Chapter 41 #2
“Fingers crossed for Thursday night.” Harper would be on that podium, I had no doubt. And if Ava didn’t make it this time, Nice was right around the corner.
Luka glanced up from the menu. “Do you have recommendations?”
Mom’s face lit up with such alarming speed that Dad lowered his menu. “Oh no.”
He blinked. “What?”
“You’ve asked a question.”
“That is generally how recommendations work.”
“You don’t understand,” Dad said. “You’ve activated her.” He disappeared behind his own menu.
By the time she’d finished, Luka knew more about the menu than I did, which was impressive, considering I’d eaten there before.
“The ravioli would be my recommendation,” Mom said at last.
Luka considered this carefully. “Then I believe I will have the ravioli.”
Mom looked pleased with herself.
Dad sighed. “Congratulations. You’ve made her week.”
While we waited for the food, Dad asked about training schedules and competition preparation. Mom gave the conversation a respectable amount of time before steering it toward what she clearly considered a far more important subject.
“Are they feeding you properly?”
Luka appeared surprised. “I assure you, I am adequately nourished.”
Mom remained unconvinced. Dad hid a smile behind his water glass.
The food arrived before she could pursue the matter further.
By the end of the meal, Luka had abandoned any attempt to answer every question with diplomatic caution. He was still unfailingly polite, but he no longer looked as though he expected a scorecard at the end of the evening.
“So, what movies did you grow up watching?” she asked between bites of tiramisu.
Luka thought about it.
Dad noticed the pause. “Jurassic Park.”
He frowned. “I have not seen it.”
Mom looked horrified.
I nearly dropped my spoon.
Dad lowered his own. “You’ve never seen Jurassic Park?”
“No.”
The three of us continued staring.
Luka looked from one of us to the next. “I did not realize this was such a sensitive subject.”
Dad pointed the spoon again. “Star Wars.”
The hesitation that followed was answer enough.
Mom pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh, honey.”
Luka appeared baffled. “What?”
“You’ve missed everything.”
“I have not missed everything,” he remonstrated.
“Most things.”
He blinked again. “I won an Olympic medal. Two medals, actually.”
“That’s wonderful,” Mom agreed. “We’re still making you watch Star Wars.”
Luka turned to me, and I suddenly found my tiramisu very interesting. When I found the courage to sneak a glance at him, his expression suggested he would remember this betrayal.
The conversation never recovered.
Dad began listing movies he considered essential. Mom disagreed with at least a third of them and started adding titles to the notes app on her phone. Every attempt Luka made to defend himself only seemed to encourage them.
“I spent most of my childhood in ice rinks.”
“That’s not an excuse.”
Dad leaned back in his chair. “Have you seen The Princess Bride?”
Mom stared at him. “Why would you start there?”
“Because it’s excellent.”
“That is not the point.”
Luka looked between them. “Are there examinations on this material?”
By the time the check arrived, he’d acquired a movie syllabus.
Outside, the night air was cold enough to have everyone pulling coats tight around them.
Mom hugged Luka before either of us could make a clean escape.
“Next time we’re feeding you somewhere with larger portions.”
He gaped at her. “I have spent the last two hours eating.”
“Good. Then you’ll be prepared.”
Luka laughed, and Mom seemed pleased with herself.
Dad shook his head. “Careful. If she adopts you, you’re done for.”
She glared at him. “I am standing right here.”
He ignored her. “You’ll get weekly phone calls.”
Mom bit her lip. “Okay, that’s true.”
“There’ll be requests for photographs.”
She shrugged. “Also true.”
“And you know there’ll be questions about whether you’re eating enough.”
“I ask everyone that,” she protested.
Dad peered at Luka. “You see?”
Luka tried not to smile. “I believe I do.”
Mom beamed.
Dad sighed. “Oh, great, he’s already encouraging her.”
Eventually she extracted a promise that we’d have dinner with them again before the Games ended. Only then did Dad manage to steer her into the taxi.
Before she climbed in, she caught my sleeve. “Dean.”
“What?”
She glanced toward Luka. “He seems lovely.”
I rubbed a hand across the back of my neck. “Mom...”
“What? You looked worried.”
“I was.”
She smiled. “I know.” For a second she studied me before nodding toward Luka. “Stop waiting for the bad part.”
I blinked. Before I could ask what that meant, she kissed my cheek and climbed into the taxi.
Dad leaned across the back seat. “Nice to finally meet you, Luka.”
Luka blinked. “You too.”
Dad nodded. “We’ll see you again before you leave.”
It wasn’t phrased as a question.
Mom was looking pleased again.
The taxi pulled away, and I stood there for a moment watching it merge into traffic.
We started toward the Metro station.
Luka shoved his hands into his coat pockets. “What did she say?”
“She likes you.”
Luka looked ahead. “She has only met me once.”
I laughed. “Mom doesn’t care about details like that. And you’ll survive.”
“I survived four hugs.”
“You counted?”
“Of course I counted.” After a few more steps, he spoke quietly. “I expected difficult questions.” He smiled. “Instead, they simply assigned me homework.”
I laughed.
“And I seem to have gained a second mother.”
“Yeah, that can happen.”
The station entrance came into view ahead of us.
Luka glanced at me. “What exactly are your plans for the rest of the night?”
I grinned. “I was thinking I’d help you recover from the trauma.”
“Ah.”
“Professionally, of course.”
Luka looked at me for a long moment. “Dean.”
“Yeah?”
His lips twitched again. “You are smiling.”
I chuckled. “Can’t think why.”
He was still smiling when the train arrived.