"And your gardens are beautiful, Mrs. Tanner," Adam turned to smile again at my Mom. I hadn't even noticed the state of my mother's flowerbeds when we'd pulled in, but obviously Adam had; every line on his handsome face was sincere.
She waved a hand dismissively. "They're nothing right now, Adam dear. You'll have to come back in June and July and see them when they're properly in bloom. And call me Pat, please." She took Adam's arm again and led him towards the kitchen in the back of the house. I made a move to follow them, but Vi grasped my arm tightly and held me back.
"Omigod," she squealed under her breath as Mom's chattering voice faded away. I could her Adam's deep rumble of a reply but couldn't make out what he was saying. "Where the hell did you find him Lil? He's gorgeous!"
A little guiltily, I told my little sister the clean, slightly abbreviated version of how I met Adam, and if I failed to mention that I'd only met him the night before, it was only because she was still a little young to know those things.
"He's so hot!" Vi squealed quietly. "Dad's gonna flip when he sees him. Joe too."
"He's already met Joe," I said with a wry laugh, explaining briefly what had happened earlier at the beach. I left out the details of what Adam and I had been doing at the beach.
"So you wouldn't have brought him if Joe hadn't told you too?" Vi asked, sounding hurt. She pouted like a petulant child and I had to remind myself that she was only eighteen.
"No, that's not true," I replied quickly. "It's just a little soon, that's all."
Vi brushed me off with a dramatic gesture. "If ya love him it's never too soon for him to meet your crazy family."
Love him? I opened my mouth to argue but wasn't sure what to say. I settled for shrugging off my jacket instead, but only succeeded in getting half-way there when Vi grabbed my arm hard and squealed.
"What?" I asked, eying her excited bobbing up and down with anxiety.
"You have a hickey," she hissed with glee. "Dad's gonna die when he sees that."
"What?" I gasped, rushing to hall mirror and throwing off my jacket. I tilted my chin and studied the evidence of Adam's earlier enthusiasm emblazoned on the pale skin of my neck. "Oh my god," I Mombled, leaning my heated forehead against the cool surface of the mirror. I was blushing from head to toe.
Vi giggled with delight. "Come on," she said, suddenly sounding much wiser than her eighteen years. "It's not that bad. I must have something you can wear to hide it."
She pulled me up the stairs and into her bedroom under the sloping eaves; it was a cluttered, busy, teenager-like mess. At one time we'd shared the room and my old twin bed still rested in the corner, covered in a jumble of clothing. I sank into with numbly. "I have a hickey? I've never had a hickey before in my life."
"Well don't be embarrassed," Vi said dismissively, rooting through her closet. "I've had tons." I tried not to look shocked as she threw a high-collared blouse at me. "Well, I have," Vi sighed, sitting beside me as I eyed her skeptically. "Mind you, none from a guy as cute as that. Put that on," she said with a smile, motioning towards the silky blouse. I followed orders, still trying to comprehend having this sort of conversation with my kid sister.
I shook my head as laughter bubbled from my lips. The whole thing was suddenly very ridiculous: the night before with Adam, being so worried I'd never see him again, and then the happiness when he'd shown up at my door with flowers, the amazing motorcycle ride and making love at the beach, and now bringing him home to my family and getting love advice from my teenaged sister. I lay back on the mountain of clothes and laughed until my sides ached while Vi watched me warily.
"You're losin' it, Hon," she said with a giggle. "He's got ya completely freaked out, huh?"
I nodded through my tears, hiccuping as the laughter subsided.
"Well I don't blame ya," Vi confessed. "He's freakin' hot. You gotta marry this one."
Marry? I laughed again, this time a little nervously. Everything is so black and white when you're eighteen.
"I think I've probably left him alone with Mom long enough," I admitted, hoping fervently that she hadn't broken out the baby pictures yet. Vi agreed and I followed her down the stairs and into the kitchen, a little uneasy of what I'd find when I got there.
Adam and Mom were standing side-by-side behind the kitchen island, both clad in identical flowered aprons and Adam was patiently showing her the best way to effectively chop an onion.
My jaw dropped; Vi giggled and plopped herself down on a stool at the island and watched the proceedings with delight.
"He's quite handy in the kitchen, Lilly dear," Mom said, beaming as she noticed my presence. "Isn't that nice?"
I sat beside Vi and smiled weakly at my mother. "That's because he's a chef, Mom."
My mother turned to Adam and swatted his arm playfully, joining in with his laughter. "Are you really, you rogue?" she asked flirtatiously. "You should have said something earlier."
Adam shrugged, taking over the chopping of the remaining vegetables from my Mom. His hands worked deftly and I was mesmerized by his movements. The dark lines of his tattoos snaked sexily over his arms and looked so out of place next to the flowered apron that I couldn't help but laugh. I looked up and caught Adam's sheepish grin only to be struck again by how devastatingly handsome he was. He winked at me and then turned his attention to my Mom as she asked him a question about garlic.
Vi and I sat quietly as Mom and Adam discussed cooking until there was a slam of the screen-door and the rapid thump of many sneakers in the hall.
"Who the hell owns that amazing freakin' bike out there?" My middle brother's voice carried loudly from the front of the house. Matt burst into the kitchen, followed immediately by Chuck, both of whom were wearing big grins to match their curiosity.
"That would be mine," Adam admitted with pride.
Mom, Vi, and I all laughed in unison as Matt and Chuck took in Adam's appearance with identical looks of awe. There might be two years separating my brothers, but they looked like twins and seeing the disbelief echoed on both their faces as they stared at Adam was pretty funny.
"Vi," Chuck said with a grin as he slapped her shoulder roughly. "I didn't know you had a new boyfriend. What happened to that Pete guy?"
My younger sister scowled at him and hit him back, just as hard. "He's not mine, you ass. He's Lilly's."
"Lilly's?" Matt and Chuck asked together. Both red heads shot up and they grinned together as they noticed me for the first time. I was hugged by both at once. I introduced Adam quickly to my brothers and all three men grinned easily at each other.
I'd bumped into Matt in town only a week earlier, but Chuck I hadn't seen since his Christmas break. "How were exams?" I asked as he slid onto the stool next to me and stretched out his long legs.
Chuck shrugged, putting on the pretended nonchalance I knew and loved. "Alright. I guess I passed, they gave me my degree."
I patted his arm, smiling. None of my younger siblings would admit to being as smart as they are. Chuck had just graduated with an engineering degree from one of Canada's most prestigious universities and yet he made it sound like it was no big deal; Violet had been accepted to the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and would be leaving in the fall. Only Matt and Joe had been content to forgo post-secondary education. Joe had always wanted to continue with the family farm and Matt had apprenticed to a mechanic after high school and earned his working papers three years ago.
"Man," said Matt, digging around in the fridge and coming out with a handful of beer bottles; he passed one to me, one to Chuck, and one to Adam before sitting down beside Chuck. "That bike must have cost you a fortune."
Adam shrugged. "Actually, I inherited it from my Dad; I just had to fix it up a bit." We all watched as he quickly diced potatoes, completely at ease with an audience watching his every move. I smiled quietly to myself.
Matt started firing questions about the motorcycle at him, but only Chuck knew enough about bik
es to follow along with Adam's answers. Vi and I just watched the proceedings quietly both apparently content to watch Adam work as Mom bustled about in the background with a big smile on her pretty face. Every once and a while she'd take whatever Adam had finished chopping and silently give him another job. He moved with a grace in her kitchen that was quite something to see. Never once did he slip up, bump into her, or get in her way.
Everything was moving along splendidly until I heard the rumble of the truck outside. Every head shot up and we all paused.
"That'll be your father and Joe," Mom said brightly. "Vi, Lilly honey, can you set the table for me? Adam, please pass me the pepper mill. Matt, Chuck, go take off your shoes like you should have done when you came in the house in the first place and please wash your hands."
My heart raced wildly in my chest as we all leapt to do my mother's bidding. I brushed past Adam on my way to retrieve plates and cups and he touched my arm gently, stopping me. His smile was electric and for a moment I forgot there was anyone else in the room.
"You alright?" he asked quietly enough for only me to hear.
I nodded, swallowing past the lump in my throat. I'd known Mom and Vi would like Adam, suspected Matt and Chuck would, but hadn't held out any hope for Dad and Joe. Dad was always the real test. "Are you?" I inquired, just as softly.
He nodded swiftly, but not before I saw the small flicker of hesitation in his remarkable green eyes. I tried to smile encouragingly. "Too late to back out now," I teased, pleased to be rewarded with a small grin. Adam leaned down and kissed me quickly. It was no more than a brief brush against my lips, but that didn't stop my father from clearing his throat loudly behind us and causing both Adam and I to jump like guilty teenagers.
"Who's this?" Dad growled. He stood in the middle of the kitchen, seeming to take up the entire space with his presence. When I was a little girl I'd been sure my Dad was the biggest man in the world: 6'5", 280 pounds of solid, hard-working farmer. He was darkly tanned from endless days on the back of a tractor, with rough-skinned hands and blue, blue eyes which never missed a thing. He was man of few words, but when he spoke we all listened.
"Adam Brooks, sir," Adam said smiling brightly with a confidence I was sure he couldn't be feeling. He held out his hand and my father eyed it warily, shaking it more out of habit than any genuine desire to, I was sure. "I'm a friend of Lilly's."
Dad didn't even try to disguise his frank appraisal of Adam. He noticed every inch of exposed tattoo and didn't miss the eyebrow ring or the practically shaved head either and I wondered which of those things made him raise a questioning eyebrow. "Nice apron," Dad said in a gravely tone.
Adam looked down at the flowered print, now spotted with cooking mess and then grinned widely at my Dad who remained nonplussed and immoveable. "Thanks, Mr. Tanner."
It wasn't the answer my Dad was expecting, that much was evident. For a quick second I thought I saw him smile just a little before he turned to me just as expressionless as always. "Lilly," he said lowly.
"Hi Dad," I said softly, moving in for a hug. He smelled like earth and sweat, a combination which was quintessentially my father. Dad hugged me back, but didn't say anything.
"Go get cleaned up," Mom said with a smile, bustling past me to give my father a kiss on the cheek. She had to stand on tiptoe to do so and he bent down dutifully so she could reach. Adam and I watched the ritual with twin smiles. It was more than evident who ran the Tanner household.
Dad obeyed Mom stoically with Joe following right behind. Matt and Chuck reappeared and helped Vi and I set the table, jostling good-naturedly for our usual seating positions. Adam helped Mom bring the food to the table, and by the time Dad and Joe sat down, the large piece of furniture fairly groaned under the weight of all the dishes. If it was a more elaborate meal than he was used to seeing for Sunday night supper, Dad said nothing.
There was a moment of awkward silence as we all sat waiting. At the head of the table, Dad cleared his throat.
"I'll say grace, Dear," Mom offered, although it was a job usually assigned to one of us kids.
"I think our guest should do it," Joe offered gruffly. It was the first thing he'd said since he walked in the door.
All around the table auburn eyebrows shot to the ceiling, even Dad looked slightly shocked. Only Adam remained unruffled as he sat beside me. I opened my mouth to argue, but Adam silenced me with a soft touch on my leg. He squeezed my thigh with reassurance and then bowed his head.
"Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive from thy bounty, through Christ, our Lord, Amen," Adam said with conviction and then crossed himself in a casual fashion while we all sat open-mouthed.
"Holy hell, he's Catholic," Joe muttered, digging into the mashed potatoes. Mom gasped, Vi giggled, and I blushed.
"Joe," Dad growled, shooting his eldest son a dirty look. "That's enough."
"Not a very good one, I'm afraid," Adam joked lightly, giving my leg another squeeze before dishing out roast beef onto my plate and then his. "No matter how many times the nuns gave me the strap most of it never sank in."
"You were taught by nuns, Dude?" Chuck laughed, Matt echoed it.
"They used corporal punishment?" Vi gasped at the same time.
"Yes to both questions," Adam laughed in his deep voice. "Don't worry Vi," he reassured my little sister, who was looking concerned. "That was a long time ago. They don't do that anymore."
"How old are you?" Vi asked with carefree curiosity. I almost interrupted to scold her for her rudeness, but stopped when I realized I wanted to hear the answer for myself, because I still had no idea what the answer was.
"Thirty-two," Adam said with a grin, passing my Mom the peas.
"Let the poor man eat," Mom admonished before Vi could fire off another question. I had a few of my own which I wanted to ask, but not with my family in the room. Adam sure as hell didn't look thirty-two.
The table fell to silence as we all dug into the huge and excellent meal. Mom had really outdone herself and everyone's enjoyment was evident as the piles of food grew continually smaller.
"S'good, Pat," my Dad said finally as he finished off the last of his meal. He gifted my mother with one of his rare smiles. "Thank you."
Mom beamed across the long table at Dad. "I had excellent help. Adam is a chef in town."
A glimmer of interest crossed Dad's stony face. "Really? Where?"
"At La Langoustine Fâchée," Adam said nonchalantly. We all stared wordlessly at him. Even my Dad had heard of it, probably because La Langoustine was not only the best restaurant on the island and specialized in catering to a very distinctly wealthy group of customers, but it was also ranked one of the best restaurants in Canada.
I sat quietly beside Adam and felt like an idiot. Oh, how Rhiannon and Adele would laugh; they'd wanted me to date someone less career-oriented than my usual type, someone less focussed on their job. What would they say when they found out I'd slept with a chef from the province's most celebrated restaurant? The Queen ate there the last time she'd visited, for cryin' out loud. They'd die laughing.
"Oh, isn't that nice?" Mom gushed. "You must really enjoy that, Adam dear." She rose and started clearing plates.
Adam nodded, standing to his feet and collecting empty dishes. Automatically I did the same. "It's been worth the move to the Island."
"You're not from here?" Vi asked quickly, before anyone else could have the privilege.
"Sorry, but no. Wish I was. I love it here," Adam said with a grin. He took my Dad's empty plate and balanced it easily on his arm before doing the same with Joe's, Chuck's, and Matt's. We all watched the balancing act with trepidation, but none more than Mom, who I suspect feared a great deal for her best china. "I grew up just outside of Toronto."
Joe snorted rudely into his beer, only to be treated to another of Dad's ice-cold glares.
"Chuck just graduated from school in Toronto, didn't you Chuck?" Mom p
rompted happily, beaming as she took dirty plates from Adam.
"U of T?" Adam asked with interest.
"Yeah," Chuck said sheepishly, ducking his auburn head and grinning. "Engineering."
"Good for you, Mate," Adam slapped Chuck's shoulder as he passed. Vi and I stared open-mouthed at the friendly gesture. Dad actually smiled.
"We'll have dessert later," Mom suggested, eyeing the dirty pots and pans with a small smile. "After the girls and I clean up."
"I can help," Adam offered, sounding sincere.
"Don't be silly, dear. You helped cook, and besides you must see a lot of dirty dishes at work." Mom pulled the apron out of Adam's hands and passed it to me. "Why don't you and the other boys go outside? I know they must be dying to take a look at the nice motorcycle of yours."
Just His Type (Part One) Page 6