with her. There's no way this will last. It can't. If they ever got married, Kate and I would be siblings and there's no way that's happening.