Page 11 of Unsaid Things

Chapter Six

Lance watched Abby drive away, a mix of hope and trepidation sliding through him. He knew Abby would be fine with his mom. His mom was excited to get to know Abby, and it hadn’t surprised him that she’d demanded time on her own with his girlfriend. With such a short, busy trip, his mom wanted to capitalize on the time they had here. Who knew when they’d see each other again? His parents had come up to Spokane for his graduation in May. They might find time to come up again this spring or summer, but it took a lot to convince his dad that the shop would survive without him for a week, or longer if they decided to drive. And with the way things were between him and his dad right now, that might be a hard sell, even for his mom.

A hand landing on his shoulder brought him back around. Turning, he squinted against the morning sun backlighting his dad.

His dad held out a set of keys and lifted his chin to indicate a silver Lexus parked near the side of the garage. “Take the next oil change. Peter and Marissa are taking lunch. I’ll cover the phones while they’re gone.”

Taking the keys, Lance raised an eyebrow. “Who’d’ve done that if I hadn’t showed up?”

He shrugged and turned away. “They don’t usually take lunch breaks together. But since you’re here, why not? Now get to work, son.”

Lance stared after his dad’s retreating back, then shook his head and headed for the Lexus. After pulling it into the empty bay, Marissa came up to the driver’s side and opened his door, a wide smile on her face.

When he got out, she wrapped her arms around him in a big hug. “Thanks so much for covering for Peter so we can have lunch together. This never happens. Between this and movie night tonight with Gabby and your girlfriend, today’s shaping up to be a great day.” She pinched Lance’s cheek and jiggled it, narrowing her eyes at him. “Now, play nice with Dad while we’re gone. I know things are a little … strained between you two. See what you can do to fix it.”

He pulled his head away from her, wincing when he managed to get his skin from between her fingers, and rubbed his face. “Thanks for the tip, sis. I’m not sure I can do anything to fix it, though. Even if I moved back today, he’d still be pissed. And that would put Peter in an awkward spot. Besides, you know as well as I do that this wasn’t ever what I wanted. There’s a reason I found a school two thousand miles away to give me a scholarship. Dad wanted me at UTD, or, worst case, in Austin. At least then I’d still be able to work in the shop part time while I went to school. He’s been mad at me for years. This is just the culmination of all of that.”

“Oh, I know. Trust me. I’ve been here listening to him piss and moan about it the last four and a half years since you’ve been gone. He wants someone to take over the shop. To work alongside him. The fact that I’ve been here this whole time and could run this place with my eyes closed doesn’t seem to matter. He dreamed of his son being that person since we were all little kids, even though I was the one who couldn’t wait to come help him with the cars. You, he had to drag out or bribe with candy. The football made him happy. I mean, this is Texas, football’s practically our religion. But he really wanted you working on the cars with him. Not me. I’ve never been good enough.”

The unshed tears sparkling in her eyes had Lance feeling horrible for his sister. “C’mon, Riss.” He wrapped her in a hug. “You know he loves you.”

She nodded against his chest, pushing back and running a finger under each eye to catch the moisture before it could make her mascara run. Looking into his face, she gave him a forced smile, her lips trembling. “I know. He does. But he wanted a truckload of sons to play football and work on cars. Instead he got us. A daughter who loves cars as much as he does, but isn’t a boy. A son who plays football, but couldn’t get away from us fast enough when he had the chance.” Lance opened his mouth to interrupt, feeling the need to defend himself, but Marissa held up a hand. “I get it, Lance. I do. I don’t hold it against you. I’m happy for you. Happy that you found a place you like and a great job. I want that for you. And Abby seems like the best thing that’s happened to you.”

Lance smiled. “She is.”

“Good. Now let me finish. Dad would only be satisfied if both of us were wrapped up in one person with a penis. But he’s stuck with the two of us. And Gabby, who wants to be a musician.” Lance laughed when Marissa shook her head in mock horror. “The fact that she’s the baby is the only thing keeping our super-practical Dad from going ballistic on her. And Mom. You know how she holds back his outbursts better than anyone.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m very aware of that.”

Marissa glanced over Lance’s shoulder and forced another smile. “Well, anyway. Peter’s coming, so I’m gonna go have a nice long lunch with my boyfriend.” Her smile faded. “Seriously, though. If you can figure out any way to clear the air with Dad, it would be good. For everyone. Okay?”

“Yeah.” He looked over her head at the window to the office. “Yeah. I’ll do my best, Riss.”

“That’s all I’m asking.”

Peter clapped Lance on the back. “Thanks for working on your vacation, man.”

“Sure. No problem. Have a nice lunch.”

“Thanks.” Peter held out a hand to Marissa. “Ready?”

Marissa nodded and smiled, a genuine smile this time. Lance was glad to see that Peter still made his sister happy. After more than two years together, Marissa still lived in her own apartment. Would Peter propose soon? Lance didn’t understand why he hadn’t already. What was the holdup? But maybe he wasn’t the best judge. Everyone liked to tell him how fast it was to move in with his girlfriend after only a couple of months, and now he was proposing six months after they met.

Maybe they were right. Maybe he was moving fast. He didn’t care, though. It felt right, and going with that feeling had served him well so far. He saw no reason to question it now.

Gabby sat at the breakfast bar, staring at Abby and Elizabeth as they walked in through the laundry room, hands laden with bags, laughing. Elizabeth set her bags on the table and went to Gabby. She let her mom kiss her on the cheek and give her hug, but she kept her face impassive.

“Did you have fun without me?”

Abby set her bags on the table, feeling a pang of guilt at the apparent hurt in Gabby’s tone. But it had been Elizabeth’s decision to leave her home.

Elizabeth patted Gabby’s cheek. “Yes, we did. Now don’t pout. You and Marissa get Abby to yourself tonight. I knew your dad would ask Lance to stay at the shop, so this was my chance to get to spend some time with her alone.”

Moving into the kitchen, Elizabeth washed her hands and pulled potatoes out of the pantry to get started on dinner. Gabby, too buoyant to stay sad for long, popped off her bar stool and came over to Abby at the table. “Did you get anything good?”

“Of course we did!” Elizabeth called from the kitchen.

They both chuckled, and Abby started opening her bags. “Most of it is your mom’s, but she insisted on buying me a few things. Clothes and a new purse, since mine’s ancient and falling apart.”

---