Page 97 of Cookout Carnage
The humid air felt like acid as she took a breath in. ‘It’s about my family. They, they—’
‘Hey, hey, it’s all good.’ He unclenched her fists, his thumbs rubbing into her palms. ‘You’re worried about me meeting your folks?’
She nodded, her throat tightening against the wave of her tears. ‘But they’re not—’
‘Hot Sauce, I’m here for you. Only you. Anything else is a bonus. I know your parents are good people because they produced you. And you’re the most incredible person I’ve ever met.’
She shook her head and looked at the ground. ‘I’m not. I’m a terrible person.’
He gently lifted her chin. ‘Sherilyn, look at me.’
His expression was guileless, so intent and pure. She was rotten to the core.
‘I love you, Sherilyn. I’ve been in love with you for over a year.’
Oh god, oh god, oh god.
‘I wasn’t going to tell you because I didn’t want to put you under any pressure or think I was expecting you to feel the same. But I need you to know it doesn’t matter what happens this afternoon. Nothing will ever change or break how I feel. I love you. You’re my everything.’
I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. The words screamed in her skull but her shame kept them chained inside. He smiled at her and picked up the bags. He looked so happy.
‘Come on, Hot Sauce. It can’t be that bad. If I’m feeling brave later, I’ll tell you all about the Fawcett-Underwoods.’
Sherilyn was quiet on the drive back to Midway, shrinking into herself as if she could disappear altogether. Back at Tristan’s rental she waited in the front hall feeling wretched as he changed into a fresh button-down and a pair of long pants. He emerged from the bedroom looking so delectable she bit back a groan. He was holding two gift bags.
‘What are they?’ she asked.
‘Gifts for your parents.’
Her body prickled with shame. ‘You don’t have to do that.’
He smiled. ‘I want to. They may be a bit off the mark though. You’ve only told me two things about them: your dad is into cars and your mum likes redecorating the house at any opportunity. I don’t even know their names.’
Sherilyn tried to smile but it was as fake as she was. ‘You’ll meet them soon enough.’
She left the house and he followed.
The street was empty but she still walked fast. Her heart was pounding so hard there was no room in her chest for her lungs. Each breath was laboured, as if she was climbing a mountain with gallows at the top reserved especially for her.
‘Do your parents usually have lunch at three?’ Tristan asked.
She nodded. Clara and Emmett had decided they should meet mid-afternoon as that was when the diner was the quietest. ‘It’s a Southern thing,’ she replied.
By the time Amy opened the door of the diner for them, Sherilyn was seconds away from being sick. The place was empty apart from her new parents, who stood like a formal welcoming committee at the back, next to the booth she and Tristan had eaten at the day before. Emmett was dressed in tweed with a bow tie and horn-rimmed glasses, and… What the fuck were they? Some kind of knickerbockers? His hair was gelled back, his face pink from being freshly shaved. He looked like a humanities professor from an Agatha Christie novel. Clara, on the other hand, was dressed as if attending the Kentucky Derby. She was wearing a fuchsia dress, a wide-brimmed hat with more feathers than a comforter, and her make-up and nails had been freshly applied.
Emmett stepped forward, arms outstretched. ‘You must be Tristan? Felicitations.’
‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Boden,’ he replied, then turned to Clara and gave a short bow. ‘Mrs. Boden.’
‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, dear,’ Clara replied, clasping his hand. ‘And please call us Clara and Emmett. Come, sit down.’
Sherilyn scooted into the booth first, hiding in the corner with her back to the door. Tristan sat beside her.
‘How is your house?’ asked Tristan as Clara and Emmett took their seats across from them. They looked blankly at him, then Clara jerked to life.
‘Ah yes, the water damage. Well, the whole of the downstairs floor is now up, but it will be fixed in a couple of weeks.’
‘Sherilyn told me how much you like redecorating. Have you already decided what you’ll do?
