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“Easy for you to say.” Mr. Stewart was never mean, or rude, but he was a dad. I was bigger and taller, but he still scared the hell out of me. Our parents, mostly our moms, stayed in touch once I left. They never said a bad word about me, and according to Mom, even they were confused about our split.
And there was the little nagging in the back of my mind again.
I had to remember we were here to have a nice Sunday dinner with her family. I would ask her. Just not now. It wasnotthe right time.
Once we made it to the door, Mr. Stewart stuck his hand out to me, so I shook it. “Mike. Good to see you finally. Girls, go on in and help your mother.” He waved them inside and my heart raced since he told them to go inside, but then he waved me in and said, “After you.”
Stepping inside, I moved to allow him to go ahead of me. “Sir,” I said as I motioned to him.
“Join me out back, son.”
I swallowed hard but nodded. We walked through the kitchen to get to the backyard, and I was stopped immediately.
“There he is!” Jaz’s mom squealed as she jogged toward me with her arms out.
“Mrs. Stewart, you haven’t aged a day.” She grinned and pulled me to her in a warm embrace.
“Mrs. Stewart,” she huffed. “What is that business? You’re family. Call me Mom!”
“Nina, the boy may not feel comfortable with that,” Jaz’s dad said calmly with his hand on the backdoor.
She swatted the air in his direction. “Oh, fine. Nina at least. My mother-in-law was Mrs. Stewart.” She jiggled her shoulders like she shuddered at the thought. “But Mike, you remember D and Aunt Belle?”
I reached my hand out and D grabbed it first. She held on a little longer than expected and Jaz walked up to her, and hip checked her. “Ow, girl! Don’t bump me with those boney hips. Great to see you again, Mike.” She waggled her brows.
Aunt Belle grabbed my hand and shook it lightly, then cupped them both with her other. “Mike, welcome back. So nice to have a football star having dinner with us.”
“I’d hardly call myself a star. Just used to play ball, but it’s nice to be joining you all.”
“Ladies, let the man breathe. Mike, c’mon outside. Let them commence with the chatter about you.” Mr. Stewart waved me to the back door. Jaz shrugged but nodded toward the door, so I obliged and followed him out.
It was hot, but not as humid as it had been, and they had a patio awning with a nice table beneath it. He motioned for me to sit, so I found a chair and sat down.
“Mike, you look well,” he said as he sat down at the end of the table. “It's nice and quiet out here, for now anyway. You remember Len?” he asked, nodding in the direction of the other older gentleman.
“Yes sir, it’s nice to see you.”
“We watched you play ball. You were a ferocious linebacker. Didn’t want to go pro?”
I shook my head and stifled a laugh. “No, sir. Plus, I don’t think any teams would take me. I just wanted a good degree.”
“Nina tells me you’re a Nurse Practitioner now,” Mr. Stewart said.
I nodded.
“That’s wonderful. Medicine is a great profession.”
“Thank you, sir. It’s rewarding and always in demand.”
“Smart boy.” Mr. Stewart stood and walked to the smoker, peering at the thermostat poking from the top. “Perfect temperature. Think we timed that just right, Len.” He came back to the table and sat down. “Timing is important.” He sipped what looked like sweet tea.
From his eerie stare, I got the idea he wasn’t talking about barbeque, but I didn’t want to engage in any serious conversations with her dad today. “Smells great. I loved smoked meat.”
“Good stuff. My wife made the potato salad. Tell her you love it.” Len gave a wink and a grin.
“Don’t worry, son. It’s delicious. But she’ll sit with a sour pus until someone says how delicious it is,” Mr. Stewart said. He settled back into his chair. “So, I understand from Onyx you and Jazzy have been spending some time together.”
Clearing the lump from my throat, I answered confidently. “Yes, sir.”Fake it ‘til you make it.
