Page 141 of Freshmeet
CONNOR
“You didn’t have to come with me,” Sarah said as we walked into Il Spazio.
I brought our linked hands to my mouth and kissed her knuckles. “I was going to have to meet them sooner or later.”
Her parents had been in the Hamptons for the fourth, so it took them five days to make it to Kirksville to check on their daughter.
“Yeah, but ideally it wouldn’t be just days after your secret half-brother tried to kill us.” Glancing down at my torso, she winced. “How’s your side?”
I shrugged, running my thumb over her knuckles. She’d been fussing over me since I was discharged from the hospital, and while I loved having all her attention, I didn’t like that she felt guilty. “Fine. Just a little sore. I’m lucky Carter has shit aim with a knife.”
She shook her head, and the hostess interrupted whatever she was about to say.
“This way.”
I frowned and checked my watch. “They’re already here?”
Sarah smirked. “If you’re not fifteen minutes early, you’re late—a Tilney proverb.”
At a table in the back of the restaurant were two well-dressed middle-aged blonds.
“You made it,” Mr. Tilney said as he stood.
We were ten minutes early . . .
“We went to visit Jamie in the hospital. He finally woke up.” Sarah said as she accepted some of the stiffest hugs I’d ever witnessed from her mom and then her dad. Stepping next to me, she said, “This is Connor. Connor, these are my parents.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said, holding my hand out.
Mrs. Tilney lightly wrapped her icy fingers around it and gave me a limp handshake. “We’ve heard so much about you.” She let go and made room for her husband.
“All good, I hope.” I let out an awkward laugh as Mr. Tilney tried to break my hand with his grip.
“Of course,” he chuckled, dropping my hand to go help his wife with her chair.
I pulled Sarah’s chair out and took the seat next to her, across from her father.
“How is your brother?” Mrs. Tilney asked, picking up her glass of white wine.
“Great. He woke up this morning, and all signs point to there being no permanent damage.”
“Lucky guy,” Sarah’s dad absentmindedly said as he read the menu.
What an asshole.
I glanced at Sarah, and she gave me a forced smile. Red crept up her neck as she pursed her lips.
The server came back and took our orders, leaving us to sit in awkward silence.
Mr. Tilney sighed, taking off his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Sarah, we want you to come home.”
“No,” Sarah said, laying a white cloth napkin across her lap. “I’m finishing undergrad on time. I’ve worked too hard to let Carter ruin everything.”
“Honey,” her mom tried, leaning toward her daughter. “It might be nice to take the semester off? Maybe you and I could go on a little trip?”
Reaching out, Sarah covered Mrs. Tilney’s hand. “Mom, I’m fine. I have the girls and BAE to keep me busy.”
Mrs. Tilney’s smile fell, and her expression twisted with hurt before smoothing into bland disinterest. “You’ll let us know if you change your mind?”
