“The two of you know, don’t you?” I asked.
“Yeah, we do,” my father said.
“Why didn’t you say anything!?” I asked.
“Because you sound so happy,” my mother said. “And we wanted to hear your take on everything. You know, just in case you really didn’t want to do this. You know I can always hear stuff like that in your voice, honey.”
“So you know I’ve taken the job in L.A.”
“Yes,” they said.
“And you know I’m a few hours outside of Burnsville, ready to pack up my stuff and move.”
“Yes, sweetheart,” my father said.
“Is there anything else I should know about?”
That was when Colin shot me a nervous look and my parents fell silent over the phone.
“Well, honey,” my mother said. “You’re not coming right here to the house.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Your father and I are meeting you in Minneapolis.”
“Why are we going to Minneapolis?” I asked.
“You think I’m gonna let you go off to California with Colin without me giving him the rundown? You’re my little girl. We’re sitting down to a formal dinner and doing this the right way this time.”
I smiled into the phone as a look a relief washed over Colin’s face.
Why the hell was he so relieved over something like that? My father was going to chew him up and spit him back out again. My father looked sweet, but he was a ruthless papa bear lying in wait. People wanted to cuddle and get close to him, and they did. And then they would piss him off and he would unleash.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you two at dinner then,” I said. “I hope it’s not too fancy, because I’m not wearing anything over the top.”
“I’m sure whatever your wearing will be just fine,” my mother said. “We’ll see you two soon. Give Colin our love.”
“Your love? Mom, just out of curiosity, how late did he call you guys last night?”
“Just before midnight,” my father said.
I looked over at Colin and I could see his eyes trained hard onto the road in front of us.
“Uh huh. Okay. Well, I’ll see you guys tonight for dinner.”
“See you then,” my mother said.
I hung up the phone with my parents and settled in for the ride. The journey was leisurely and stress-free, and I found that it was nice. Colin’s hand was threaded with mine while we mindlessly talked about all sorts of topics. Our life in L.A. What kind of place I might want to find. The strolls on the beach we could take whenever we got too stressed with work. I thought about digging my toes in the sand with him at my side and watching the sun set over the water. I thought about the midnight walks we could take and how the moon would shine brightly down onto our bodies.
I thought about his place on the ocean and how he could press my naked body against the glass, showing me off to the sea as his name fell from my lips.
Just like my parents had said, we drove past Burnsville and all the way into Minneapolis. We rode through the city as the sun started to set below the buildings, and I could feel Colin’s grip tightening on my hand. His eyes were focused on the road but they had this hazy stare to them.
Almost like he wasn’t even paying attention to the road at all.
We pulled into a darkened restaurant and I looked down at my clothes. All the women I saw walking in were wearing little black dresses and sensuous high heels, and here I was in skinny jeans and a bright pink blouse. I looked over at Colin as he smiled at me, then he leaned over and pressed his lips to mine before I could speak.
“You look wonderful,” he said. “Don’t worry about how you’re dressed.”
“At least you’re not in a suit. I’d be changing if you were in a suit,” I said.
Then, I heard a tap at my window.
“Mom!”
I threw my door open and jumped out before I wrapped my arms around her. I pulled her close and closed my eyes, breathing in her familiar scent. My father was shaking Colin’s hand and patting him on the back, which wasn’t near the reaction I expected from him. But I shrugged it off just as my mother held me at arm’s length.
“How was the cruise? What all did you guys do? What was your favorite night?”
“We’ll answer all those questions later,” my mom said. “Right now, we need to go get a table. It’s cold out here.”
We all walked into the restaurant and the hostess recognized us instantly. She waved us back to a table in the corner, one that was covered in a decadent white cloth with flickering candles. Colin pulled my seat out for me and I smiled at him, then he went and did the same for my mother.
“Oh, thank you, dear,” my mother said.
“No thanks necessary,” Colin said. “You look lovely tonight.”
“She looks lovely every night,” my father said.
But instead of sitting down, my parents looked over at Colin as his eyes trained themselves onto me.
“Aren’t you going to sit down?” I asked.
“In a minute,” he said. “There’s something I want to ask you first.”
Furrowing my brow at him, I watched as he slowly lowered himself to the floor. The blood drained from my face as the entire restaurant turned towards us. Colin pulled a box from his pocket and popped it open, revealing a sparkling ring with a canary diamond sitting right in the middle of it.
I felt my entire body go numb with shock as my mother put her hand over her mouth.
“Abigail Thompson, I said everything I needed to say about you during that farewell speech.
