I Never by Laura Hopper

Author:Laura Hopper
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Chapter Twenty-One

It’s Saturday evening and I’m going to Luke’s house for dinner. His mom is cooking, and it’s just going to be Luke, his parents, and me. I’m beyond nervous. It feels so official and daunting. Luke is acting like it’s no big deal. We were texting while I was at Sloan’s and he wrote, Wanna come over for dinner tomorrow? Sloan and I thought for sure that meant that his parents would be out and he and I would get some delicious takeout and curl up on the sofa, for starters.

Sure. Sounds good, I responded.

Great. My mom’s making steak. You eat red meat, right? I showed my phone to Sloan, and the laughter that started when I got that first text from Luke escalated into full hysterics.

Now here I am in my mom’s car on the way to his house, wondering what the hell I’m doing. What are we going to talk about? What are they going to ask me? Did he have his other girlfriends over for dinner? Is this some kind of screening process? Am I dressed appropriately? I’m wearing Sloan’s gray dress (a sure sign your friend is true blue is that she lets you wear her brand-new clothes even before she does). I have a bouquet of daisies on the passenger seat, which my mom picked up at the farmers’ market. “You never show up at someone’s house empty-handed,” she repeats every time we are guests in someone’s home. My mom also told me to make sure to offer to help in the kitchen and to clear the dishes. As if I didn’t know.

I ring the doorbell and Luke answers the door instantly. He’s in jeans and a black cashmere sweater. He looks utterly edible.

“That’s so cute,” he says. “You got all dressed up.” Now I feel ridiculous. How was I supposed to know the dress code for these things? “Come on in.”

Luke takes my hand and guides me into the living room, which is decorated with green plaid wallpaper and red leather club chairs. His parents are sitting on a plush green velvet sofa by the fireplace, each holding a glass of red wine in an oversize goblet. They stand up when we walk in the room and I am relieved to see that his mom is also wearing a dress. Granted, hers is purple, and the crisp fabric makes her look like the First Lady, but maybe the fact that I’m also in a dress will make her think I’m respectful.

Mr. and Mrs. Hallstrom are older than my parents, making them appear serious and slightly intimidating. I remind myself that Luke is eighteen and the youngest of three kids, so of course his mom and dad would be older. His dad is silver-haired and handsome in his V-neck red sweater and gray slacks. His mom has dark hair, and she’s pretty in a country club sort of way. She wears bright red lipstick and simple, expensive-looking jewelry.

After a few minutes of formal small talk, Mrs.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.