rugged-looking face with lively eyes that focused on you and made you feel important. You had to look at him a couple of times before you realized that he was good-looking in his own unassuming way.
âSo, Simon,â Aunt Julia said when everyone was seated i n the living room, âKate tells me your family owns two restaurants.â
Ah, good old Aunt Julia , Kate thought. Nothing like getting straight to the point .
âYes, maâam,â Simon answered shyly, as if afraid to boast. âWe had one for a long time and then last year we started a second one over by the airport.â
âThatâs wonderful.â Aunt Julia beamed, casting a meaningful glance at Kate.
âI should check on dinner,â Kate said.
âThe pot roast is all set,â said Aunt Julia.
âIâm going to make the salad.â
âIâll make it,â Mary said as she stepped into the living room. âHi, Simon.â She waved.
âHey, Mary!â Simon waved back. Kate shot Mary a look, but Mary either didnât catch the hidden meaning or decided to ignore it.
Simon was usually nervous whenever he came over, which Kate had always attributed to the dignified presence of her father. Now he was sitting on the sofa next to Aunt Julia and was still visibly jittery.
âMaybe I should check on Mother,â Kate suggested.
âSheâs all right. You should stay here with your young man.â Aunt Julia smiled at Simon.
âSimonâs been here many times before. He feels at home,â Kate said.
âIâm okay,â said Simon, trying to defuse the tension. âIâve been here many times before.â He gave Kate a quick smile, as if apologizing for repeating what she had said. She decided she should stay in the room. There was no telling what Aunt Julia might say next.
âHow long have you been engaged?â Aunt Julia asked.
âAunt Julia!â Kate exclaimed. âWeâre not engaged!â
âOh, Iâm sorry, I thought you were,â Aunt Julia said coyly. Kate could see her stratagem. She was planting seeds in Simonâs mind, letting him know that she would approve of an engagement, as if it were up to her to approve.
Simon was blushing proudly. He seemed glad that their relationship had been mistaken for an engagement.
âIf youâre not engaged, then what are you?â Aunt Julia was looking at Simon, waiting for him to answer.
âAunt Julia, youâre embarrassing Simon,â Kate said.
âNo, no. Iâm not embarrassed. Itâs just that, I donât know, I guess maybe we can say that weâre pre-engaged,â he said.
âOh,â Aunt Julia said. It was clear that pre-engaged did not mean anything to her.
Kate glared at Simon.
âSo when are you ââ Aunt Julia started to ask, but Kate cut her off.
âLetâs go have supper.â She stood up and waited for the others to follow. Aunt Julia ignored her.
âWhat do you plan to do after graduation?â
âAunt Julia, donât interrogate Simon so much,â Kate tried to joke. She sat back down again.
âIâm not interrogating him. Iâm curious, thatâs all. Since h eâs pre-engaged to you, I should know. Iâm the only relative youâve got.â
âThatâs all right,â Simon said to Kate. He turned back to Aunt Julia. âI plan to manage one of my fatherâs restaurants, the one by the airport. Iâll work with him for a few months so he can show me the ropes, and then heâll turn the whole restaurant over to me. He and my mother have been running a restaurant for twenty-five years. They want to retire. My brother, Raul, will manage the other restaurant as soon as he graduates from high school. Heâs one year younger than me.â
Aunt Julia made a face that conveyed she was impressed. âManaging a restaurant at such a young age!â
âIâve been
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