Page 13 of Picking Pismo

“David,” Claire folded her arms. “It’s nice to see you again. Or should I call you Dr. Clark?” Her gaze seared his skin, making him all sorts of nervous.

Gulping, her words sent a shiver down his spine. “David is fine,” he managed to reply. David scooted his chair closer to the table, trying his best to act casually. Claire being this near him made him acutely aware of his appearance. “I hope you are doing well since the last time I saw you.”

“We’re great.” Alexis piped up. Her gaze darted to Claire, looking for confirmation. “Right?”

“You bet,” Claire turned her face away from David, staring out at the view of the ocean. “Never better.”

The sound of the waves competed against the commotion in his chest. David was at a loss for what else to say. He imagined the evening was going to be a long one. He gazed out at the view too, trying to think of something else to talk about.

If Kelly noticed the tension between them, she didn’t acknowledge it. Pushing her chair back, it scraped against the floor. “Stephen, why don’t you help me bring out the dinner.”

David moved to get up too. “Do you need more help?” He certainly wanted an opportunity to escape for a moment and dampen the anxiety bubbling up inside of him.

Kelly waved him off. “No, we can manage. You stay and talk to the girls.”

Perfect.

Begrudgingly, David settled back into his chair. Stephen and Kelly left to get the food, leaving David to face the mess he made.

More silence.

His skin itched. David tugged at his shirt collar.

Claire spoke up first. “I didn’t know Kelly and Stephen were your parents, not until I arrived.” Claire kept her gaze on the ocean. The ocean breeze filtered in between them. She looked beautiful, and suddenly her departure day whisked away with the wind. He wondered why he worried about something so trivial. “Kelly was nice enough to invite us over. She made it difficult to refuse.” Glancing down, she fiddled with the ends of her shirt. “It wasn’t until we arrived, she mentioned who you were and that you would be joining us.”

Alexis scoffed. “Yeah, we wouldn’t have come.” Her eyes glued to her phone. Alexis didn’t bother looking up. “Trust me.”

David ran his hands back and forth over the chair’s armrests. “I don’t imagine you would. I didn’t know either. I mean Kelly wouldn’t tell me who she invited.”

“Your parents seem like very nice people.” Claire shifted, turning to meet his eyes. It nearly undid him right then and there. “Let’s not mention us going to the movie together. I think it’s for the best.” She waved a hand, reverting her glance back to the ocean. “In fact, let’s forget it ever happened.”

Boom. Whoosh.

Slouching, David replied, “If that’s how you want it…”

Though David had no idea what he wanted, even though he had fallen asleep every night that week thinking about his conversation with Claire on the beach. They were interrupted by David and Kelly, pushing open the sliding door with their hands full of food. David jumped up to assist them with placing the food on the table. Kelly had prepared grilled chicken, corn on the cob, fruit salad, and baked potatoes. With everything on the table, they resettled into their seats. Stephen offered a quick prayer over the food.

Slowly, they passed the food around in a circle. Each took some of each dish. It seemed to David that Claire was extra diligent in making sure their hands didn’t touch when handing him the next plate of food.

While spooning some fruit salad onto her plate, Kelly said to Claire, “David told me you were moving.” Stephen took the fruit bowl from her and took some for himself. Kelly reached for the corn on the cob and took one. “Do you have a moving date?”

Nodding, Claire replied, “Yes. My job is on hold for me in Los Angeles. We can’t afford to stay here.” Claire took the baked potatoes from Alexis, placing one on her plate before holding them out to David. Once he took one and passed them to Stephen, Claire continued, “We have about sixty-six days to be out of my mom’s house before we put it up for sale.”

Alexis crossed her arms. “I can’t believe you’re making me move,” she muttered.

Claire’s back stiffened. Swiping at the loose hairs around her temples, she tucked them behind her ears. “I know it isn’t ideal.” Claire reached out, giving Alexis’s shoulder a squeeze. Claire sighed, making her chest heave and shoulders droop. “But we don’t have a choice.”

Lifting her shoulder, Alexis shook off Claire’s hand. Removing her hand, Claire picked up her fork and scooted around some food around on her plate. Alexis pierced a piece of chicken, shoving it into her mouth. The silence between the two sisters permeated the very air they breathed.

Taking a sip of his drink, David broke the tension and said, “I’ve heard great things about Los Angeles.” David speared a piece of chicken. “They don’t call it the city of stars for nothing. You do ballet, Alexis, just think of the huge dance studios they have there. There’ll be way better opportunities for you in Los Angeles to dance than here in tiny Pismo. It might turn out better than you ever imagined.”

Alexis’s eyes lit up. “How did you know I did ballet?”

Casually, David grabbed his corn on the cob. “I fixed your lip didn’t I? Plus, you’ve told me, multiple times about your dance at your orthodontist appointments.” He took a bite.

Pausing, Alexis blinked. “Yeah,” her tone softened. Her icy exterior from earlier melted away. “But, Dr. Clark, you have like hundreds of patients. I can’t believe you remember I danced.”

David shrugged. “I remembered.” He wiped his face with his napkin. “I could tell by how you spoke about it that it was a passion of yours.”

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