First Meet, PT. 3, Jesse POV

He hadn’t decided what to make of her, but when she smiled, he found himself smiling back, his bad mood and the reason they were here in the first place, forgotten.

Violet clasped her hands together. “You’re Lynne?”

“It’s great to finally meet you.”

Violet didn’t take the hand mom extended. Instead, she launched herself at Lynne and shouted, “Dad’s never had me meet one of his girlfriends before!”

Jesse jolted at that label. Yes, he knew his mom dated, but he’d never thought about her having a boyfriend. He resisted the urge to stick out his tongue and couldn’t help looking at Isaac, who was staring up at the sky with an embarrassed look on his face, which made Jesse feel a little better.

“Is that so?” Mom was clearly pleased with this information. “He didn’t tell me that.”

Isaac removed his hat to run his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t think there was any need to mention…”

“I’ve been trying to set him up with these women from church forever,” Violet continued. “But he’s so…”

“That’s enough.” Isaac snatched his daughter and clapped a hand over her mouth as he said, “Are you two hungry? There’s a food truck nearby.”

“That sounds great,” Mom said and nudged Jesse to get his attention. “Son? Would you like something to eat?”

“Sure,” he said with a shrug.

He was disconcerted when Violet broke away from her father and grasped mom’s hand as if they’d known each other for years.

“Dad says you’re a teacher,” Violet said.

“Yes. I alternate between kindergarten and second grade.”

“Why?”

“I don’t like to teach the same thing every year. One year makes such a difference at that age, so I bounce around. Do you like school?”

“Yes, I love English and History the most.”

“What do you love about those subjects?”

He was used to his mom being surrounded by kids because of her profession. Children instinctively gravitated to her, but there was something different about this interaction. Walking behind them, he could see their profiles. The raptness with which they stared at one another told him more was happening beneath their surface level conversation. He instinctively knew his mother had fallen hard for Violet. His mother was more of a free spirit, the opposite of his father who was stern and rigid and didn’t stray from his routine. Violet was clearly of his mother’s ilk, while he was more like his father. Mom and Violet were totally engrossed in one another, while he and Isaac hadn’t exchanged a word.

He glanced at Isaac who strolled beside him. He, too, was watching his mom and Violet’s exchange with great interest. He expected Isaac to engage him in conversation and try to butter him up like the others had. Isaac didn’t ask him what he wanted to be when he grew up or what was his favorite sports team was. Isaac seemed content to take in what was happening in front of them and not smooth over the awkwardness between them with small talk. Jesse was annoyed and relieved by Isaac’s silence.

 They ordered tacos and settled on a picnic table. He found himself beside Violet, who was so excited, she could barely keep still. It was clear that she was for their parents, making their relationship permanent. He wasn’t so sure, but he found himself distracted from inspecting Isaac because of her expressive face. The way she looked at his mom with such longing made his stomach tighten.

**This is a raw draft of the prequel for Corrupt Idol. Please do not share or distribute.

Copyright © 2024 Mia Knight. All Rights Reserved.