As soon as my dad finished speaking, Mariah gave him a hard whack. “You can eat whatever you want, but you can’t just say anything.”

My dad instantly sobered up a bit, as if he suddenly remembered that the last time I introduced my boyfriend, his last name was Ryan. He immediately looked embarrassed.

When I glanced at Nathan, he lowered his eyes, hiding a smile. He hadn’t been drinking, but his handsome face was flushed.

Yvonne was shoveling rice into her mouth, then scooted closer and asked, “Sally, what does ‘trying for a baby‘ mean?”

“It’s nothing. Eat up, have some more veggies,” Mariah said quickly, loading her bowl with extra vegetables.

Yvonne’s big dark eyes sparkled with curiosity–I could tell her little brain was already in overdrive again.

Nathan cleared his throat and said, “Sir, I’ll toast you with coffee instead of wine.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you, Mr. Hallman,” my dad said, clearly pleased.

After dinner, Mariah asked me to go out and pick up some things for the house, but I knew she just wanted to have a chat. I followed her out the front door and we headed over to the fountain plaza nearby. The place was crowded, with stalls everywhere selling every kind of kids‘ toy you could imagine.

Mariah stopped at the bridge leading to the plaza and turned to me, her expression serious. “What’s going on? What happened to Ryan?”

“We broke up,” I replied, since I knew I couldn’t lie to her.

“Broke up?” Mariah frowned. “It hasn’t been that long, has it?”

“Yeah, about two months,” I said, doing a quick mental calculation.

“Victoria, since your divorce, you’ve already had two boyfriends, right?” Mariah looked at me like she just couldn’t figure me out. “I still talk to Sally sometimes, and she told me Jared hasn’t even tried to meet anyone new since the divorce. He hasn’t dated at all.”

I replied calmly, “He’s living his life, I’m living mine. Just because he’s not seeing anyone doesn’t mean I have to do the same.”

“That’s not what I mean,” Mariah said, shaking her head. “I just want you to be careful. If you’re going to date, find someone you can really build a future with, someone you could spend your life with.” Mariah was still pretty old-fashioned–she couldn’t really get behind women playing the field when it comes to relationships.

“Mom, I’m trying, but it’s not like I can just pick someone out of a lineup,” I said, trying to dodge the question.

“You brought Mr. Hallman home. Does that mean you’re serious about him?” Mariah asked, smiling.

I shook my head. “No, we’re just friends right now.”

“If you’re just friends, you wouldn’t bring him all the way home to meet your parents,” Mariah said, her tone turning serious.

I laughed and tried to explain, “I just wanted to show him around, it’s not like I brought him here just to meet you.”

“Did you see how many gifts he hauled into our living room? That’s not just a casual visit,” Mariah said, her expression darkening.

I had nothing to say to that. I really hadn’t expected Nathan to bring so many gifts. When he said he wasn’t driving himself and had the driver take us, I should’ve realized he was up to something–Nathan was secretly getting all those gifts ready.

“Mom, since he brought them, just take them,” I said softly.

Mariah gave me a look like she couldn’t do anything about it and shook her head. “Love’s a double-edged sword, you know. Don’t play around with your feelings. And be careful–don’t get yourself into trouble, especially with your health. Women have to look out for themselves when it comes to these things.”

I blushed, feeling awkward. “Mom, I know, I’ll be careful.”

We strolled around the plaza a couple more times, and then Mariah suddenly said, “Victoria, our school just got a big donation from a charity. They’re going to expand two teaching buildings and even add a whole new set of playground facilities. The principal was so happy, she was grinning from ear to ear.”

I couldn’t help but laugh too. “Seriously? That’s awesome! Those buildings were ancient back when I was a student. After all these years, I bet they’re practically falling apart.”

“Yeah, none of us expected our school would actually get chosen for a donation,” Mariah chuckled, then let out a sigh. “I’m set to retire next year. I was hoping I’d get to teach the kids in those brand-new classrooms, but with the current progress, they’ll probably be ready just as I’m stepping down.”

I quickly tried to comfort her. “Mom, once you retire, you should really enjoy your life. You’ve worked so hard for so many years–now it’s finally your turn to relax and do what makes you happy.”

“After I retire, I’m planning to tidy up the yard and start growing some veggies,” Mariah said with a smile. “At least it’ll give me something to do and keep me busy.”

We came back home carrying some shopping bags. My dad was sprawled out on the couch, totally drunk and fast asleep.

Nathan was hanging out on the couch, keeping Yvonne company while they watched Peppa Pig.