Page 94 of Man Seeking Woman

“Actually,” August said, grabbing me by the shoulders and moving forward. “Ella cooked dinner. She's an incredible cook too, you're going to love it.”

“Mm, we'll see.” Snubbing her nose into the air, she fluffed the ends of her hair.

“Why don't we all go sit down, dinner should be ready in a minute.” Cupping my hands together, I did my best to sound upbeat and pleasant.

The truth was I felt like a nervous wreck. My stomach was coiling like rope, my heart was beating a million miles a minute, my chest was tight and it felt like the air around me was thick as molasses.

Sitting at the table, August filled Fran and his glasses with wine and mine with apple juice. Fran fiddled with her silverware, moving around the forks and knife.

Looking at me under hooded lids, Fran gave me a condescending smirk. “I don't know if they taught you this in public school, but the forks go on the left.”

“Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize.”

“Mom—”

“What? She needs to know these things if she's going to be in our circle.”

“Our circle?”August asked.

“Yes—our circle.People expect a certain level of etiquette from the Burke's, this includes your little girlfriend here too.”

“I'm going to go check dinner.” Excusing myself from the table, I went into the kitchen, ready to throw my fist through a wall.

The hormones were killing me. One second I was super happy, the next I was a raging bitch. I could cry for no reason at all, a sweet song, a loving commercial, a funny joke; and boom, there go the tears.

Right then, I clutched the granite counter, knuckles turning bright white with a low growl like a wild dog sitting in the back of my throat.

I'm going to kill that lady. She has a death wish, I swear. . .

Taking a few deep breaths, I closed my eyes and reminded myself that I was better than that. That I wasn't going to flip a table or throw a fit and scream at the lady. Fran was Fran, it was something I was going to have to learn to take with a grain of salt, and walk away with my head held high.

She was no better than me. Money didn't make her better than me, status didn't make her better than me. We were both human, we both had beating hearts and blood flowing through our veins.

And that was what I was going to teach my baby. No one person was better than another. I firmly believe in good and evil, but when it came down to two regular people, no one stood taller. We were all the same, inside and out. That was the truth and that was how you should see the world.

Taking the roast out of the oven, I set it on the rack to rest when I heard a frantic scream.

“What the hell is that?!” Fran screeched again, her voice panicked and full of fear. “Get it away from me! Go! August, get it!”

Running back into the dining room, I stopped short, letting out a loud, guttural laugh.

Fran was standing on her chair, her eyes wild and arms flailing like a crazed windmill. “What the hell is that thing doing here?!”

“Mom, it's just a cat,” August said as he picked up Mr. Pink and coddled him in his arms. “He's not going to hurt you, he's harmless.”

“Harmless! He belongs outside, not in here, not on the table where you eat! Get that vile creature out of here!”

August started to chuckle as he carried the cat down the hall and closed him in the bathroom. “You're being ridiculous, you know that right?”

“I know that cats lick themselves and walk through their excrement. Is that what you want on your table, near your food—in your food,August?”

“You're being dramatic. The cat isn't shitting in my food or carrying any diseases. He's just a cat, that's it.”

Scoffing, Fran climbed down off her chair, fixing her dress and running a palm over her hair. “You know how I feel about animals, they belong outside, not in here. Why on earth would you get one?”

August tilted his head, his lips pursing to one side. “Because we want our baby to grow up having a pet to snuggle.”

“Your what?” Fran's body went motionless. She even looked like she was holding her breath. “Did you say your baby?”

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