Free Family Ties by Nina Perez Page A

to be held in those arms.
     
    It had been a few weeks since our misunderstanding over the phone call and we still hadn’t discussed what had happened after: Patrick and I almost kissed in the kitchen. At least, that’s what I think happened. The moment his hand had touched my face, goose bumps appeared along my arms. It wasn’t just the glasses of wine that had me weak in the knees. Placing my hands on Patrick’s chest was instinctive, a way to steady myself. Instead, I’d felt even more lightheaded as his heartbeat hammered against my hand. He leaned closer and, before I could stop myself, I was raising up on the tips of my toes to meet him halfway.
     
    The kiss never came. Patrick took a step back, mumbled something about changing his shirt and calling it a night, and left me standing in the kitchen feeling flustered and embarrassed.
     
     “Chloe?”
     
    “Huh?”
     
    Myra and Patrick were looking at me oddly. I’d obviously missed something.
     
    “I said you missed a really good class tonight. Ling is a much better instructor than the guy who was teaching it last week.”
     
    “What class?” Myra asked.
     
    I answered, “Patrick has me taking a yoga class twice a week.”
     
    Myra made a face.  “Yoga?  I didn’t know you were interested in that.”
     
    “I didn’t either, but I mentioned to Patrick that I haven’t had a real workout routine since college and I really missed it, especially lately when I’ve been so stressed out.”
     
    Patrick cut in, “So I asked her what she would think if I could introduce her to something that would relax her mind and body as well keep her in shape.”
     
    I said, “And I was like, yes please!”
     
    Patrick and I laughed.
     
    “That’s funny,” Myra said, though she didn’t look amused.
     
    “Anyway, it was fun. You weren’t there but Taye Diggs was,” Patrick said as he walked out of the living room.
     
    “You’re lying,” I called after him.
     
    “I’m not,” he called back.
     
    “Come on girl, let’s eat,” Myra said.
     
    Myra and I were settling in at the dining table, preparing to eat, when Patrick came out of the bathroom looking freshly showered and very handsome in a pair of dark blue jeans and a gray pullover.
     
    “Patrick, why don’t you join us?  There’s another steak on the stove and there’s plenty of salad here.”  I gestured towards the green salad sitting at the center of the table.
     
    “I don’t want to intrude.”
     
    “Don’t be silly.  You don’t mind do you, Myra?”
     
    Myra just shook her head. 
     
    “Besides”, I continued, “I owe you one.  You made that delicious spaghetti the other night.”
     
    “You’re right,” he said, taking a seat at the table. “I meant that you owe me. Not sure how delicious the spaghetti was.”
     
    “No, both are true.”
     
    He winked at me and I blushed. To keep from fanning myself with a napkin I put a generous helping of salad on a plate and handed it to Myra. I think I caught the tail end of an eye roll when she took the dish.
     
    We ate in silence for a few moments before I decided to break the ice with my big news at work.
     
    “Congratulations! This is what you’ve been waiting for, right?” Patrick asked.
     
    “Hopefully it is.  Not only do I think Kelly Kennedy would be perfect for the campaign, but I have a ton of ideas on how we can utilize sites like YouTube and Pinterest for very low cost.”
     
    Myra poured another glass of wine and said, “Well, just be careful.  You know how they are.”
     
    I closed my eyes briefly and prayed that Myra would not go on one of her rants in front of Patrick. I wanted to enjoy my good news without drama.
     
    “They?” Patrick asked.
     
    “People at work.” I answered quickly. I didn’t want Myra to get specific.
     
    Myra turned from Patrick to look at me, squinting her eyes. “Yeah, they are not all trustworthy.  Be careful that you don’t find your ideas being used with