Page 14 of The Woman in the Hollow
“It seems like you have a big family. I mean, this isn’t really a small town, and you guys keep popping up.”
“My mom and most of the aunts had like four or more kids each. And now they’re mostly all married and having kids. I swear we are half of Navesink Bank’s population.”
“Is it amazing or overwhelming?”
“It’s both. For example, you never have to worry about not having someone to help you move or pick you up if your car won’t start. On the flip side, your mom and aunts and cousins all want you to settle down enough to constantly try to hook you up.”
“Have you ever actually gone on a date with someone they tried to hook you up with?” His pained look was all the answer I needed. “Six times over the summer. It’s easier to give in than to fight it.”
“No winners?”
“Well, there was the woman whose entire apartment was full of those silly squishy stuffed animals. Couches, bookshelves, bed, seats in the dining room…”
“I mean, you’d always have something comfy to lay on,” I said, smiling my thanks to the server as she dropped off my water and wine glass.
“Oh, no, no. You couldn’t lay on them. They all had feelings. And names. And personalities. Apparently, the pink spotted cow and the purple pigeon had some sort of beef, but she didn’t feel comfortable telling me until she got to know me better so she knew she could trust me not to share it.”
“Oh, come on. You made that up.”
“I wish I did,” he said, pouring my wine.
“Was that your mom’s setup?”
“No. It was one of my aunts’ setups. My mom set me up last with her manicurist’s niece. A lovely woman on a carnivore diet who spent the entire dinner telling me how the pasta with my chicken parm was going to make me die at fifty.”
“Geez. It’s that bad out there, huh?” I asked, taking a sip of my wine.
“Been a while since you were on a date?”
“I was busy figuring out where to move, packing up, moving, finding a job, trying to find ways to fix up my apartment without doing any permanent changes that could get me in trouble. And, well, trying to get over my last relationship.”
“Was he an asshole?”
“Opened a dating profile the same month we became official.”
“Dick.”
“Yeah. And I guess I won’t be getting set up anymore, living this far from my family.”
“Oh, don’t get your hopes up. If my ma decides we aren’t a good fit, she’s not giving up on you. You’re gonna be her little pet project now. Especially since she knows where to find you.”
“Well, maybe I can make some new friends that way at least. I love everyone at work, but most of the employees are still in their teens. And nothing makes you older than nodding to what they are saying, then grabbing your phone to look up the slang.”
“I swear my fucking nieces and nephews are speaking another language sometimes.”
The server came back and I bit back any insecurity I felt at ordering four different slices of pizza. Then Dante went ahead and made it easier by ordering the same for himself.
“Are you going to punish yourself at the gym after this?” I asked.
“Nah. I hit the gym this morning. Might take a run before bed. Kinda just depends on if my mind will shut down enough for sleep or not. I recommend my gym, if you’re looking for one.”
“For right now, I’m getting a ton of exercise at work. And I’m kind of excited about the prospect of walking or biking along the beach in the summer. I want to look into hiking, too. There seem to be a lot of paths in the parks around here. If it’s safe.”
“As a whole, yeah, it’s safe. I mean, far be it from me to tell a woman that places that are safe for me are safe for her, butthe rates of robberies and sexual assaults are pretty low around here.”
“That’s comforting. Because the missing rate around here is kind of scary.”
Dante shifted in his chair and reached for his wine. “Mostly men, though,” he said.
