"When You Want Her Back..."

Chapter Ten.



Huffing and Puffing April looked at the line that stood before her. She had agreed to mail Jay's package not wait on line for a half hour watching time go by as her chances of getting lunch with Bret slip away. She really wanted to spend lunch with him and if she left the mail office at 4 she was looking more at another dinner date. Looking at her watch she saw that it was two O'clock on the dot. She had been here since 1 30 and she was really getting testy. Pulling her phone out she dialed Jay's number. "Hello?" he said then remembered it was his office "I mean Jay's Office of law and justice how I may help you?"

"How important is this package?"

"You mean can it wait?"

"Yes"

"No, please, I’m already late it can’t wait any longer."

"Well these lines are very long and I’m not looking forward to lunch around 5." she said putting attitude in her words.

"Alright, alright, fine if you don’t want to do it. Then don’t."

April sighed and realized that either way she was going to end up staying on these lines. "Fine, fine... Maybe I can flirt my way to the front"

"Good attitude. See you later" The phone went click and April put her phone away.

Tapping on the shoulder of the man in front of her she said "Hi. How are you?" flirting more and more she talked to him about his jacket and how she liked it. She then went with the same routine with the guy now in front of her leaving the previous guy behind. Jumping three spots up on the line her routine came to a screeching halt when she realized she was being watched... by none other then Bret.

Walking to her with a smile he said "Sneaky. Do you flirt with every guy in the Post Office or just the ones you want to get in front of?"

"Well right now I’m more looking forward to flirting with just one guy” Lifting her chin with one finger he moved closer in and kissed her. Pulling away he grinned at her.

"I think" he said "The guys you went in front of feel stupid" laughing together he stood near her moving up on the line with her.

Sliding her hand into his she said "So what brings you here?"

"Secretary called in sick. The office is hectic so I had to return a package here and then retrieve the one intended for us. Boring stuff honestly." Nodding her head at him he said to her “How about lunch tomorrow?"

Surprised she said "Tomorrow?" she had really wanted to eat lunch with him TODAY.

"Yeah, well I kinda have to have lunch with my parents today. Unless you want to join us I really don’t see us having lunch today together"

"You mean meet your parents? I don’t know about that. What do you think?"

"I don’t mind you don’t have to go with me. I did ask about lunch tomorrow right?"

"No, it’s fine. Ill go with you." April said holding onto his hand a little more tightly.

Her meeting his parents. That was so wonderful. This meant he wasn’t afraid to be open and honest. Could this possibly work out to be more then just a dating thing? Maybe she should show him to her gang of friends seeing as how her friends were like her family only less crazy. Smiling so happily she drew him just a little closer. Reality was that they had just met yesterday but her mind said they had known each other for long enough.


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Standing in front of his parents’ door with April he rang the bell. Bret hadn’t thought that for one minute April would honestly want to meet his parents. Yet here she and he were standing waiting for his mother to answer the door. Things were moving quite fast and although the situation sounded very similar in ways it was much more different then Jackie. In his mind he knew that April wasn’t going to be anything like Jackie but still his guts said everything was going to fast. Something told him moving this fast would leave him heart broken once again.

Finally opening the door his mother greeted then. "Bret! Your here good thing the shells were getting cold. Your father has been protesting for a half hour already trying to eat them. Can you believe that man?" Shaking her head she noticed April. "Why hello" she said turning to back to Bret "And who is this?"

"This" he said linking his hand through hers. "Is April. She’s my..." Slight hesitation hit him and he found himself being watched by April. Drawing her closer to him he said "Girl friend. She’s my girlfriend."

Raising her hands in the air his mother said "Oh what a super surprise. You didn’t tell me you would be bringing a date!"

"Yeah, well last minute."

Grabbing April's hand his mother pulled her away from him and rushed her through the home and straight to the backyard where there was a table on the porch and a man with a bald head and glasses other wise known as his father. "Look who Bret brought Andrew. It’s a date. Her name is April."

His father stood up and shook her hand. "It’s a pleasure" he said. Then sitting back down and turning his attention to Bret. He nodded his head and Bret knew that was some secret code of his father saying he had done well.

He approved of April which was an odd thing. His father had hated every woman he brought through the door and had shaken his head when introduced to Jackie. How could he say yes to April? Thinking about it he said out loud "Well who could say no?"

Realizing he had just achieved the attention of every one he said "How about food now mom?"

Nodding her head violently she said "Sure coming right up." pulling a chair out she said "Why don’t you sit right here honey."

Sitting down April seemed surprised and a bit overwhelmed. He knew bringing her was a bad decision and he knew that the minute they were back in the car he just had to apologize about his mother’s persistency. Even he found it annoying.

Walking to the table he sat intentionally right next to April. She was going to need moral support to get through this lunch. He was going to need counseling to get through this lunch and every other lunch.

"So April" his father said turning in his seat toward her. "What do you do?"

"I'm a writer" she said voice low and soft almost as if she didn’t want to answer.

"A writer? Amazing. What have you written?"

"Mostly uh... Romance novels... Action. Little bit of others...”

"Interesting” his father said scratching his chin then nodding his head at Bret.

Making a face Bret mentally said to his father "what is up with the nodding. End it" Obviously getting the message his father sighed and turned back toward the view of the trees behind them.

The light made the trees look even more natural and enjoyable. His father, he noticed, like to stare at things and analyze them. He once explained to Bret how the sun reflecting off of an object made it beautiful, because who couldn’t see the beauty of a thing when the sun is highlighting their features? His father was right but of course. April looked more then gorgeous in the lighting.

"I’m Back!" said his mother who set a tray of stuffed shells on the table. "I worked on it all day so it should taste like meat sauce and sweet lovin’." giggling his mother served every one and began eating. Looking at April she said "I just love your hair color. Where did you get it done?"

"It’s my natural hair color" April said brushing a lock of it behind her ear.

"No kidding." Grabbing a piece of her own hair his mother said "See I try to get the perfect color but it just seems to never work. Plus the constant watch for grey hairs. In my age you never know what color you will find on my head."

Everybody laughing Bret's father said "Ok that’s enough with the hair talk. I don’t want to find a hair in my food. If I do I’d have to kill one of you." pausing with seriousness he then added "Or maybe just eat your shells" Smile to his face he took another bite of his stuffed shells.

"Yes well I'm just saying I love her hair" his mother said two hands in the air in surrender. "And I must admit" she said "She is way more beautiful then Jackie.”

Dropping his fork Bret prayed that his mother stop speaking. That she just drops the whole thing or that April not ask what she meant. He prayed that April wouldn’t find out he had been once married and then divorced. He hoped so much that his mother would just not say anything.

Opening her mouth April said "Jackie?" At that moment he suspected that if the heavens had any love for him at all they would make his mother choke on bread.

"Yes” His mother said making his heart beat so fast it could barely stay in his chest. "His ex-wife. Jackie? Doesn’t ring a bell huh? Well that’s alright... I guess you’re the lucky one to not know about her. She was, excuse my language, a female dog. No good for Bret."

April gulped and said "Was she? How long was he married to her?"

"I'm not to sure." His mother said receiving his death glare. How could she do this to him? He wasn't ready to tell her and she didn’t need to hear yet. He wasn’t going to hide it forever but he wasn’t exactly going to tell her right away. Lord help him make it threw the lunch.

An hour and a half later Bret found himself jumping out of his car and walking around it to open the door for April. Getting out of the car she brushed past him and headed for her car. He hadn’t known April long but he could already tell that she was angry.

"Hey wait up!" Grabbing one of her arms from its folded position he turned her toward him and found that she had her lips puckered and seemed to be furious. "Are you okay?"

"I don’t know, is Jackie?"

Sighing he said "I'm sorry I didn’t tell you about Jackie... but I swear I was going to"

"When?"

"When I was ready. Jackie hurt me so she isn’t one of my better memories I like sharing but I’m telling you I wasn’t trying to hold it from you." He wrapped his arms around April and rested his chin on her forehead.

"No more lying?" she said.

"No more." looking into her eyes he kissed her softly and felt her relax and let her guard down. She had only been mad at him for about twenty minutes but he hated every second. He would never want to make her mad again.