Finding Our Forever: (A Defining Moments Novel) (7 page)

“Sorry, I seriously love their food,” she covers her mouth as she talks because it’s still full. I find that I’ve been smiling and laughing a lot in her presence.

“Sort of, I guess. I spent a summer in the mountains helping out with a summer camp for underprivileged kids a few years ago. It was probably one of the most rewarding, but still fun, things I’ve ever done,” I babble and smile at the memories.

“Well, there you go. There’s a passion. Why not go to school to be a teacher, or a counselor. Then you could work with kids year-round.”

Why had I never really thought about this before? I mean, our dad had always pushed us to do things that were not “regular.” He wanted us to do great things, and to make great money. I don’t ever remember a time where we discussed what our passion was. It was, “Hey, lawyers make good money, and you’re smart. You should totally be a lawyer. They get all the hot chicks too.” And there you have it. My dad. I shake my head at the memory.

“What?”

“Sorry, was just thinking about something my dad used to tell us. Not important. Let’s change the subject, shall we. That all got too serious, too fast.” She nods with a smile.

“So, tell me about your family. I know you have a twin brother, and your mom is awesome. Tell me about the rest.” She once again brings that damn bottle to her lips. I close my eyes when she puts the end of it in her mouth, and I hear her laugh. “Focus, Eli. Your family.”

I shake my head. She keeps busting me creepily watching her drink from that damn beer bottle.

“Yeah, so you met Ben. He’s obviously my twin brother, and yes, we are identical twins. You’d be amazed how many people ask us if we’re identical. I’d think it’s pretty damn obvious, but I have to look at his ugly mug every day,” I reply. “He’s my best friend and the biggest pain in the ass in my life.” I stop long enough to take a few bites of my dinner before I continue. “We have a younger brother, Destry, who is almost eighteen and goes to Boise State right now. He’s transferring to UC next semester, so he’ll be home sometime this summer. Our parents are divorced. My dad has a girlfriend, and they have a baby, my half sister, Amelia, who is just a few weeks old. She’s a sweet pea. Dad’s girlfriend is young and really irritating, but we tolerate her. Mom is, well, Mom. She picked herself up and dusted herself off when my dad bailed on her, and now she has a great job she loves and just started dating her neighbor, Cord, who also just happens to be her boss. He owns the restaurant she works in, ‘Saint’.”

I look up from my plate and see the sympathy in Sara’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” she tells me gently. “I shouldn’t have asked such a personal question on our first date.”

I study her face for a moment and realize she thinks I’m upset. My hands are clenched around my fork and my breathing is a little heavier than normal. I relax my shoulders and shake my head.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s not a big deal. They’ve been divorced for almost a year, and my mom is happy now, ya know—other than the whole ‘getting hit by a car’ thing,” I joke, but I can tell she thinks she’s upset me. “Tell me about your family.”

She smiles and seems happy to move the subject away from my dysfunctional family.

“Well, let’s see. I come from a big Catholic family. My parents have been married for forty years, have six kids—three girls, three boys—and I’m the surprise at the end.” She stops long enough to take another drink of her beer. Isn’t that thing empty yet? “My dad is a lawyer, and because they wanted a big family immediately after they were married, my mom stayed home. All five of my other brothers and sisters are in their thirties, and all but one is married with kids. Most of them live within a hundred miles of me, except Bryson. He has wanderlust and travels constantly. He says he’ll settle down one day when he’s ready, but he loves to move around, so he does. He’s a wildlife photographer.”

“Wow. You sound as though you had a very drama-free childhood,” I comment with a smile. “Your family sounds amazing. What do your other brothers and sisters do?”

We continue to chat for what feels like minutes, but when I look at my phone to see what time it is, I realize it’s 10:00 p.m. and they’re cleaning up to close the restaurant. I’m surprised we got so lost in conversation that we didn’t notice the time.

“I guess we better get out of here before they lock us in.” She giggles. “I really had a good time tonight, Eli. I hope we can do this again sometime.”

And once again, she has surprised me. I don’t think this girl could be more perfect. I mentally make a checklist.

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