I glanced at the time before calling my mom to remind her one more time that Garrett was only a friend. There was a small—make that huge—worry they’d embarrass me by talking about him as if he were my boyfriend.
With Garrett as a friend, I was happier. And no matter how shocking it seemed to some—ahem, Delaney—two people could be friends and spend time together without being in a romantic relationship.
“Mom, hi. Garrett will be here in a minute to pick me up, but I wanted to remind you that he is a friend. F R I E N D. We are not dating. Okay?”
“You said that, Tessa.”
“I know, but please don’t forget.”
“What I don’t understand is why you won’t date anyone. I’m never going to be a grandma if you keep up with this stubbornness. Skeeter wasn’t worth giving up on a lifetime of happiness.”
My mom was one person I didn’t want advice from about a lifetime of happiness.
“I don’t want to talk about Skeeter. Just please don’t embarrass me today.”
“Tessa dear, you know we’d never do that.” My mom’s chuckle did nothing to reassure me.
“He’s here. Bye.” I ran to the door, trying to school my features so Garrett wouldn’t read my frustration. “Hey. Come in. I just need to grab the gifts.”
Garrett stepped inside, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. “Want help?”
“Sure.” I held out the small stack of gifts and waited as he pulled his hands out of his pockets.
The last few times we’d seen each other, he’d done that a lot—shoving his hands in his pockets.
He loaded them in the truck while I locked up, and when I walked up to the truck, he opened my door. “I wasn’t sure what to get your parents, so I bought them a digital frame that has My Pets written on the front, and I also got them a fuzzy blanket with cats all over it. Think they’ll like that?”
“You bought gifts for my parents?”
His brow lifted, creating creases in his brow. “Is that okay?”
“They’ll love those. That’s very sweet.” I climbed into the truck, touched by his gesture.
It was good that I’d called Mom that one extra time.
We’d been at my parents’ house for over an hour, and no one had even raised their voice. Mom and Dad were on their best behavior with Garrett here, and it made the day enjoyable. I credited Garrett’s presence because I still wasn’t ready to believe things were changing with them.
“Garrett, why don’t you ride with me to get some ice?” Dad stood and fished keys out of his pocket.
Garrett moved a cat out of his lap. “Sure.” He glanced at me. “I’ll be back.”
Panicking inside, I nodded, acting like it was the most natural thing in the world for my dad to decide he needed ice right before dinner was going to be served. “See you in a bit.”
They walked out the front door, and I ran to the kitchen. “Mom, what is Dad doing?”
“Getting ice.” She didn’t look up from the cutting board.
“He doesn’t need Garrett for that.”
She rested the knife across the board and met my gaze. “Dad wants to make sure your friend is well intentioned.”
I rubbed my temples. “What part of my begging wasn’t clear? We aren’t dating.”
“Yet.” Mom added the vegetables into the salad and tossed it all together. “He seems very nice.”
“He is nice.” And I didn’t want my parents to scare Garrett away. I walked out to the back porch, hoping Dad wasn’t making the run for ice too uncomfortable for Garrett. If I’d known my parents were going to behave like this, I wouldn’t have brought him along.
Pacing, I checked the time every two minutes. How long could it possibly take to drive to the corner store and buy ice?
My stress melted away when Garrett stepped outside. “Aren’t you cold out here?”
“I’m so sorry. I explained to my parents that we are just friends, but . . .” I shrugged. “Did he give you a hard time?”
“It was fine. We just talked. A bit of good news, I think maybe I talked him out of getting you a kitten.” Garrett rested his hand on the small of my back. “Let’s go back inside. Dinner’s ready.”
“I owe you for that.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He pushed open the door.
My parents were already seated at the table. Garrett pulled out my chair and waited for me to sit before lowering himself into the chair next to me.
Mom passed the salad to me, kicking off the meal.
As Dad doused his salad in Ranch dressing, he asked, “Garrett, what do you do?”
“I’m currently between jobs. Previously I was working as a private investigator, but I’m hoping to move into ranching.” Garrett worded it so he didn’t sound like the spoiled kid who would inherit thousands of acres.
He wasn’t a spoiled kid. He wanted to earn the spot beside his dad. I admired that about Garrett.
The rest of the afternoon went smoothly . . . until Coco pulled the leftover ham off the counter. There was a bit of yelling, but most of it was directed at the dog.
I tried to use that as an excuse to make an exit, but Mom insisted on opening gifts before we left, so we all settled in the living room. I’d be cleaning cat hair and dog hair off my clothes for a week or more.
I received the expected pajamas. They gave me a new pair every year. They loved what Garret had bought them, and Mom had pictures loaded on the digital frame within minutes.
When Dad handed Garrett a small box, I held my breath.
He unwrapped the box, and a grin lit his whole face. He held up the mug with the word Friend emblazoned on the side. “Thanks. This is great.”
My parents thought they were comedians. After tonight, Garrett might retract his Christmas invitation. Even if he didn’t, he’d likely never come with me to see my parents ever again, and I couldn’t blame him.
After helping Mom shove all the wrapping paper into a trash bag, I checked the time.
“I should get you home. You have to be up early to make doughnuts.” Garrett stood and extended his hand to my dad. “It was nice to meet you, sir.” Turning to my mom, Garrett continued being his charming self. “Mrs. Best, thank you for dinner. I’ve had a wonderful time.”
Mom hugged him. “You’re welcome any time. Even if Tessa is busy.”
He chuckled and ushered me out the door.
When we were finally closed into the truck, I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks for coming today, and I’m sorry if my dad grilled you.”
“I enjoyed today.”
“Shockingly, my parents didn’t fight. Not once.” I shifted in my seat to look at Garrett.
“About that . . .” He shot me a quick glance, then focused on the road. “Your dad mentioned that they started going to marriage counseling in September. I’m not quite sure why he decided to tell me, but I figured you’d want to know.”
“I’m stunned. And happy, but really stunned. Although that fits with what Mom said the other day about trying.” I tapped out a text to Mom, letting her know Garrett and I had both enjoyed the visit.
Whatever they were doing seemed to be working. They hadn’t bickered or yelled at all today. Except at Coco, and she deserved it.
I thought back through the day and remembered the way Mom had smiled at Dad when he’d patted her hip in the kitchen. Public displays of affection weren’t common with them. Maybe they’d achieve marital bliss after all.
“Hearing that news makes little things that happened today stand out. They seem happier. I never thought they’d be happily married. Ever.”
Garrett smiled. “I’m glad to see them happy.”
“When are you going to talk to your dad? After you said you were thinking about moving into ranching, it’s been on my mind.”
“Sundays on the ranch are usually fairly quiet. So I’m planning to talk to him tomorrow.” He flashed a smile. “But I’m a little . . . nervous isn’t quite the right word.”
“That is going to be an early Christmas present for him. He is going to be so happy.”
“I think so. I hope so.” Garrett rolled his shoulders. “I’ll let you know how the conversation goes.”
“Thank you. If you aren’t busy, we could meet up after the shop closes. I really do want to hear how he reacts.”
He nodded. “That’d be great. I found a spot on the ranch I want to show you. Maybe we can walk tomorrow.”
“Perfect.” I tilted my head back, my eyelids drooping as it neared my bedtime. “Today was a good day. Tomorrow will be too.”
I stared at Garrett’s profile, appreciative of our friendship. But I also felt a little guilty. Although I was stubborn, I wasn’t stupid. If I changed my mind about dating, Garrett would ask me out in a heartbeat. I knew that.
Was it wrong to like things as they were? This was comfortable. And he wasn’t trapped. Our friendship would just change when he found someone who was open to romantic relationships. And when that happened, I wouldn’t . . . have any right to be upset.