Chapter Thirteen
Edelweiss
“Dad, this is Edelweiss.”
“Colonel Parson, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” I extend a firm shake, nailing the diplomatic greeting that Mom and Dad drilled into me as a young child.
“Please, call me Peter.” With a gentle squeeze, he releases my hand. “You look so much like your mother.”
“But with my father’s hair. Sort of like how you and James share a smile.”
“You noticed?” James chuckles, tucking his helmet under his arm. “Most people think I’m adopted.”
I glance between the two of them, both of their smiles are partially open, almost like they’re in mid-laugh. It’s contagious and identical. “You’re obviously his son.”
Colonel Parson playfully nudges James. “He gets his good looks from me.”
The buzzer sounds the end of halftime. James’s brow creases as he studies us.
“Go play. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll meet you after the game?”
“How about I take you both out to dinner?” Colonel Parson asks.
“Awesome.” James gives me a hug.
“Edelweiss, will you sit with me? I’d love to hear more about your parents, and the headmistress promised to save me a few good seats. She claims they’re the best view in the stadium.”
“That’d be great. Thank you.” I follow him over to Headmistress Creighton, who awkwardly shakes the colonel’s hand with a weird eye roll like they’re old friends. Man, James must have done some wild stuff if they know each other this well.
Colonel Parson and I take our seats just off the sidelines. He clears his throat. “Your father and mother are some of the greatest people I’ve had the pleasure to know. It’s been years since I’ve bumped into them. A shame, really. Thank God for technology. You wouldn’t remember me, but we met a few times when you were a baby and again as a preschooler.”
“Really?” It’s odd that I don’t feel nervous around him or a desperate need to impress. I guess it’s a lot easier to meet a boyfriend’s parent when you’re a placeholder than if you’re the real deal. “Have James and I met before?”
“No. When I was at work, he was usually with his nanny. But you both lived in Germany at the same time when you were infants.”
“Weird.”
“What’s weird is that you two are dating.” He shakes his head. “It never occurred to me that you two would hit it off. He doesn’t strike me as your type, if you’re anything like your folks.”
A sour taste floods my mouth. He really has no idea how great James is. “James is really smart. He’s been tutoring me in English.”
“Tutoring?” His brow lifts and I can see the implication in his eyes.
“He’s been helping me dissect Dostoyevsky in the library.”
“Yeah, he likes to toy with that stuff.”
Toy? Understanding Dostoyevsky takes some major brainpower. “Have you ever read Dostoyevsky?”
His eyes pop wide while the whistle blows. “No. God, I can’t even remember the last time I read a book for fun.”
“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call his novels fun, but they are interesting. Maybe you should read one? James can talk for hours about them.”
“For hours. Really? Are we talking about the same kid here?”
“James is really insightful, you must know that. I remember my parents once turning off the TV to tell me he’d gotten published in a magazine.” I force out a chuckle, desperately trying to stand up for James while keeping the conversation light and airy. “They interrupted the series finale of Parenthood to tell me. I was so mad.”
“Having something published isn’t uncommon for Brockmore students. Now, don’t get me wrong. Obviously, I’m proud of my son if I felt the need to email your parents and brag about him. I just really want him to put those brains to use the rest of the time.”
“He is. You should see what he’s doing with student council.”
“Student council? Come on. Now I know we aren’t talking about the same kid.”
The headmistress leans over to us. “James is one of the senior reps this year. I thought he told you. He’s brought some unique proposals before the council. I’ve been really impressed with his interest and commitment.”
“You don’t say.”
“I do.” She settles back into her seat. We sit in silence for a few minutes, and my stomach turns over. He hates me.
Another five minutes pass before he shifts in his spot. “Edelweiss, thank you.”
“For what, sir?”
The quarterback launches the ball, and James’s father leaps to his feet the moment James spins out of the defender’s way. He cheers louder than anyone in the stadium when James catches it, sprinting down the sideline and diving into the end zone.
Touchdown, Bears!
The colonel grins at me while he takes his seat.
“Is everything okay, sir?”
“Couldn’t be better. Thank you for telling me about James. Sounds like he’s really trying to change things.”
The headmistress coughs loudly next to him. “As I was telling you, Peter…”
“I hear you, headmistress. Thank you.”
The Bears win, and while James showers, the colonel has me call my parents so we can all talk on speaker. The giddiness in my mom’s voice is undeniable, and as the Colonel describes my relationship with James, I swear my dad’s voice drops an octave, his irritation clear.
It’s apparently easy to say you want your daughter to date but a lot harder to stomach.
After James arrives, he holds open the back door to his father’s SUV while I climb in. On the drive into town, James and his father recount the last half of the game play by play, and James has never seemed so relaxed and at ease as he is with him. At the bar and grill, James inhales his dinner, and when he runs to the restroom, the colonel folds his hands on the table.
“You seem like an honest young lady.”
“I try to be.”
“Tell me more about James. Does it bother him that I’m not around much?”
“Oh, wow.” I push the salt shaker to the side. This just got weird.
“I’m sorry to intrude, but I need to know if I’ve messed up.”
“James speaks about you a lot and admires you greatly, especially your military service.”
“But does he miss me?”
“Nothing replaces family.”
“Right.” He rubs his jaw. “Parenting is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, Edelweiss. And to raise a teenager alone, while in the military, requires more sacrifices than any child should have to give. I don’t want him to resent me.”
“James wants to make you proud.”
“That’s what scares me. He should already know I’m proud of him.”
“What are you two talking about?” James grins while he walks down the aisle toward our booth.
The colonel presses back from the table. “Her father makes a mean burger.”
I nod in agreement, clicking my thumb joint.
James slides in next to me and eyes my thumb popping with a smile. He folds my hand into his own, and the urge to pop the joint diminishes. “But I thought your father was vegan?”
The colonel laughs. “That’s exactly what makes it so mean.”
When we arrive back at Brockmore, the colonel invites me out to breakfast with them the next morning. “I’m going to have to pass. I have a group project meeting in the morning,” I explain.
In all honesty, I want them to have some time alone. They need it.
“Are you sure you want to skip out on breakfast tomorrow?” James asks after we climb out of the SUV and cross the road to the front of Brockmore Hall.
“I’m sure. It breaks our rules.”
“Right. One meal a day.”
“Better not to mess with what’s working.” I shift on the front steps, well aware that James plans to go back to spend the weekend with his father at the hotel. Suddenly it’s like I’m being dropped off from a date, with one of our fathers watching.
“He’s probably expecting me to kiss you.” James shifts in place. “A kiss on the cheek will probably do fine.”
My heart tickles at the thought. Maybe it’s the sugar from the malt or the fact that I can barely look at James without wishing I actually interested him, but something in me snaps. “Better make it a real one. If we want to sell this relationship to him, this is our last chance.”
“Right.” James steps forward and gently tucks a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. “Thank you for this, Edelweiss.” He leans in, and the kiss is soft and sweet, but within my chest fireworks are exploding.
“You okay?” he asks after he pulls away, noticing how I stumbled backward a step.
“Yeah.” A lump the size of a golf ball takes up residence in my throat. “I’m fine. Enjoy your night with your dad.”
“I’ll see you Monday morning?”
“There’s no chance I’ll be anywhere but here.”
He grins, leaning in and planting a kiss on my cheek before he bounds across the street to climb back into the black SUV. Everything in me trembles as I walk up the stairs into Brockmore Hall. All I want is another kiss, and knowing he won’t be sleeping under the same roof as me tonight makes me ache.
Oh my God. What have I done to myself?
I like James Parson. Every cell in my body electrifies when he’s near, and—both fortunately and unfortunately—he’s near me a lot.
Later that night, my phone vibrates. Tuti tosses it to me while she rehearses for her newest makeup YouTube tutorial.
We pulled it off! James texts. He thinks you’re great and wants me to stay at Brockmore!
Great news! I text back.
Can I call you? He’s out of the room right now.
Sure. I’ll call you once I’m in the clear.
“How long will you be gone?” Tuti asks while I open the door.
“I don’t know?”
“Could you wait at least twenty minutes so I can get this filmed?”
“Easily.”
“Do you mind if I show your side of the room?” She glances at the pile of outfits she’s tossed on her bed. “It’ll take me forever to clean this up and yours looks so fresh and cute. Perfect for YouTube.”
“Have at it. Text me when I can return.”
I wind my way through the dormitory, moving away from Emma’s cracked open door in case she decides to breathe fire, to an empty study room on the first floor.
James answers on the first ring. “Hello?”
“Hi. It’s Edelweiss.” There’s an awkward beat, and I can’t help but laugh.
“What?” he asks.
“I’ve never talked to a boy on the phone before.” Something else to check off my list.
“Really?” He laughs. “Is it okay if I say that’s adorable?”
“You can say it if you want to, but that doesn’t make it true.” More like pathetic. I take a seat at the desk and tug on my hair. “So, what’s up?”
“Well, I was thinking that, since we sold my dad on us, we should set a date so I can cut you free.”
“Oh.” The surprise in my voice cuts through the air.
“Not that this isn’t fun…”
“No, of course.” I dig my fingernail into the desk “Don’t worry. Yeah, that’s a good idea.”
“Nothing soon, of course. That’d be too suspicious.”
“Well, I’m open to any timeline.” Like one with no end date.
“How about in a couple of weeks? Maybe after the Ghoul Ball so we don’t have to try to figure out someone else to go with.”
I press my head against the wall and take a deep breath. All along I’ve known this was coming. I shouldn’t make it harder than it needs to be. “James, if you have someone else you’d want to bring as a date, we can break up sooner. I’d understand.”
“Nope. I’d be a horrible date that night anyway, because I’ll be too focused on pulling off the senior prank.”
“I thought you were done with pranks.”
“Oh, don’t worry. This one has Creighton’s stamp of approval. She just doesn’t know what she signed off on yet.”
“What is it?”
“I can’t say. You’re a junior. I’m sworn to secrecy.”
“Right.” Every sentence I hear from him seems to feel like he’s pushing me away. The longer we draw this out, the more it’s going to hurt. “So how about after the dance? If you plan to not pay attention to me, maybe that can trigger it?”
“Brilliant. We’ll have a little fight, and I promise I’ll make you look good. Edelweiss, you were brilliant tonight with my dad. Thank you.”
“No problem.” He may be able to make me look good, but walking away from James is going to hurt more than he’ll ever know. And I’ll never let him know, because that wasn’t part of the deal.
“I’ll see you Monday, then? Dad just walked in the room.”
“No problem. Go enjoy your time together.”
“I’ll see you Monday morning.” He hangs up before I can say good night. My throat feels raw. Relax. This is part of the plan.
A second later my phone chimes with a text from Mom. Peter just texted your father. Sounds like you and James are really hitting things off. So happy you are really living life baby!
A sinking feeling presses into my chest as I read the text. I hate lying to her, and obviously she’s thrilled about us.
James is right. A breakup date is a good thing, a nice little reminder that I need to keep myself in check, because the longer I’m close to him, the more I believe the way he looks at me is real.