Page 41 of Fake It For Love (Faux Love)
“I think you would make a good dad,” she said.
“How do you know?” I asked. I was half-joking, but I wanted to know her opinion.
“Because I deal with parents every day,” she said. “I’ve developed a pretty good knack for determining what kind of parent I’m dealing with. There’s the helicopter parents, which really aren’t so bad, but they can be annoying for the kids. Fourth graders are trying to find out who they are and having a parent constantly telling you what to eat and what to wear is hard for some of them. Then there are the parents that I never meet because they are too busy or just don’t care. In Geneva, we don’t run into a lot of the really bad parents, but there are a few.”
“I’m afraid to ask what category I fall into,” I said.
“You’re the kind of parent that gives their kid just enough room to explore but you would be ready to pull them back if needed,” she said. “I like those parents the most. I love to watch their children blossom.”
“Eliza says I’ll have feral children.”
She burst into laughter. “Why would she think that?”
I shrugged. “She says I don’t set boundaries and let them do whatever they want. I told her I let her kids do whatever they want. Not my own.”
“Spoken like a true uncle,” she said.
The conversation fell into a lull. Our dinners were served, which gave us a nice distraction. “Where did you end up going to school?” I asked her.
“Up north,” she answered. It was vague, which was on purpose. She didn’t trust me. I supposed that was understandable.
“How long have you been teaching?”
“Ten years,” she answered. “Lucky for me, there aren’t a lot of people wiling to be teachers these days. I wanted to teach younger grades. I could probably get paid more if I taught in one of the high schools, but I’m not brave enough.”
“What do you mean?”
She gave me a dry look. “Do you remember what we were like in high school?”
“I was an angel,” I said.
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, then remember Tony and his crew.”
I grimaced. “I get it. No way. I would never want to be the person responsible for trying to rein in that crew.”
“Speaking of Tony,” she said.
I knew where this conversation was going. “I’m sorry about that.”
“Don’t apologize,” she said. “I’m the one who’s sorry. Tony isn’t a bad guy. When he’s sober and not around his crew, he’s a pretty decent dude.”
“I’ll take your word for it. Thanks for trying to diffuse the situation.”
“I should have diffused it earlier,” she said. “I was really hoping he would just go away. I should have known he wouldn’t. That’s not the way Tony is.”
“I’m sorry for putting you on the spot like that,” I said. “I really didn’t want to get into a fight, and I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what he was spoiling to do.”
“I agree,” she said. “That’s the last thing Norah needs right now.”
“You guys are still close?” I asked.
“We are,” she said. “She’s my ride or die. At least she was. I think that has to change now that she’s getting married. I’m her maid of honor. I feel like I’m giving away my best friend.”
“Do you get along with Tony?” I asked.
She shrugged again. “Yes. It’s not like we spend a lot of time together. They live in the city and I live in Geneva. They have their life and I have mine. We try and get together for dinner or whatever, but life is crazy.”
“They all warned us.”
