My cheeks are blazing, and before she can humiliate me further, I thrust the flowers in her face. “Look, Mom, Greyston brought you flowers. Pretty, huh? You should probably put them in some water.” I turn to Greyston quickly and continue to ramble, not allowing my mother to get another word in edgewise. “Can I get you something to drink? Iced tea? Water? Wine? Beer?”
Greyston is chuckling through my entire spazz-attack. “Iced tea would be great. Thank you.”
I pour Greyston and me each a glass of iced tea while my mother puts her flowers in a vase. “We’ll be in the living room,” I tell her, leading Greyston away from her probing questions.
We have a seat on opposite ends of the couch, and I tuck my legs up under me, facing him. He doesn’t seem nervous at all about tonight, facing me with his left arm draped casually along the back of the couch while the other hand holds his glass.
“Your mom seems great,” he says before taking a drink.
I groan. “I’m so sorry about that. She sometimes speaks without really thinking. She had no right to try to ask if you were involved. I mean, it’s really no one’s business.”
Greyston laughs, and I’m treated to the sparkle in his eyes that tells me it’s genuine. “It’s not a problem.”
Glancing at the clock, I decide it’s time to start warning Greyston about what to expect from my dad.
“Juliette, I’m sure you’re worrying over nothing.”
I shake my head, knowing for a fact that I’m not. “When he comes through that door, he’ll take his jacket off but leave his holster on so his gun is in plain sight,” I tell him, remembering how he’d “welcomed” Ben that same way when we’d begun dating. “He’s going to try to intimidate and shake you up. You can’t let him.”
Before I can warn him further, the front door opens. Dad’s home early.
“Jules? Anne?”
“I’m in here, Cam!” Mom calls out from the kitchen. “Juliette and her friend are waiting for you in the living room.”
I swallow thickly before setting my glass on the coffee table and standing up, wiping my now-sweaty palms on my jeans. “Good luck,” I tell Greyston quietly, turning to see Dad in the foyer.
As promised, Dad takes his jacket off and hangs it in the closet before joining us—holster on. Quickly, Greyston stands and makes his way around the couch, holding out his hand. “Mr. Foster. It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
Dad accepts Greyston’s handshake—but says nothing—so I decide to break the ice. “Dad, this is Greyston Masters. The man I’ll be renting the room from.”
“We’ll see,” is all he says before taking a seat in his recliner. He doesn’t sit back and get comfortable, though; instead, he sits on the edge and leans on his thighs, his deep brown eyes staring hard at Greyston.
Greyston and I sit back down on the couch, but I’m far from relaxed; my back is straight, my posture rigid, and my pulse is racing.
“So, Mr. Foster,” Greyston begins, his voice confident and smooth. “Juliette tells me you’re on the police force.”
Dad nods. “I am.”
Great, I think to myself. We’re in for the short-answer replies. This is going to be like pulling teeth.
Greyston is determined, though, and continues without balking. “I can only imagine it’s a very rewarding career—to know that you’re out there making the city a safer place.”
There seems to be some kind of staring contest going on between the two of them, and it makes me nervous. My fingers are twitching, and I have to press my hands hard into my thighs to keep from fidgeting while the silence drives me mad.
“I do what I can,” he says, and I feel as though I can breathe a little easier now that the unnerving quiet has broken. “I feel that safety in the home is where it all starts.”
Here it comes.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Greyston concurs confidently, even going as far as to smile at my dad.
Dad smirks, but it’s not out of amusement. “As I’m sure Juliette’s told you, I’m not too keen about this living situation.” He points between the two of us, and Greyston nods, clearly not wanting to interrupt. “I’ve done everything in my power to keep her safe for the last twenty years, so to hear that she was planning to move in with someone—a man, no less—that she found through an advertisement… Well, let’s just say I’ve witnessed enough in my years on the force to be a little leery.”
My mouth has just opened to tell Dad that he’s jumping to all the wrong conclusions, when Greyston beats me to it. “While I understand your concerns, Mr. Foster, I assure you that I mean your daughter no harm. I don’t know what all Juliette has told you, but my home is located in one of the newer communities here in Phoenix, and I had a state-of-the-art alarm system installed upon moving in.”