DINNER
At six twenty-eight, Sean stood on the front porch of the Sorenson house. The wide concrete porch was lit by the yellow glow of an outdoor wall sconce to the right of the door. The bushes in the front had been cut back neatly. The only thing that had changed from the last time he’d been here was a new doormat, blue with snowflakes. There hadn’t been one before.
He cradled the roses in his arm. Owen had tied them neatly and wrapped them with red-and-white paper and a twine bow. Simple paper, so as not to distract from the flowers.
Would roses be a little forward? Should he have gone for something like carnations? He disliked the thought of using Owen’s roses, but he hated to waste them.
While he’d hoped to impress Carol, was impressing on her that he was very eager to date Sang going to be a problem?
Sean pushed the doorbell. The chimes sounded.
His fingers tingled.
He held his breath, anxious.
A moment later, the door opened.
Carol stood in a pair of dark slacks and a maroon top, billowy around her body. A smile plastered her face. Not totally sincere, almost too fake.
Was there tension in the house? He hadn’t checked in with anyone about what was going on inside. He anticipated someone would have sent him a text if there was a problem.
“Welcome, Sean,” she said and stood back, leaving him room to enter.
He wiped his feet a little on the mat and stepped inside. The foyer was bright, with lights on over the stairwell in front of him, above his head, and a lamp had been placed on a side table. It made the white walls shine.
The effect was like he was under a spotlight. It was a little too much, as if to make the small space appear cleaner.
Carol instantly noted the bouquet. Her hands went to her cheeks, and her mouth made an O shape. “Those are lovely,” she said.
He presented the roses to her. “Thank you for inviting me.”
She received them into her arms and then nodded toward the living room. “Would you please come and sit with us?”
Immediately to the right, the living room was overcrowded with furniture. A couple of chairs from the dining table had been added, sitting across from the couch with a coffee table between them.
In one of the dining chairs sat Mr. Sorenson. He wore dark slacks and a white collared shirt a little too big for his frame. His graying dark hair appeared wet and combed down.
Sean combed his own sandy-blond hair over his forehead nervously. He’d tried to get it to behave so he appeared a little different, hopefully a little closer to Sang’s age. He nodded to him. “Hello.” Would he possibly recognize him?
Sean had carried his wife out of the house on a stretcher. But his appearance might not have been noticed that day. There was a lot going on.
Mr. Sorenson nodded and partially stood up, offering a hand. “Welcome,” he said. “I’m Mr. Sorenson.”
I know exactly who you are. Sean forced a smile and did his best not to recoil from shaking his hand. He let go quickly. “Pleased to meet you. Sean Green.” He hadn’t planned on having to exchange pleasantries without Sang being in the room.
Where was she?
Mr. Sorenson motioned to the couch. “I hear you’re going to become a doctor.”
The couch had faded flowers and appeared to have been in the family longer than Sang had been around. He’d seen it a few times in the house before. When he’d sat on it, the cushions had sunk into the wood shortly. It was as if he was sitting on wood by itself.
“I hope so,” Sean said. “I’ve already taken a number of prerequisites, and tested out of a few classes to get ahead.”
“It’s a good choice,” he said. “I went into engineering. Electrical.”
Sean feigned being impressed, widening his eyes just a little. Not that engineering wasn’t a good career, but he couldn’t get himself to be interested in him. “Yes, I believe Sang mentioned it.”
At the mention of his daughter’s name, he seemed to go a shade paler, but recovered quickly.
He did know Sean was there because he knew Sang, right? Had Carol said? Or was just the thought of her something that scared him?
Carol returned, presenting a green vase with the roses put into water. She placed this on the coffee table and then sat on the couch a foot away from Sean. “I was telling my son, Jimmy, that when he goes to school here, he’ll have to ask you about any programs you used for accelerating your career.”
Sean raised an eyebrow. “Does he want to be a doctor?”
“I want him to have every available opportunity,” she said with a broad smile. “The world needs doctors.”
Uh-huh. Maybe their interference would work out for Jimmy. The Academy could help him get into authentic accelerated programs and let him choose whatever career he wished. If he was at all bright, it would only cost them a couple of favors to get him on his way.
“I’m not sure if you’ve heard about Ashley Waters,” Sean said, spacing each word out slowly to add a little emphasis. He shifted on the couch, leaning his elbows on his legs. “My program wasn’t really a part of the school. It was an extension from a private school.”
Her eyes lit up. “They do that?”
“I don’t recommend it,” Sean said. “I wish I’d gone to the private school instead. If so, I would have been in college a year earlier.” The words rolled off his tongue, an echo of a bit about his past, mixed in with the experience at the public school. “Ashley Waters doesn’t have a great selection of classes. No budget.”
“Yes, typical of public schools these days,” Carol said with a sigh. She touched the puffs of hair around her face. “I was worried about sending my youngest son there. Is it at least decent enough that he could apply for these accelerated classes there?”
It was hard not to smile. She might be easier to convince than anyone thought. “Maybe in the past,” he said. “It’s going through a few changes, and administration is fluctuating. The students are out of control. Fights in the hallways. There were a number of bomb threats last November. It seemed like every day for a while. I think I missed a whole week of morning classes.”
Carol’s lips wrinkled, displeased. “I see.”
“It was all over the news.” He glanced at Mr. Sorenson, but he only nodded along with a curious look on his face.
He hadn’t known.
He didn’t care a damn thing about his daughters. Either of them. He had no idea what they’d been going through.
Sean bit his tongue to avoid saying something snarky and focused on Carol. He reached into his pocket for his wallet and pulled out a card. “This is the number for my adviser. You can tell him I recommended you. They do have a full-time facility. It’s nearby. Coed.”
Carol’s smile widened. She took the card, looking at the name. “Virtus Academy. Do they allow entry midyear?”
“It wouldn’t be a problem. If someone were to go through the testing, they might offer to bring in a student.”
Carol bobbed her head. “I see…” She glanced over at Mr. Sorenson. “It could be worth looking into.”
Mr. Sorenson shrugged. “If you’d like.”
No strong opinion one way or another. Sean was starting to wonder if he even cared for Carol. Sean didn’t want to push the issue, but he was eager to get Sang out of here. “If you call, ask about a school tour. They make a lot of special exceptions for someone who seems uniquely gifted.”
There was a flicker from Carol’s face, and he couldn’t tell if he’d said anything wrong. Was he pushing it?
Before either could respond, there was an eruption of footsteps on the stairs, all the way down.
Jimmy appeared, wearing clean dark slacks and a white shirt with a dark tie, the knot loose at his neck. His hair, too, appeared wet and combed flat against his head. He inspected the room, waved a short hello to Sean and then sat heavily on the second wooden chair.
“Sean, this is Jimmy. You saw him yesterday,” Carol said.
“Of course, I remember,” Sean said. Where were the girls?
Then he noted how the living room was set up for only four people. Unless the girls crowded together on the couch. Were they not going to come down at all?
Jimmy noted the flowers, leaning in and sniffing them and immediately sneezing. He covered his mouth with a palm. “Sorry.”
“Bless you,” Carol said quickly and returned her attention to Sean. “May I get you anything to drink?”
“I’m fine,” Sean said. “Thank you, though.”
She brightened and then said nothing.
No one did for a full minute.
Awkward.
But she seemed to be waiting for him to speak. Strange. When in doubt, talk about the weather. “It has gotten cold, hasn’t it?” Sean offered.
“North Carolina was colder,” Jimmy said.
Sean pressed his lips together, nodding. “It gets a little hot here during the summer. Some days it isn’t too bad if there’s a breeze coming off the ocean.”
“And when there’s no breeze?” Jimmy asked.
“Stay inside,” Sean said and grinned.
Carol watched them and appeared happy with this. “Where is your family from, Sean?”
“I grew up mostly here,” he said. “And sometimes in Japan.”
Her lips twitched. “Military?”
Was it worth it to lie? He didn’t think so. She seemed reasonable. “No, my parents are Japanese. I was adopted.”
Carol’s face went a shade white. “Oh,” she said unenthusiastically. “Do they live nearby?”
It was a funny reaction. He tilted his head, an eyebrow up. “Yes,” he lied. Well, his mother lived at his condo for now. “They both work in the medical field. Translation specialists.”
She shot a critical eye at Mr. Sorenson and then her lips stiffened and pursed. “I see.”
It was a strange answer. Was she surprised they were Japanese, or that he was adopted? It was difficult to tell.
Either way, she didn’t seem to approve of this.
Ugh. Really? She had no problem coming in to pretend to raise someone else’s children but balked at someone who had been brought up that way?
There was growling, and Jimmy clapped his hand over his stomach. “Is it ready yet?” he asked. “I worked up an appetite playing basketball today.”
Carol sighed. “We may as well begin.”
She stood, and everyone else stood with her.
This wasn’t going well. He might have talked her into the school, but he wasn’t so sure she approved of him.
At that moment, there were footsteps on the stairs, softer and slower than Jimmy’s had been.
Marie and Sang appeared.
Marie wore a bright red dress, her hair similar to Carol’s, and heavy makeup. The dress was a little low cut, the skirt shorter. She wore high heels.
Sang wore a simple brown dress and a similar style of hair and makeup as she’d worn earlier. Flats. Unflattering, but low-key.
They both looked highly uncomfortable.
Sang, however, met Sean’s eyes immediately, caught the flowers on the table, smiled widely, and then beamed at Sean.
She knew he’d brought them, but she was very aware of who they were really from.
Sly Owen, stealing her affection even while he wasn’t here. Sean thought he should have brought her something else.
But those roses were her favorite.
Carol gave a slight wave of her hand, as if presenting Sang and Marie. Her lips softened. “Thank you, girls. We’re sitting for dinner.”
He got the feeling they had been told to come down just as dinner was starting.
Carol had wanted to talk to him without them. Kind of uncool, especially after being so disapproving of his parents.
They continued through the kitchen to the dining table. Jimmy brought the chairs back from the living room.
Mr. Sorenson immediately went to the head of the table.
Carol motioned to the other end. “Sean, will you sit here?”
Not that he wanted to look at Sang’s father all night, but he started to tug the chair out.
Carol motioned to the others to direct them where to sit. Jimmy to the left of Mr. Sorenson, Sang to the left of Sean and next to Jimmy.
Marie sat on his right, next to Carol.
Before they sat, Sean pulled the chairs out for both of the girls.
Jimmy assisted with Sang’s once he noticed Sean doing so. He grinned after Sang sat. When she didn’t smile, he sat in his seat and continued to grin toothily to get her attention.
When she finally looked up, she did manage to crack a smile.
Sean had to give him some credit. He wasn’t too bad, but he hoped he wasn’t getting any funny ideas about Sang. Sean had enough competition with the rest of their team.
The table was set with a single dinner plate and folded cloth dinner napkins.
Carol remained standing and moved to the stove and opened it.
While she was away, Sean took his napkin and rearranged it, using folds to make a bird on his plate.
He glanced at Sang, who was watching him. At the end, she smiled.
Carol brought out a roast, already sliced on a plate that was being kept warm. She put it closer to Mr. Sorenson’s side of the table.
Sean started to stand up. “Can I help with anything?”
Carol waved him off as she went back for more. “No need. I’ve got it. Thank you.”
She brought over mashed potatoes, carrots, sliced baked apple and biscuits, each in matching blue-and-white dishes.
“Smells wonderful,” Sean said once she returned with the last of it. He forced a big smile. He had to win a few points back. “Mr. Sorenson is very lucky to have you.”
Carol placed the last dish and beamed. “It’s very sweet of you to say so.”
“It smells good,” Mr. Sorenson said quickly. He had his hands in his lap and avoided eye contact. His shoulders slumped. He seemed uncomfortable.
Sean pitied him. Did he live like this all the time?
He glanced briefly at Sang.
Sang had been looking at him out of the corner of her eye. She held his gaze for a single moment and then looked at her plate.
Her lips softened.
She looked tired, even with the makeup on. She sat up straight and seemed tense.
The brown dress didn’t really match well with her complexion. Why put her in such a plain dress?
Understated so her pretty face would stand out?
Carol had strange ideas.
Carol directed the dinner. “Could we serve the person on our left, please? This may help move things along.”
“Gratefully,” Sean said quickly, picking up the closest dish, the sliced apples.
It took several minutes, but Marie served Sean’s plate silently. Sang did the same for Jimmy.
Sean did his best for Sang, trying not to pile on too much, but hoping she’d eat a bit more. She’d need the strength right now. It had been a really hard week.
After everyone started to eat, Carol spoke. “Sean, perhaps you can tell me more about the private school. Do they offer any scholarships?”
Sean swallowed carefully and patted his lips with a folded napkin. “Yes, actually. They’ll provide full scholarships, depending on how well you do on testing and during an interview.”
Carol glanced over at Marie. “Doesn’t that sound interesting?”
Marie raised her head, having just taken a bite of food. She swallowed quickly and then nodded, but frowned.
Sang seemed tense. She kept her eyes on her plate again.
Something was going on, but he couldn’t quite figure it out.
Kota had said Sang sent him a text that Marie would join in on their plan if they could get her out as well. However, previously Carol had said it didn’t seem worth it for Marie in her last year of school.
Perhaps if it was all paid for, Carol wouldn’t care if Marie went.
No problem for them. The Academy would ensure they were happy and settled anywhere.
“Also,” Sean said, “if there’s, say, a family, a couple of siblings, they’ll give some extra considerations, despite current grades. It’s usually in the interview, where they just see if your aspirations fit their school culture.”
“That’s a little unusual for a private school, isn’t it?” Carol asked.
“It isn’t like most private schools,” Sean said. “Diploma mills with fancy names. This school has goals to get their students into college as quickly as possible and networks with some of the top-ranking schools in the States.”
Carol sat up a little more and perked up. “Sounds ideal. I’ll have to look into it.”
When Carol went back to eating, Sean shared another look with Sang.
Sang was looking at her plate, but she seemed to relax a little.
Was the plan working? Carol could call Monday, and she could schedule a test on Tuesday. Things could move fast then.
Dinner continued, but the conversation changed to Carol talking about how the neighborhood seemed nice, the weather, the weather in North Carolina, a little bit of gardening, and other stuff that Sean smiled through but mostly let go in one ear and out the other. He made comments, nodded his head, complimented her food again. He rattled off stories about his classes.
“Marie, don’t you agree?” she said often.
Marie would bob her head up and down mechanically, but quietly ate her food.
Odd. Jimmy offered his own comments now and again. Sang remained quiet. However, Carol put effort into getting Marie into the conversation.
After he had eaten as much as possible and the others were finishing up, he sat back and rubbed his stomach. “This is so good. I rarely have time for a proper dinner anymore.”
Sang’s eyes widened at him, but she masked it instantly.
“Why don’t you have time?” Carol asked.
He’d slipped a little. That’s okay. Wasn’t too bad. “Oh, I’m usually working on schoolwork so much…” Was that an excuse? Would it sound like his mother never made him dinner?
“That’s too bad,” Carol said. “I’m glad you were able to enjoy it tonight.” She put her napkin on the table. “Do we want dessert?”
Dessert was a chocolate cake with ice cream. Carol dished out each bowl and served.
She gave a dainty portion to Marie, and a normal-sized portion to everyone else.
How odd. He wouldn’t have noticed, but it was a little too obvious Marie’s was smaller. She wasn’t fat. What was the deal?
Marie didn’t seem to care. She picked up her spoon and continued to look down at her plate to eat.
Sang ate, although she only finished half. She hadn’t eaten much of her dinner, only picked at it.
Carol caught Sean checking out Sang’s dish. “We shouldn’t waste food,” she said quietly to her.
Whoops. He had gotten her into a little trouble. Although he almost wished he’d mentioned it at dinner instead of dessert. She’d probably get a stomachache if she ate mostly sugar.
Sang spooned another bite of cake.
“This is a wonderful cake,” Sean said, trying to redirect the attention from her. He turned to Jimmy. “Super Bowl should be coming up soon, yes?”
“I like basketball,” he said. “Does the private school have a team?”
“A private school will probably want you to focus on your studying,” Carol said. “That’s more important.”
Jimmy rolled his eyes.
Sean bit his tongue. He was getting everyone nagged at now.
After everyone was finished with dessert, Carol once again put her napkin on the table. “What a lovely evening. It was very nice for you to join us today, Sean.”
“This has been delightful,” he said with a big smile. He looked at Sang, Marie and Jimmy, trying to share equal pleasant looks with them. “I feel like part of the family. This is great.”
“I’d invite you to stay, but we’ve got an early day tomorrow,” she said. She motioned to Marie. “Will you join me in escorting Sean to the door?”
Marie cocked an eyebrow but stood. Sean reached over to help pull her chair away. She edged away from him and seemed confused for a moment. Sean waited for her and then awkwardly let her push out her own chair.
Was she miffed at him? What had he done?
Sean stood and smiled at everyone. He shared a quick look with Sang, who looked away quickly, frowning. She blinked rapidly, looking immensely tired.
Something was wrong here. Did she not like that he was getting ushered out so quickly?
Sean lost sight of her as he followed Carol to the front door. Marie walked behind them. Her head was down, shoulders drooped.
“I’m so glad you came,” Carol said. “You’re a very fine young man.”
“You flatter me,” Sean said. He stopped by the front door, standing in the too-bright foyer.
“Perhaps if you are not too busy with your studies next Saturday evening…”
He beamed. It had worked. Score one for him. Another awkward dinner, perhaps, but he’d take it. “Oh, I shouldn’t be that busy.”
She glanced at Marie with a knowing look. “Perhaps he can take you out to dinner.”
Sean’s breath caught in his throat, and he almost choked. Marie? What?
Oh no.
Marie shrugged, looking at the floor. “Maybe?” She didn’t sound enthusiastic at all. Perhaps she was just going along with whatever Carol wanted.
“Ah,” Sean said and he made a sloppy grin as he tried to remain polite through his confusion. “Forgive me, I thought…Sang…”
Carol shot him a look, pushed a palm to her cheek and smiled.
He’d almost call it a devilish smirk.
“Oh, her,” she said, as if she’d forgotten all about it. “No, Sang’s too young to date, and she’s much too focused on studying.”
The words shocked him enough to force his silence. He groaned internally. He should have seen it. The red dress versus the brown. Sang had hardly said a word. The dainty portions for Marie. Marie serving him.
And now he’d just embarrassed Marie because he’d mentioned her sister. Not that Marie seemed at all interested.
Sean forced his smile and nodded. “If she would accompany me, I’d be delighted to take her out to dinner.” If only to get Marie out for an evening, and to still be able to come over to the house with Carol’s approval.
What a despicable woman. She wasn’t going to give him or her a choice at all. If Sean wanted to be here, she insisted he date Marie, whether either of them liked it or not.
Marie nodded mechanically. “Sure.”
“Pick her up at six. Plan to have her home by nine. Something appropriate, like a movie and dinner.” She opened the door for him. “Please drive home safely.”
She was going to dictate the type of date they could have? “Thanks again for dinner.” He walked out the door, waving goodbye before she shut the door.
Sean hurried to his car, getting in it and driving off. Not to abandon Sang, but holy crow! His heart was racing.
Sang was so miserable in there. Carol was turning everything upside down.
Had she asked Marie if she liked him?
Was it even a good idea that he was playing along with it?
He drove, a little too fast, and absently headed home. Where else was he going to go?
Along the way, he replayed the night over in his head. He should have spoken up to Carol. He should have insisted Sang could make her own decisions.
He’d date Sang. He was only interested in her.
But they were still playing the stupid game. Cater to Carol. Fake the smiles. Sang does whatever she wants to do.
It was all wrong.