Lying In Plain Sight by Brett Monk

Author:Brett Monk [Monk, Brett & Langford, McKenna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-06-07T16:00:00+00:00

When Mom comes to tell me she’s about to start cooking dinner and sees Ryan and I hanging out together in the upstairs loft, she smiles at him and asks if he’ll be joining us. I was just trying to be nice when I invited him in, especially since he came all the way to see me, but I didn’t exactly want him over for dinner. Still, Ryan beams at my mother appreciatively and nods his head up and down over and over again, like an excited dog. “That would be wonderful,” he says. “Thank you so much, Mrs.… Flynn?”

Mom looks at me, and I feel guilty because now she knows I’ve been talking to Ryan about the separation my parents have been going through. But her smile doesn’t falter. “Why don’t you just call me Amelia,” she suggests.

Then, when dinner is ready, Mom, Lyla, Ryan, and I all sit at the table, and it feels weird because I’ve never had a guy over for dinner. It feels like the roles have been reversed and Ryan has taken Jackson’s place as the guy who’s trying to impress my parents. Only now, there’s only one parent he hast to sweet-talk.

And Ryan is a great sweet-talker. He’s super charismatic, even more so than Jackson had been. With Jackson, it seemed like he was always saying whatever he could to get Mom and Dad to like him, even after it had already been established that they did. With Ryan, he makes easy conversation with Mom like they are two friends. It feels very mature and adult. And dang it, I can tell that Mom likes him, and it makes me like him a little bit more, too, even though I seriously don’t want to. It would almost have been easier if he did like Kiley. Then I wouldn’t have to still feel so conflicted about my feelings for him and my feelings for Warner.

But, in my life, nothing can ever just be easy.

“So, how are you liking being football captain?” Mom asks, wiping her mouth on a napkin. She’s made a healthy version of tater tot casserole with sweet potato tater tots and lean ground turkey.

“It’s fine. But I don’t know if I’ll play football in college,” he answers.

“No?” Mom asks. “Are there any other sports you like to play?”

“Weirdly enough, it’s kind of like a secret hobby of mine, but I like to golf.”

Mom sits back in her chair. “The girls’ father likes to golf,” she tells him, smirking slightly. But it’s not a good smirk. She looks almost irritated. Like Ryan has said the wrong thing.

Ryan clearly doesn’t know how to answer, so I’m quick to rescue him. “Speaking of Dad, have you talked to him? Filled him in on what happened yesterday?” I move my food around my plate because I’m not really that hungry.

“Oh, you mean since I learned that he had you lie to me about meeting Carson Price’s stepfather?”

I cough loudly. When did she figure that out?

She continues.

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