The Last Song(70)
“That maybe you should have read the directions?”
“Right,” he said. There was something about the way he said it that made him sound just like Will.
“Did you and Susan talk about the wedding?” he asked.
Ronnie shook her head. “No. Will mentioned something about it, though.”
“I had to spend two hours today at the florist’s looking at flower arrangements. Have you ever spent two hours looking at flower arrangements?”
“No.”
“Consider yourself lucky.”
Ronnie giggled, relieved to be out here with him. Just then Will came up behind her, freshly showered and dressed neatly in a polo shirt and shorts. Both name brand, but she supposed she should have expected that.
“You’ll have to forgive my dad. He sometimes forgets he’s an adult,” Will quipped.
“At least I’m honest. And I didn’t see you racing home to help.”
“I had a volleyball game.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that was the reason. And I gotta tell you, Ronnie here is a whole lot prettier than you let on.”
Though Ronnie smiled with pleasure, Will cringed. “Dad…”
“It’s true,” Tom added quickly. “Don’t be embarrassed.” After making sure the plane was flying straight again, he glanced at Ronnie. “He gets embarrassed a lot. He used to be the shyest kid in the world. He couldn’t even sit near a pretty girl without his cheeks turning bright red.”
Will, meanwhile, was shaking his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you’re saying this, Dad. Right in front of her.”
“What’s the problem?” Tom looked at Ronnie. “Does that bother you?”
“Not at all.”
“See?” He tapped Will’s chest, as if he’d proved his point. “She doesn’t care.”
“Thanks for that.” He grimaced.
“What are dads for? Hey, you want to give this thing a whirl?”
“I really can’t. I’m supposed to bring Ronnie home so we can have dinner.”
“Listen to me. Even if they serve you eggplant on rutabaga with tofu, I want you to eat what they put in front of you and then make sure you compliment them on the meal,” Tom admonished.
“It’ll be probably just be pasta,” Ronnie said, grinning.
“Really?” Tom seemed disappointed. “He’ll eat that.”
“What? You don’t want me to eat?”
“It’s always good to experience new things. How’d it go at the shop today?”
“That’s what I needed to talk to you about. Jay said there’s a problem with the computer or the software—everything keeps double printing.”
“Just at the flagship or everywhere?”
“I don’t know.”
Tom sighed. “I suppose I’d better check it out, then. Assuming, of course, I can land this thing. And you two have a good time, okay?”
A few minutes later, after getting into the truck, Will jingled his keys before starting his engine.
“Sorry about all that. My dad sometimes says the craziest things.”
“Don’t be sorry. I like him.”
“And I wasn’t that shy, by the way. My cheeks never turned bright red.”
“Of course they didn’t.”
“I’m serious. I was always smooth.”
“I’m sure you were,” she said, reaching over to pat his knee. “But listen. About tonight. My family has this weird tradition.”
* * *
“You’re lying!” Will shouted. “You’ve been lying all night and I’m sick and tired of it.”
“Don’t even go there!” Ronnie shouted back. “You’re the one who’s lying!”
The dishes from dinner had long ago been cleared—Dad had served spaghetti and marinara sauce, as predicted, with Will making sure to clean his plate—and they were now sitting at the kitchen table holding playing cards to their foreheads in a game of liar’s poker. Will was holding an eight of hearts, Steve a three of hearts, and Jonah a nine of spades. Piles of change were stacked in front of each of them, and the pot in the middle overflowed with nickels and dimes.
“You’re both lying,” Jonah added. “Neither of you knows how to tell the truth.”
Will offered Jonah his game face and reached into his pile of change. “A quarter says you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Her dad started shaking his head. “Bad move, young man. It’s over. I’m going to have to raise you fifty cents.”
“I’ll see that!” Ronnie cried. Both Jonah and Will immediately followed suit.