Blizzard Ch 03

I felt out of place sitting in Alex's father's BMW. I had grown up with mom driving used Hondas and dad rebuilding a Ford truck long after he should have replaced it. I tried to look noncriminal as I pulled the seatbelt across my well-worn sports coat. I was wearing jeans, for Christ's sake.

"Gene, this is my dad. Call him Peter," she said over the click of her seatbelt.

Peter was a tall man; the gray in his hair was in the right spots over his ears and not peppered everywhere like my own. Hell, if I grew a beard like his, I'd have an off-center skunk on my face. He was wearing a suit, dark brown with a black shirt and tie. I did everything I could in my life never to wear a tie. His glasses looked like they cost more than my wardrobe.

"Yes," he agreed without enthusiasm. I had the feeling he would've rather started at the power differential where he was calling me Gene and I was calling him Mr Alexa's-Last-Name. I decided to withhold that lack of knowledge on my part. "Call me Peter."

"You're going to love this restaurant, Gene," Alex bubbled. "They have this creamy chicken pasta thing that'll ruin me for meal hall food until the end of the semester!"

"Thank you for inviting me." I stayed positive.

"Yes, thank you for calling, Alex." Her father frowned.

"Oh, I wasn't going to wait on this!" she beamed. "Thanks for coming into town so quick, Daddy."

"Anything for my princess." Those four words were directed at me. I respected that. "Gene, why don't you tell--"

"It is so good to not be served on a cafeteria line like an inmate!" Alex interrupted. It set her father's teeth on edge. He was more than curious to discover who I was and how shallow a grave he'd need at the ready. I may have been overestimating his first impression of me. It wasn't good. I was more than a little embarrassed to have had Alex over at my apartment at all, let alone having her father get a good look at the kind of life I had been providing myself. The good news was, this was a passing crush, a little misunderstanding. It'd be gone as swiftly as the half-hearted snow flurry that melted as soon as the snowflakes hit the asphalt.

"That's terrible, Alex," her dad nodded. "You'd think if you'd met the right guy, he'd at least

pretend

to be able to take you out."

I tried not to melt down into the seat. I could've afforded to take her out. But I wasn't the right guy.

"There's all the time in the world for that," Alex brushed off her dad. "That reminds me, dad, I need to introduce you to Sam. She's Max's roommate. With Gene now, it's like I've found all the important people in my life!"

I grimaced. Her father caught that. His eyebrow millimetered up and his jaw set in thought.

"I'm sure I will, Max's already bugging me for summer work at the firm as it is," he agreed. "We're here. Do you think we'll get a word in edgewise once we sit down to eat, Gene?"

"I respectfully refrain from commenting negatively on your daughter's ability to command a conversation," I said with a smile. He parallel-parked before he looked at me.

"I can respect that."He got out. I noticed Alex sliding across the back bench so she'd be by the door I was getting out of. She didn't reach for the handle. I put on my best smile, stepped out onto the curb, and opened the lady's door. She made a show of taking my hand before stepping out into the mild winter's night.

Alex looked radiant. Her genuine glee lit up her smile that lit up the night. I'd never felt so attractive as under the gaze of those gleaming green eyes. I smiled back. She was wrapped up warm in her toque and parka but her legs were unprotected in no more than dark pantyhose.

"Let's get her inside before she becomes a popsicle," suggested Peter. I nodded. She wanted to take my arm but I led her with a push to the small of her back. It was one thing to enjoy the attention; it would be dishonest to promote it.

The Sapphire was way out of my price range. Everything was impenetrable black or crystalline blue. We stopped at the bar as a hostess discreetly walked over to us. I lit up.

"Hi," I said. I didn't know Alex's last name and I didn't know our hostess's first. It wasn't the kind of joint where a nametag on her breast would've made sense. "It's good to see you."

"Hi," she beamed back. "We have your table waiting, Mr McArthur."

Alex had gone into full attack-dog mode the moment I had responded to the hostess. I felt terrible. The hostess maintained her perfect customer service smile as we were led to a large private booth deep in the restaurant.

This girl, she was the one I had saved nights before I had met Alex, Max, and Sam. I still had her boots. There had been half a foot of snow when she had left; I didn't understand how that act of forgetfulness could have occured.

"You know the waitress?" Peter asked me, as he took his daughter's hand and led her into the semicircular bench. I, on the other side, was going to flank Alex in the back of the booth. I couldn't imagine anyone else being comfortable in the middle.

"Yeah, just met her recently,"I admitted, without going into detail. Peter didn't press. Alex appeared curious, but wasn't certain if she'd rather just change the topic. Our waitress returned with our menus.

"We should get a bottle of wine," Alex perked up. Her father looked at her. "I

am

old enough."

"I'll have to ask for ID," our waitress said. Alex made a mad dash through her purse for her wallet and card. "Oh, a young one indeed. A week-old belated happy birthday!"

"Thank you." Alex turned with a big smile to her father. "Daddy?"

"I'm driving. Perhaps Gene's the one you should be buttering up?" He gave her a look. I tried not to blanch. I'd wager my ludicrous guess of the price of dinner was still lowballed. "To relax our young man, it's going to be all on my bill."

"It doesn't seem to relax him that much," our waitress grinned. I nodded.

"I must admit, I've never been a wine drinker." I picked my words slowly. "I wouldn't know where to start."

"Luckily, I know a wonderful sommelier." Our waitress bowed proudly. "My name is Faye. Would you like something as an appetizer, or something to complement your coming meal?"

I looked to Alex, and realized she would be happy with whichever option I picked. I looked to Peter, and chose the more conservative "something to complement dinner."

"Excellent,"she smiled. "I'll give you a moment."

"She's pretty," condemned Alex once Faye had walked away. I decided the truth was important.

"Yes, she is." Alex briefly looked scandalized. Peter was looking at me with something not unlike respect. "You recommended the chicken pasta, Alex?"

"Oh yes!" She spun the menu around and opened it to the third page. A simple 55 was down in the corner. I tried not to react.

"If you're more of a meat and potatoes kind of guy," Peter suggested with sympathy more than arrogance, "you'll find the steak here excellent."

"Thank you," I nodded. "I am in fact more of a meat and potatoes guy. I think I'll try expanding my palate."

"Dad just orders the same three dishes everywhere we go." Alex told me conspiratorially. "If they don't have steak, it's fish and chips, and if not it's sweet and sour chicken balls with chicken fried rice."

"Yes, knowing what you want is an important step in getting what you want." He nodded. As soon as we had seemed to know what we wanted, Faye had returned.

"Oh, excellent, I have just the perfect white to pair with that," she said brightly. Peter did order his steak. Faye headed off, and Alex's hand ran over my thigh. I picked off her fingers and she looked up at me with adoring eyes.

"I'm going to freshen up before supper," she told me. It took me a moment before I realized I had to move. She looked at her father as she rose. Her beautiful red dress clung to her figure and showed off everything. I kept my eyes above her neckline. "Don't scare him too bad, Dad."

I dismissed her worries. "It's his job to make sure you're getting the best." She set off to the washroom. I sat back down. Peter put down his glass of $18 ice water. I sat up straight. He had been waiting for this moment.

"Gene, what is it you do?" he asked first. Good, I approved of starting at the clear answers.

"I'm a draftsman. I work for a small engineering consulting firm," I answered.

"I own a

large

engineering consulting firm," he countered. "Why drafting?"

"I started in pre-med at Acadia, actually." I looked back. "Out of sheer arrogance. I graduated high school with straight A's and no work ethic. It was all peacocking. By the end of third year, I had bounced around from pre-med, to engineering, to physics, to computer science. I wasn't motivated in any of those disciplines, and flunked out."

"No, I can't imagine an unmotivated doctor getting through residency or an unmotivated engineer getting his pEng," he replied. "Still, you flunked out."

"Yes, I did," I nodded. "I was forced to take a semester off before I could sign up for any courses. I worked at Wendy's. It didn't take those four months to know I needed to do something. I took another semester away from classes, picking through programs and looking at trade school without the blustered arrogant eyes of some high school kid who knows everything and has no life experience.

"I took drafting during my time in engineering. I liked the structure, the action, and the creativity. I figured once I had the base, maybe I'd find the degree or career path I could build off of. That part of my plan never worked out. I've been doing this for almost ten years now."

"I was an arrogant prick myself, out of high school." He looked up as Faye arrived with our bottle and wineglasses. "My solution was to teach myself the work ethic."

"On that front, I'm not sure if I'm a bad teacher or worse student," I admitted. I picked up the small splash of wine in my offered glass and tasted it. I would've preferred something less sweet. "It's lovely. Thank you, Faye."

"I'm sure your girl will be happy you approve." She smiled. She looked like she was going to make another comment but she stayed quiet and filled Alex's and my glasses. "I'll be back with your meal in a short while."

Yes, thank you," Peter said dismissively. She had left the bottle in the center of the table. I held my glass by its base and was swirling it absently. I decided to hold off until Alex returned before I had more to drink.

"And how did you meet my daughter?"

His

daughter. The possessive was clear.

"Last night--" I tried to start. He looked far more than surprised.

"Last night?! From how Alex was talking, I assumed she'd been hiding you from her mother and me -- that maybe she'd been less than truthful over Christmas when she said she didn't have a boyfriend! Last night..."

"Yes, last night, when the weather had picked up. She and Max and Sam -- the Sam she mentioned earlier? -- were headed to the LC across the street from my place." I made the effort to ignore the recalculations going on in Peter's brain. "Sam hit a patch of ice and slipped. She could have twisted or broken her ankle. We were right outside my apartment, so I offered to get them out of the cold while they waited for an ambulance."

"She never mentioned an ambulance."

"They never called one. Once I had Sam sitting down with her ankle iced up, the four of us hung out. The weather got a little worse, so we played cards and talked as the power went out and came back," I explained. "They found a bottle of rum and they got a little competitive. I think your daughter developed a bit of a crush. I walked the three of them home this morning, and they were still playing off of each other. It was flattering, but Alex's too young for me."

"Really?" Peter asked. "Hey, sweetheart."

I looked up to see Alex sashaying over. She looked bright, cheery and joyful. I felt bad about talking behind her back, and found myself afraid that she had heard me. I don't know why. I wanted to tell her she was too young for me.

"My ears are burning," she singsonged. I stood up and helped her into the booth.

"We were talking about Gene, in fact," Peter explained. "He's a gentleman. We're seeing eye to eye."

"That's not good." Alex frowned.

"Oh?" I asked as I sat down. She inched next to me and picked up her glass.

"You can at least be a

bit

of a bad boy, right?" She gestured for me to clink glasses with her.

"I have no practice. I've only ever been the good guy," I countered, but I lifted my glass. We took our first sips. It was still a bit sweeter than I'd have liked but Alex was in love with it. I kept my opinion to myself.

"You didn't tell me that Gene was a hero," Peter prodded his daughter. "Saving girls off the street."

"Oh, right!" Alex said, and put down her glass. "We took Sam to outpatients. Her foot's fine."

"That's good to know," I agreed. Faye arrived and set down our plates.

"Thank you," I said, swirling my wineglass a little. "She loved your recommendation."

"I'm known for making the best choices." She smiled at me. Alex made a show of giving Faye a thankful smile in return. Peter was examining how I was reacting.

"Let's table our discussion for now," he decided. "I expect you to talk things over with Alex soon, but for tonight, enjoy the food."

"Thank you," I said again. I promised myself that if she kept this up for more than a few days, I'd put her down with a hard talk. I knew a decent coffee shop that was good for privacy. I also felt like I should take her out somewhere. To feel more like a man and not a boy.

"Tell me about your family, Gene," Peter cut into his steak. "Big family? Only child?"

"Yes! Tell us everything..." Alex focused in on me and tried to add a powerful hypnotic quality to her voice. I smiled. My fork scraped my empty plate before I saw that I had devoured my meal. That was incredible -- and way too small! Two things were for certain: Alex knew good food and rich people were stomach teases.

Peter and Alex ate as if they didn't worry older brothers would steal their food. It was a long meal and the snow had stopped while we had been dining. I looked around, hoping to say goodbye to Faye, but it was a different tall redhead who returned Peter's Mastercard before we left. I had needed to drink the bulk of the wine, otherwise Alex would have gone through it like candy. I was feeling heady and happy.

"It was nice meeting you, Gene," Peter said as his BMW came to a stop before my apartment. "I had honestly assumed it wouldn't be."

"Dad!" Alex hopped forward and put her hand on my elbow in my defense. I smiled.

"I can't imagine it would be. If I had a daughter like Alex, I'd have impossibly high standards as well." Her fingers squeezed on my arm as a thank-you for the compliment.

"I'll admit, I'm not envious of your position right now," he agreed. "Alex, if you're going to say good night, do it quick, then I'm driving you back to your dorm."

"You don't have to do that, Dad. We're already here at Gene's. I know you're not happy with the idea that--"

"A quick goodbye and then let your Dad take you home, Alex," I interrupted as Peter's jaw turned to stone. I stepped outside and Alex vaulted out of the car to hug me around the middle and squeeze my insides out. I put a hand on her head, hugged her, and then crowbarred her arms off of me.

"Good night, Alex," I said.

"Good night, Gene," she sniffled. I tried not to sigh but I was relieved to have her body off of mine. Her desire to stay was more than a little alluring. I helped her into the front seat and took a deep breath after I had closed the door for her. She waved hard as her dad pulled out into the night.

"What the hell?" I asked the universe. I climbed up my step and rattled my doorknob. Shit! I patted my jeans for my keys. Of course I fucking forgot-- How the hell did I lock my door if I didn't have my keys? It was a goddamned deadbolt! I rattled the handle as I tried to catch my brain up to the predicament.

Click!

Startled, I stepped back. The door swung inward. Maxine was standing there. I flattened my gaze. She was wearing pajamas and a housecoat. She even wore warm-looking slippers.

"Oh hey! Welcome home!" She held up my keys and tossed them to me. "You really shouldn't forget these."

"Max..." I said slowly, but she had zipped back inside and up my stairs. I took a deep breath and walked in. I shut the door harder than I had intended. Her clean sneakers were positioned neatly on my dying-to-be-vacuumed stairs. I kicked off my dress shoes.

She was sitting lotus-style on my bed. Huge chemistry textbooks were open, and her laptop hummed at her knee. She had coiled notebooks covered in equations and diagrams. She looked up.

"Sam was bugging me, and I needed somewhere quiet to get my assignments done." She bit her lip. "What's your wi-fi password? I can't keep accessing everything on my phone while I work."

I didn't know how to handle this. I rattled off the password, sat down in my chair, turned on my television, and picked up my XBox controller.

"Do you always do your homework on Saturday nights?" I finally asked two and a half hours later.

"Not at all -- normally I can't ditch Sam, and get caught up in her shit. This is my vacation." She bent backwards and cracked her shoulders and spine. "Do you want me to join you? What are you playing?"

"Do your homework," I said tersely. I immediately wanted to apologize but she seemed to take my instruction happily. I started to worry that the explosions and gunfire were disrupting her studies. I couldn't keep telling myself that this was my home, it was my prerogative to play what I wanted, to turn up the volume to whatever level I wanted. I shut down the game. I tossed the controller on the coffee table.

Max caught me looking at her a few minutes later.

"Don't let me keep you up. I'm ready for bed whenever you want," she smiled. I didn't. She went back to work. Her winter clothes were in my closet. She had an overnight bag sitting on my computer chair. I got up. I stared at her toothbrush on my sink as I took a leak. I decided. I was going to walk out there. I was going to get her dressed. I was going to walk her home.

I was tired. I was emotionally spent. I didn't want to go wandering out into the cold. I didn't want to wrangle Max into her street clothes. I knew I wasn't going to burn out and do something I'd regret. Yeah, I was a gentleman. It was fine.

I didn't say one word. I picked up her textbooks and stacked them on the edge of the coffee table. She smiled, and saved whatever she was typing up. My bed was clear of debris as quickly as could be. She was already in her pajamas.

"Fine,"I sighed. "We'll settle this in the morning. I just hope I snore."