Page 6 of A Forever Home
Roman shook his head. “I have a job, and her husband doesn’t. She’s going to be mad no matter what I tell her.”
“That’s a bad situation.”
“It is,” Roman agreed. He put his blinker on and started maneuvering to the far right lane. “Our exit is coming up. I guess I should probably warn you.”
Della stiffened. She didn’t like the sound of that. “Warn me?”
“My family can be hard to bear. They’ll ask you a million and one questions. Feel free to tell them to mind their own business.”
“They sound like my kind of people.” She wondered why Roman didn’t seem to get along with his parents. That really was none of her business. Some families just weren’t close.
Della had always been close to her own parents. They lived in Somerset Lake, and she saw them a couple times a week. They watched the boys as often as they could and always acted like Della was doing them a favor by allowing them to.
“We’ll just attend the ceremony for my brother and leave. That’s the plan,” Roman said as they drove past a large carved wood sign that readWELCOME TO SWEETWATER SPRINGS. “You’re a good excuse not to be here too long.”
“I’m your excuse?” Della said with a small laugh, taking in the town as he drove. In some ways, it reminded her of where she lived. All the shops on Main Street begged her to stop and go inside. There were folks on the sidewalks chatting merrily with one another. All the streetlamps were decorated with holly leaves for the season.
“You want to get home to your boys’ recital, don’t you?” Roman asked.
Della nodded. “More than anything.”
“Then I’m using you as my ticket out. We’ll get in, get out, and get you to Somerset Lake for your boys’ performance, Cinderella.”
***
Roman not only had a cell phone vibrating obnoxiously in his pocket, but his nerves were also amplified. Every time he saw his dad, they ended up fighting about something. Roman was never good enough, in his dad’s view, starting with his middle and high school years, when he decided not to play sports.
His dad was a huge football fanatic, and his brother, Brian, had been on track to go to the Olympics before the accident that paralyzed him. Roman, on the other hand, didn’t want to play or participate in any kind of athletics. He still didn’t. His idea of exercise was cutting wood, carrying it to and fro, hammering beams into place, and building something from nothing.
“Well?” Della said, reminding Roman that he wasn’t alone. “Are we getting out?”
Roman had parked but hadn’t moved to open his door yet. He’d needed a minute to collect himself. If he and his father argued, it wouldn’t be on him. He planned to smile and be easygoing while he was here. He didn’t want any trouble; all he wanted was to support his brother.
Della reached out and touched Roman’s shoulder. “Hey. You’ve got me beside you. I’m your excuse, remember? That goes for awkward conversations too. If you need saving, give me a sign. I’ll demand food or that you help me find a bathroom. You’re not going into this situation alone.”
Roman looked over at her. She was a very beautiful woman. He’d thought so the first time he’d seen her on the plane. Getting to know her had only made her more attractive in his mind. She was kind and generous, and he was going to take her up on that offer. “Okay. I like that plan. What’s the sign?”
She lifted her eyes up as she seemed to think for a moment. “We’ll do code words instead of a sign. The code words are ‘I need hot cocoa!’”
Roman couldn’t help but smile. “You want me to say ‘I need hot cocoa’ when I want out of a situation?”
“Yes. Then we’ll have to extract ourselves from whatever situation we’re in and go find some.”
“I don’t even like chocolate, remember?” he said playfully.
“I remember you saying so, but I still don’t believe it.” She winked at him and pushed open her passenger-side door.
She seemed confident about this choice in code phrases, so he nodded. Then he reached for the door handle and pushed his door open as well. Della met him in front of the car, bundled up in her heavy coat. “I’m actually looking forward to this. I love small-town gatherings. And your brother is a celebrity here. This will be fun.”
Roman wished he had her enthusiasm. “The event will be held on Main Street. There’s a large angel tree that gets decorated and lit up this time of year. I think they’re setting up a stage around there.”
“An angel tree? How fun is that? Somerset Lake has a town Christmas tree too. Seeing it get lit up every year is one of my favorite moments of the season.”
“Sounds nice.” One thing Roman did miss about his hometown was how enthusiastic about the holidays everyone got here. There was something going on every weekend during the month of December.
“Roman Everson? Is that you?” a woman’s voice asked.
Roman spun on his heel to see Emma Hershey walking toward him. “Hey, Em. I thought you’d be running the café today.”
