Chapter 46 Owen
I pretend to study the menu some more and wait for everyone else to order. As I suspected, Walter gets apps for the table.
“And what can I get for you?” It’s a new waiter who I don’t recognize and he seems stressed and a little sweaty.
“I’ll have the IPA on tap and a taco salad,” I say, handing him my menu.
“Great, I’ll have your drinks out in a minute.”
Walter thanks him and brings the conversation back to me. “Tell us more about your cousins. We know Brandon pretty well by now, but not the other two as much.”
“Well, Brandon’s brother James is the oldest. He’s in IT and lives in Maple Springs. Graham is the youngest who lives between Honey Cove and Maple Springs.”
“Graham has longer hair, correct?”
I catch Poppy sending me a sympathetic look as I get peppered with questions, but really, I don’t mind talking about my family.
“Yep, he’s a bartender who surfs when there are waves nearby. It’s been really nice being able to see them regularly.” I pause as our drinks are delivered and take a sip of mine, which is delicious as usual. “Poppy has shared a little with me, but I’d love to hear about how you two started dating.”
Her mom blushes. “Oh, that old story?”
“Oh come on, Mom, it’s adorable,” Poppy chimes in, slipping her hand in mine under the table.
Michelle begins the tale of how Walter accidentally bumped into her outside of the high school, dumping her papers right into a muddy puddle. He promised to help her redo all the work and met her at her locker at the end of the day to walk to the old malt shop.
It really is a cute story, and being able to sneak glances at Poppy while her mom tells it feels pretty perfect. She has a soft smile during most of it and laughs when her dad interjects with details her mom claims to be irrelevant, like how Michelle refused his help all day because she was so distraught and that he was waiting at her locker at the end of the day so she couldn’t avoid him.
“The rest is history,” Michelle says, looking at her husband and putting her hand on his arm.
He covers her hand with his. “And it’s been a pretty phenomenal time since I did that.”
“Did you know each other well before that?” I ask.
“Not really,” she answers.
“She was in the advanced classes along with choir and band. I was a bit of a jock at that time, if you can believe it. So we almost never had classes together.”
“What sports did you play?” I ask as Poppy’s thumb caresses mine and I flash her a smile.
“Football and baseball. I was a wide receiver and outfielder.”
“We’ll have to pull out the team photos the next time we visit so you can see his long hair,” Poppy says excitedly. “I haven’t seen those in a while.”
“We should do that soon,” Michelle says warmly.
“Absolutely,” I reply.
It’s not much longer until our food arrives. Conversation flows fairly naturally and I let myself relax more. I realize that I haven’t been at this point in a relationship in quite some time. I’m trying to remember the last time I met someone’s parents back in New York and I think it was at least three years ago. The last time I saw a girlfriend’s parents several times was even longer.
Wow.
Was I just disconnected in New York? I don’t think so. Poppy makes me feel more than I ever have this early in a relationship. We’ve already had a few bumps along the way, but I wouldn’t trade any of it for anything else.
Even with the rocky start, I’d like to think she feels the same.
They continue to tell stories of Poppy growing up over the years. Early piano lessons, art projects, and even a summer as a lifeguard. But I notice the stories all take place before she would have started seeing her ex. Did he hit it off with her parents?
I don’t feel like I have to show him up or anything like that. But I do want them to see that I’m not him. They’ve been so open and welcoming so far. Her mom has been pretty direct with her questions about my intentions for staying in Honey Cove and they seem to be happy with my honesty.
If the school would like to keep me on, I’d really like to stay. The longer I’m here, the more connected I feel to this community and the harder it would be to go back to New York. My relationships with my cousins have all grown and I think we’d stay in touch better, but it would be different. It would be like it used to be. Those three seeing each other regularly and me visiting a few times each year.
“Is everything okay?” Poppy leans in to ask.
“Sorry, I was just thinking about how much has changed since I moved here.”
“Good changes?”
“Only the best.”