Page 30 of Book and Ladder
Mom laughs. “Patrick. You know I won’t go on a date with you. I sincerely apologize for overstepping.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and blow out a breath. “It’s okay, Mom. But if it’s alright with you, I’ll take it from here.”
“I’d love that.”
She’d love it if I proposed marriage to Blaire after our first date. Or maybe even before. On paper, Blaire’s the perfect match for me. Her family lives in the same gated community as ours. She actually did attend Vanderbilt and then she moved back here to establish herself as an interior designer. I don’t know why Blaire came back to Waterford. She definitely always struck me as the type who would move to New York or Los Angeles.
“Okay, well, I’m at work,” I say. “So, I’ll talk to you later.”
“Come for dinner one night. We never see you.”
“I’ll be at family dinner this week.”
“You can come anytime. We love you, Patrick.”
“I know. I love you too, Mom.”
“I am sorry,” she says. “I got a little overzealous. I’ll back off.”
“You’re fine. Don’t give it another thought.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.”
I hang up and text Blaire.
Patrick:Yes. Fork and Fiddle. Do you want me to pick you up or should we meet there?
Blaire:Since it’s a date, you can pick me up if that’s okay.
It’s not a date—not in the formal sense of the word. But there’s no good way to explain that to Blaire over a text. Hopefully we’ll just catch up with one another, and then she’ll see I’ve become a blue-collar worker. Then she’ll back off and find someone who golfs and enjoys a drink at the club.
I do golf. I don’t enjoy the club.
Patrick:Great. See you then.
I pocket my cell and stroll back into the bay.
"How's Mom?" Dustin asks, wagging his brows.
"She's fine," I say, brushing him off.
"I'm good with an age gap if the two people are genuinely in love," Dustin says.
"With his mom?" Cody asks, his head rearing back.
"No. Dude! It's not his mom! Catch up."
"It's my mom," I say, as if into an echo chamber since no one's listening to me.
"Not our business," Greyson says firmly.
"Totally beg to disagree," Dustin says. "You guys were all up in my business when Emberleigh and I started seeing one another."
"She's our donut supplier," Cody says. "Ergo, our business."
Our laughter fills the bay.
I'm about to pick up my clipboard to resume checks when the alarm sounds. Captain’s voice comes through the system: Alarm at Moss and Maple. Monitoring company said detector signaled them.
