Free Three Girls And A Leading Man by Rachel Schurig

know you’ve been to Vegas
before,” I said, surprised he hadn’t mentioned it.
    “It was one of my dad’s favorite
vacations,” he said quietly. I had a bad feeling about his expression.
    “Is he…um, is he still around?” I
asked tentatively.
    “Naw,” Nate said, taking a gulp of
his water. “He died a few years ago. Heart attack.”
    “Nate, I’m really sorry to hear
that,” I said. I felt terrible. I should have just let the moment go.
    “I am, too,” he said, taking a deep
breath. “He loved coming out here. He had me and my sisters here from the time
we were kids. He would hit up the casinos while we hung out at the hotel. And
then at night he would take us around to all of his favorite restaurants. I
loved those vacations.”
    He seemed happy enough remembering
it, and I breathed a sigh of relief. When he looked sad like that I had an
overwhelming urge to wrap him up in a big hug. A thought that was way too
maternal—not a very Annie-like inclination.
    “What about you?” he asked, looking
up at me. “Are both of your parents still around?”
    Crap. I so did not want to talk
about this. There was a reason I liked to keep things light with the guys I
dated. But he had told me about his dad and it would be pretty rude not to
reciprocate.
    “Um, my parents split up when I was
younger,” I explained, trying to get it over with quickly. “My mom brought me
up. She’s still around; she lives pretty close to Jen and me. But I don’t see
my dad.”
    “Really?” he asked, sounding
surprised. “Like, not at all?”
    I shook my head, wishing he would
drop it. I hated talking about my dad. “Nope, haven’t seen him in years.”
    “I’m sorry, Annie,” he said, and I
hated the pity in his voice. I had to remind myself that what he had been
through was worse.
    “It’s not a big deal. Like I said,
it happened when I was little,” I replied. Where the hell was our waiter? If
this line of conversation continued, I was going to be desperate for a beer in
no time.
    “How’s your mom?” he asked. “You
guys pretty close?”
    I sighed, starting to feel
irritated. Why did people always feel the need to have these drawn-out
question- and-answer sessions?
    “We’re not very close,” I replied
flatly, hoping he would catch my tone. “We don’t have a lot in common and she
can’t believe that I could be happy without being married.”
    “My mom is like that, too,” Nate
said, laughing. His lightness surprised me. “She’s determined to marry me and
my sisters off. Probably because she feels bad for us, being fatherless and
all. Its like she’s desperate for us to have families of our own.”
    I smiled in spite of myself. “That
sounds just like my mom,” I said. “It’s annoying, but what can you do?”
    The waiter finally returned to take
our dinner orders. I decided on the lobster ravioli while Nate asked for a
steak. I also made sure to order a large beer.
    “So,” Nate said. “You clearly want
to change the subject.”
    I had to laugh. He had a knack for
reading my mood, that was for sure. “Why don’t you tell me about your friends?
You guys seem pretty close.”
    My mood brightened considerably
after that. I could talk about Ginny and Jen all day. By the time the server
returned with our food, we were laughing and I was having fun again.
    “How do you feel about cheesecake?”
Nate asked once my plate was cleared. Like the very ladylike girl that I was, I
had eaten every single bite of my delicious lobster ravioli.
    “I adore cheesecake,” I said. “My
friend Jen actually makes the best cheesecake in the world.”
    Nate shook his head seriously.
“I’ve never had Jen’s cheesecake, but I think I need to challenge it. The chef
here is the cheesecake master. It’s so good you might cry.”
    “Okay,” I said, grinning at him.
“Bring it on.”

 
    ***
    After dinner, Nate suggested we
find a bar to relax in. “Unless you’re in the mood for dancing?” he