“Nathan, you’re early,” a deep but clear male voice called from the porch. She could make out the man’s sturdy footsteps as he moved down the porch and towards the car. She was fishing around in the trunk as she heard Nathan and his father hug each other.
“How you been?”
“Good,” Nathan replied warmth to his voice. “I want you to meet somebody…”
“Ah, yes I finally want to be able to put a face with this girl you keep talking about,” his father said in jest.
“Sam,” Nathan called.
She took a deep breath trying to calm the sudden anxiety she felt and realized she didn’t have the time to wallow in her sudden apprehension; they were both waiting for her. She moved around towards the side of the car where the two of them were standing. She moved quickly to stand by Nathan as she gave a small smile towards his father.
Instantly, she could see the relation between the two of them. His father wore the same type of familiar sunglasses except they were tinted red; they seemed to fit his face better then Nathan. The squares of their jaws were similar except his father’s seemed more pronounced and for some reason she knew the sharp lines of the man’s face were almost always impeccably smooth, no stubble in sight. A series of wrinkled lines were obvious just above the man’s glasses, along his brow as though he had a habit of frowning. Trimmed short hair styled in much the same fashion as Nathan’s looked equally soft but was dark grey mixed with brown. Even though his father was clearly much older they both had a similar build, she was surprised by the strength she could see in the older man’s body. Although, she noted he leaned on his left leg heavily and she wondered if there was a shuffle to his walk, wondered what wounds were hidden beneath the soft cotton of his dark royal blue shirt and beige slacks.
All of these things stuck out to her but it wasn’t the first thing she noticed, the first thing she noticed was how as soon as he had lain eyes on her his face tensed, his mouth gaping open as his skin turned pale. The lines wrinkled above his brow in what she could only assume was confusion and surprise, his scent was off the charts with emotions, that she couldn’t place what he was truly feeling. She suddenly felt very self-conscious.
“Dad,” Nathan spoke, smiling at her not really paying attention to his father’s reaction.
His father opened his mouth and all she heard was the beginning of a whisper. “Rog…”
And before she could make sense of it Nathan reached for her and turned to beam at his father. “Dad, this is Sam, Sam Spence.”
“Sam this is my dad…” his words trailed off as he suddenly realized his father’s disposition. “Dad are you alright?”
“Fine,” his father blurted out to quickly but she had to hand it to him he covered up whatever he was feeling very quickly in front of his son, giving them both sudden smiles. She felt like she wanted to be else where and it wasn’t because she didn’t believe the man’s smile, in fact it felt entirely to sincere, it was the feeling that she somehow knew what was going on behind his ruby glasses, that she was being watched thoroughly, being examined with his eyes.
“It’s nice to meet you Sam,” he spoke up reaching his hand out for hers.
She shook his hand and noticed his grip was much stronger then the average hand shake, he seemed to be holding on to her in an almost desperate fashion as though making sure she really was right in front of him. Suddenly, she felt so very confused.
“It’s nice to meet you to Mr. Summers, thank you for having us.”
His head quirked. “Call me Scott, please. Forgive me but Nathan never mentioned your accent, it sounds bit of a mixture if you ask me.”
“Well, I’m from the South,” she answered quietly but assuredly hoping to throw him off of any further questions.
“Ever been to upstate New York?”
She frowned wondering why. “Uh no, why do you ask?”
“Nothing,” he spoke his face fixated on hers, swiftly his smile grew wider and she could tell this time it was forced. She noticed the way the muscles in his arms twitched as though maybe when he had moved in to shake her hand he really had wanted to circle her in his arms. She knew that wouldn’t be too odd of a welcome when meeting his son’s girlfriend, but she wondered what had made him stop.
“Uh, R…I mean Sam why don’t you head on inside and get yourself comfortable and let us bring in all the stuff.”
She would have normally objected but she could tell something had thrown Nathan’s father off so suddenly and she had only known him for less then five minutes, it wasn’t hard to guess what it was or more to the point who it was, the hard question was why.
Shooting them both a tight smile she walked up towards the wooden porch and went through the door. From her spot by the front door she could see the small hallway that led off towards a kitchen and dining room and to her right an immediate sitting room. There were two sets of stairs that led upstairs and one downstairs. She didn’t feel like wandering through the house, instead she sat in the sitting room her gaze looking through the open window as she noted Nathan and his father in a heated conversation.
It really wasn’t her fault that their words drifted through towards her; it wasn’t like she could turn off her enhanced hearing. So she sat as nonchalantly as possible on the couch, turned her head away from the window and listened.
“Where’d you find her, Nathan?”
“Dad, I’ve already told you. I met her at the diner, Suzie and George hired her months ago.”
“So she’s only been in town for a couple of months?”
“Yes,” Nathan hissed. “What’s your problem, why are you suddenly grilling me about her?”
“Did she bump into you or you into?” Scott asked bypassing his son’s question.
“I literally ran into her at the diner.”
“She ever ask you anything about your family?”
“No,” Nathan sighed. “Dad what is this about?”
“She tell you anything about her?”
“Of course she has,” Nathan yelled.
“Like what?”
“That’s it,” Nathan started the anger evident in his tone. “I don’t understand it but tell me right now if were not welcome here because you aren’t going to badger her about her life alright, I promised her that…”
“What she got to hide?”
“Look, dad! She’s not some kind of government terrorist bent on coming and assassinating us, the war is over. That’s what you think isn’t it that she’s one of them! You need to stop being so paranoid.”
His father was silent as though that was exactly what he thought. “You don’t know how these things work like I do, the tricks they use.”
“THE WAR IS OVER!”
Silence stretched between them for a beat or two.
“Do I have your word that you won’t push her with questions?”
“Yes,” Scott answered.
“I don’t understand the sudden hostility, as though you don’t like her…”
“Actually,” his father’s voice got suddenly sharp. “I do like her and I already know I will….you….can’t understand…what…I mean….”
“Fine, whatever,” Nathan muttered not really hearing the pain and emotion in his father’s voice.
“Just tell me one thing.”
“What?”
“What powers does she have?” Scott asked.
Nathan sighed. “Skin absorption and healing with enhanced senses.” From the tone it was obvious he was now smiling. “Isn’t that such a kicker, healing and senses just like….”
“Yes,” his father interrupted. “Ironic.”
Silence stretched again between the two men as she heard them wrestle with the bags and then the slamming of the car trunk.
“So is Logan coming for dinner tonight?” Nathan asked.
They were close enough now that she could see them standing just outside the door. Nathan never heard his father’s whispered response but she did.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
She wondered what she had gotten herself into.