Page 78 of Protect My Heart
‘Um, I don’t know,’ I say, glancing at Jason. ‘We still have a lot to talk about.’
‘Do Mom and Dad know?’ Sawyer asks Jason.
‘Would you get out of here?’ Jason says. ‘We’re trying to have breakfast.’
Brody laughs. ‘If they don’t know, they’re about to find out.’
Jason turns back and sees his parents talking to the girl atthe hostess stand. ‘What are they doing here? Did you know they were coming?’
‘We weren’t sure,’ Sawyer says. ‘They said they might.’
Martha squeals so loud we can hear it at the table.
‘Mom knows,’ Brody says, laughing.
‘Great,’ Jason mutters, sinking back in his chair.
I lean over to him. ‘I’m so sorry.’
‘Those are your parents?’ my mom asks. ‘I thought they had the flu.’
‘The flu?’ Sawyer says. ‘Who told you that?’
‘Mom!’ Brody says, waving her over. ‘He’s over here.’
‘I’m going to kill you,’ Jason says under his breath.
Martha and Carl make their way to our table.
‘I just heard the news!’ Martha says to Jason and me. ‘It’s wonderful! I’m just so surprised.’
‘It does seem a little soon,’ Carl says, ‘being that you two haven’t known each other long.’
‘It’s been almost a year,’ my mom says. ‘I think that’s plenty of time.’ She gets up from her chair. ‘Hello, I’m Harriott, Mia’s mother. And that’s my husband, Walter.’
Martha shakes my mom’s hand. ‘Welcome to Haydon Falls. I’m Martha, Jason’s mom, and that’s Carl, his dad.’
‘Good to meet you.’ Carl shakes my mom’s hand, then goes around the table to shake my dad’s.
‘Sorry I can’t get up,’ my dad says. ‘Had hip surgery awhile back and I’m still taking it slow.’
‘I know what you mean,’ Carl says. ‘I had heart surgery last summer. I’m still running slower than I used to.’
‘Heart surgery, huh?’ my dad says. ‘You have a heart attack?’
Carl nods. ‘I did. Got to the hospital and had surgery a few days later.’
‘You have that surgery where they saw you open?’
‘Dad,’ I say, feeling embarrassed. He loves talking about health problems and procedures. He didn’t used to. It started when he retired and needed something to talk about. ‘Maybe Carl doesn’t want to talk about his surgery.’
‘He doesn’t mind,’ Martha says, waving her hand toward him. ‘He tells everyone about it.’
‘Why don’t we see if we could move to a larger table,’ my mom says. ‘So you all could join us.’
‘Yes, let’s do that,’ Martha says. She catches the hostess going by. ‘Ann, do you mind if we take the table in back? We’d all like to sit together.’
Ann smiles at her. ‘It’s all yours, Mrs. Kanfield. Just go ahead and go back there. I’ll get the plates.’
