“If that’s the case, I wouldn’t recommend throwing a massive party and trashing the office in his absence. I’ve learned that it tends to irritate people.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said as he opened the car door for her.
She slid into the Camaro. Once Colin was behind the wheel, he leaned toward her, keys in hand. “I was thinking we could head over to one of the restaurants downtown? We’d probably be able to get a table outside with a great view.”
Oh yeah, she thought. About that. Maria fiddled with the seatbelt, wondering how best to explain it.
“It sounds wonderful,” she ventured, “and ordinarily, I’d love to go. But the thing is, I was over at my parents’ house last night when you called, and I happened to mention that we were going to lunch, and…” She exhaled, deciding to simply come out with it. “They’re expecting us to have lunch at the restaurant.”
Colin tapped his car key on the seat. “You want me to meet your parents?”
Not really. Not yet, anyway. But… She wrinkled her nose, unsure how he would react, hoping he wouldn’t be angry. “Kind of.”
He slipped the keys into the ignition. “Okay,” he said.
“Really? It doesn’t bother you? Even though we just met?”
“No.”
“Just so you know, it would bother a lot of guys.”
“Okay.”
“Well… good,” she said.
He said nothing right away. Finally: “You’re nervous.”
“They don’t know you like I do.” She inhaled slowly, thinking, Now for the hard part. “When you meet them, you have to understand that they’re old-fashioned. My dad has always been protective and my mom worries, and I’m afraid that if they start asking questions…”
When she trailed off, Colin finished for her.
“You’re worried what I’ll say to them. And how they’ll react.”
Though she didn’t answer, she suspected that he already knew what she was thinking.
“I won’t lie to them,” he said.
“I know,” she said. That’s the problem. “And I won’t ask you to lie. I don’t want you to lie, but it still makes me nervous.”
“Because of my past,” he said.
“I wish I wouldn’t have had to say anything to you, and I’m sorry. Logically, I know that I’m an adult and I should be able to date whomever I want and it shouldn’t matter what they think. But it does. Because I still want their approval. And believe me, I know how awful that sounds.”
“It doesn’t sound awful. It sounds normal.”
“You don’t need approval.”
“Evan would probably say that I’m not normal.”
Despite the tension, she laughed before getting quiet again. “Are you mad at me?”
“No,” he answered.
“But you’re probably offended.”
“No,” he said again.
“What are you feeling, then?”
He didn’t answer right away. “I feel… flattered,” he finally offered.
She blinked. “Flattered? How on earth could you feel flattered?”
“It’s complicated.”
“I’d still like to hear it.”
He shrugged. “Because you told me how you were feeling, even though you suspected it might hurt my feelings. And you told the truth. And you did both those things from a place of vulnerability and concern, because you want them to like me. Because you care about me. That’s flattering.”
She smiled, half from surprise and half because he was right. “I think I’m going to give up trying to predict anything about you ever again.”
“Okay,” he said. He twisted the key and the engine rumbled to life. Before he slipped it into gear, he turned toward her. “So what do you want to do?”
“Go to lunch? Hope for the best?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
La Cocina de la Familia was located a few blocks off Market Street in an aging strip mall, but the parking spaces in front of the restaurant were full. As they approached the front door, Colin struck her as being as calm as ever, which only put Maria more on edge. He reached for her hand. She clasped his in return, like someone clutching a life preserver on a listing ship.
“I forgot to ask whether you even like Mexican food.”
“I remember that I used to like it a lot.”
“But you don’t eat it anymore? Because it’s not healthy, right?”
“I can always find something to order.”
She squeezed his hand, liking the way it felt in hers. “My mom said she’s going to make us something special. Which means you might not get the chance. That said, I did tell her that you liked healthy food.”
“It’ll be fine,” he said.
“Do you ever worry about anything?”
“I try not to.”
“Well, when we’re done, you’re going to start giving me lessons, all right? Because lately, that feels like the only thing I’m doing.”
He pulled open the door and she led the way inside. Her uncle Tito immediately approached, obviously excited she was here, rambling in Spanish. After greeting her with a kiss, he shook Colin’s hand and reached for the menus before leading them to a booth in the corner. It was the only open table in the place, which meant that her parents must have been saving it.
Once they were seated, her cousin Anna brought glasses of water and a basket of chips and salsa to the table. Maria chatted with her briefly and introduced Colin a second time. When Anna left, Maria leaned across the table.