Crossing Paths (2 page)

My father is a family practice physician, and he shares a clinic with two other doctors. He has worked in the same environment since before I was born. I remember sitting in an examination room with my siblings, playing with tongue depressors and trying to stick otoscope cones in each other’s ears, while we waited for my father to finish with his last patient. It’s a wonder none of us went into the medical profession.

My mother finished a degree in art, but she’s never chosen to make money with those skills. After she married my father, they decided that they wanted to have kids right away. During our younger years, being a constant in our day-to-day lives was the most important priority to her. At this stage in her life, I think she’s too accustomed to her independence to show up at an office and answer to a boss every day.

My parents loved us without respite throughout our childhoods. Of my two parents, our father was always the disciplinarian. He sat us in time-out, gave us a talking-to if needed, and spanked us when the offense was great enough. As a free spirit, our mother, on the other hand, gave us a creative outlet to cure us of our ornery attitudes. On weekends, we’d often lie in the grass with her, announcing the shapes of clouds, before we took nature walks to find rare plants.

Overall, I would say my home life was quite enjoyable.

My parents never sit on opposite ends of the table, like seen in movies when a couple gives loving glances or stern stares down the large expanse between them. My father seats himself at the head of the table with my mother on his right side. During my younger years, I distinctly remember them playing footsie under the table, like we didn’t know what they were up to. Although their worship of one another was quite obnoxious at the time, it’s now something I covet.

Sitting across from my mom is Addison, who has claimed the perfect child title. It really isn’t fair since she was born first. Liam and I never really had a chance. Her hair, the color and shine similar to dark chocolate, is always in place, whisked away from her face with a sparkling pin or a quick braid. Her clothing speaks to her taste for designer brands and all the latest fashions. She married her high school sweetheart, Noah. He makes more money than all of us combined, and he’s currently earning his paycheck overseas on business.

Although it might seem like I don’t like Noah, I really do. He’s a good match for Addison. Without him, she might have had to get a job and work for a living.
Heaven forbid.

My brother, Liam, retreats from his seat next to our mother to get a cold bottle of water from the fridge. He’s the consummate bachelor. All through our high school years, he would string girls along with his charm and good looks. I couldn’t blame them though. My brother, as Caroline noted, is a handsome guy, and he can talk his way through any situation and come out on top, making a deadly combination for stupid girls.

Late one afternoon during his junior year, a girl came over without calling first. Like most girls, she thought she was in a committed relationship with Liam, so she was one hundred percent confused when she walked into the backyard and found him making out with one of her close friends. The next day, she told the whole school that he was a man whore. Even with that kind of reputation, the girls still lined up to ask him to the Sadie Hawkins dance the next month. Something about my brother makes him irresistible to the naïve ones.

Of course, there is the other side of my brother—the role of my protector. Although I appreciate the gesture, he single-handedly kept me from dating until he finally left for college, and even then, he would run off all my boyfriends when he came home during holiday breaks.

And then, there is me—sweet little June as my mother so affectionately calls me. I sit and quietly listen as usual, taking in all the latest information about my siblings’ lives. Today, I have Caroline to lean on—at least in theory. I glance over at her, and she is still staring at my brother, like he’s some kind of rare art exhibit. When I kick her under the table, she winces and looks to me as I emphatically mouth,
No!

“Caroline, I hope you’re enjoying the pot roast. It is one of June’s favorites.”

“Thanks, Mrs. D. A home-cooked meal is something I would never pass up. I don’t even get that when I’m home in Seattle.” Caroline smiles with a polite grin.

My mother turns her attention to me and gives me her take-no-prisoners smile.
Here we go.

“Maybe you can find new
friends
at work to spend some time with once you get settled in, dear.”

To sum up the remaining details of the conversation, my mother takes the time out of her busy schedule to relentlessly harass my brother and me about our dating lives.

I dated a few guys in college, and although some of them were nice, none of them made the grade. My brother and I should blame our parents for our track records of indecisive dating. If they didn’t have a seemingly perfect marriage, we wouldn’t have set such a high bar for members of the opposite sex.

Liam shares my general disdain for this topic, so he quickly changes the subject. “So, Caroline, how do you like your new job at the design company?”

“So far, so good. I’m mostly familiarizing myself with everything right now, but I’m sure things will pick up in the coming weeks.”

“You and June aren’t far from where I work. Maybe we could all grab lunch one day this week?”

Oh no, you don’t, brother of mine.
“Don’t you have a lot of lunch meetings, Liam? I’m sure taking time for lunch with us would put a big kink in your day.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Liam glares at me.

Caroline giggles.

I get up from the table. “Is everyone ready for cake?”

Sunday

Finally, a clear view of something other than my family at the dinner table.
My sisters have had friends over for dinner in the past, but if their friends had looked like Caroline, I would have invited them over again myself. June has talked about her best friend Caroline before, but I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting her. If I had known how hot she was, I would have driven my ass out to the East Coast while they were in college.

During dinner, I tried to start a conversation with Caroline several times, but June was bent on intercepting my attempts. I can understand June’s hesitation since she’s well acquainted with my previous dating history, but she could give it a rest. Some days, I feel like my entire family still considers me an aimless bachelor with no intentions of settling down. I’m an electrical engineer in the airline industry, for heaven’s sake. It’s not like I’m still working at the pizza place down the street. Maybe I still have a carefree attitude, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not interested in a serious relationship.

At least June and I still have each other’s backs when it comes to Mom’s incessant need to discuss our opportunities to make new
friends
. A long time ago, the two of us made a deal to help each other avoid this topic. If Mom brings it up with one of us, the other sibling has a duty to change the subject. This is a serious pact. I would have sealed the deal with blood, but June is a little squeamish around bodily fluids.

Keeping in mind my mom’s keen eye for matchmaking, I try to play it cool around Caroline. “You’ll love my mom’s chocolate cake, Caroline. It’s a special family recipe.”

“Mmm…anything chocolate is good in my book,” she says, smiling at me.

Seriously, if she says “mmm” like that again, I might have to give June something to be pissed about. While many girls have smiled at me over the years, I don’t know that any of them have done it while holding their eyes closed and humming with pleasure—at least not in front of my parents. I know she’s humming about the cake, but I bet I could give her something more to hum about.

I can’t take my eyes off of her as she gives me another small smile while putting her chin into her palm with her elbow resting on the table. Something about her grin keeps my eyes locked in place. It’s bright and draws me in.
Not too big. Not too small. Just right.
I sound like I’m quoting the three bears or some nursery rhyme.
What the hell is wrong with me?

At that moment, June walks back in, places the cake in front of me, and hands me a knife. “Would you like to cut the cake, brother?” she asks, attempting to guide my attention away from her friend.

“Why not?” I give June the most counterfeit smile I can offer.

She rolls her eyes and takes her seat, blocking my direct view of Caroline.
Damn it.

“So, Liam…” Addison begins.

The signature high pitch in her voice tells me she’s about to ask for something.

“How is your job going?”

“The job is great. What do you want?”

“Liam, be kind to your sister.” My mom slaps my hand, the very hand sliding a piece of chocolate cake toward her.

Isn’t there some kind of saying about that? Something like…don’t slap the hand that passes you cake.

I glance back at Addison, and without a doubt, I know I’m right in my assumption. Her grin oozes sisterly love even though I know she could do without me on any given day. Ever since she found out about my flight perks and general travel discounts, she’s been trying to plan a trip for her and several of her girlfriends.

“Spill it, Addison,” I say, wanting this conversation to be over five minutes ago.

“If I was planning a trip to, say, Australia, would you be able to get a great deal on a ticket?”

“If you mean free, then no, I can’t help you there. If you mean, watch for sales, then I can shoot you an email when something comes up, but you’d probably be better off calling a travel agent.”

“Are you serious? You can’t do anything for Noah and me?”

I don’t know how Noah deals with her constant whining. It’s grating on my nerves already.

“Yes, I’m serious. I’ve told you before that I can only get major discounts within the continental U.S. And if you really want to know how I feel, I think you and Noah can afford your own vacations.”

“That’s enough,” my dad states with a stern tone.

“Thank you, Daddy,” Addison says, batting her eyelashes in his direction.

Was she adopted or just dropped when she was a baby?
She can’t seriously think he is on her side. We all drop the conversation and move on to eat our cake. I catch a few more glimpses of Caroline’s smile as she talks to June about their new apartment and the excitement this week will bring.

After everyone is finished with their cake, I stand and start collecting plates. Mom tilts her head in confusion as I walk backward through the swinging door to the kitchen. I place the plates in the sink and look out the window into our backyard. Actually, I’m looking into everyone’s backyard. My parents’ neighborhood has wrought iron fencing, which I have always found annoying. I watch as a little boy and his dad are playing catch at the house directly behind us. Just a few houses down, two little girls are running in circles, trying to catch one another. Their parents are sitting in lawn chairs with smiles on their faces. I never thought I would say this, but I feel a little bit jealous.

“Can I help?” Caroline asks from behind me.

“Oh, hey. Sure. Grab a towel, and you can dry.”

We stand at the sink in silence as I wash the dishes and hand them over to be dried. She doesn’t make much eye contact with me. I notice the way she presses her cheek against her shoulder, like she’s nervous about something, and it’s cute as hell. I’m about to ask her what she’s so nervous about when the swinging door opens. June falls into the kitchen, tripping over her own feet, before she steadies herself against the refrigerator.
Thank God I didn’t get the clumsy gene.

“Caroline, you don’t have to do that,” June says.

Caroline places the dish towel on the counter. “Just trying to help.”

“You ready to go?”

“If you are,” Caroline says, glancing my way out of the corner of her eye.

As June walks back into the dining room, I begin drying my hands. Caroline looks up at me, still seemingly nervous.

“Nice to meet you,” I say.

“You, too.”

When she leaves, the kitchen feels empty. I want to follow after her, but I’m not sure why. I finish the dishes alone and say good-bye to my parents.