“Clark Kent grew up in a small town. Maybe he's just here to relax.” Tommy grinned at me. “And you know, cows are very grateful when you rescue them.”
“Are you calling me a cow?” I asked, raising my eyebrows and and crossing my arms. Even though we were nine years apart, our sibling rivalry was still strong.
Tommy shot me a cheesy grin. “Not with Mom within earshot.”
I rolled my eyes and kept walking after the hostess toward our table.
The rest of our group, which included my parents and best friend Caroline, were already at a booth on the far end of the restaurant. It took us a moment to get our seats and get comfortable.
“So, you girls are all graduated and done with college,” my mom remarked, setting down her menu and gazing at Caroline and me fondly. “I'm so proud of you both. You two are real adults now, huh?”
“Ugh, I guess so.” Caroline sighed. “I'm not sure how I feel about that.”
“Yup, it’s only downhill from here,” my father said, adjusting his glasses. “You should start picking out your burial plots now. It's the only thing you have to look forward to.”
“Charles!” my mother scolded in a joking manner. The rest of us around the table laughed.
“Oh, they’ll find out sooner or later,” he continued. “The best years of your lives are behind you. Now you have to get a job and pay bills. You guys are picking up dinner, right? That's what being an adult's all about.”
He winked at us both. Dad and Mom had been the ones to invite Caroline and I out to celebrate being home and graduated from college. He had already said he was paying several times and for us to get anything we wanted.
“If only getting a job was easy as paying a bill,” Carolina muttered, and I coughed a sympathetic laugh in agreement.
“Yeah, I think Alicia would agree with you on that one,” my mother said and I looked up to meet her eyes. I had been home for a day and a half and the topic of employment had already been raised by my father. Several times.
My father was the first to pry about my post-college plans, and he didn’t need to wait for graduation as an invitation. He had been on me since last summer, just before the beginning of my senior year. I knew he was just trying to make sure I could take care of myself, but it was a bit much.
I told him what I always did, that my plan was to apply for an internship at ZephTech to work on developing computer apps. He wasn't much of a fan of that plan because it required a hyper-competitive application and intern process, and that was far too much uncertainty for a man who never allowed his gas tank to get less than half full.
“You'll both find your paths,” my mother assured us. “And in twenty years, you’ll look back and laugh at the process.”
“In twenty years, I’ll be a high school English teacher still paying off loans and actively plotting ways to burn the school down,” Caroline replied with a grin. “I can’t wait.”
“And I’ll be somewhere in a cubical waiting for your smoke signal so I can do the same thing,” I replied. We both laughed.
“Well, as long as you don't get caught.” My mother shrugged. “I will be too busy traveling the world on your inheritance money to bail either of you out.”
“It's up to you then, Tommy,” I said, turning to my little brother. “You'll have to come break Caroline and me out of jail. I hope you're up to the task.”
“I think I could plan a jailbreak,” Tommy said thoughtfully. “I could at least bake you file in a cake or something.”
“I've eaten the things you bake,” I replied. “I think I'd rather be in jail.”
“First of all, you wouldn't be eating it. You'd be getting the file out,” Tommy explained. “And secondly, I'll be able to bake better in twenty years. Duh.”
It was then that the waitress arrived with our drinks and took our food orders.
My father raised his glass of recently delivered tap beer. “To the start of new beginnings,” he said as cheers.
“To new beginnings,” everyone echoed. I sipped at my pale ale and tried not to worry about what exactly my new beginning was going to be.
“Hey, let me have a sip,” Tommy whispered as I lowered my glass. I handed him my beer and he sipped slyly before passing it back. It made me wonder when the time would come where we would actually share drinks. It wasn’t really that far away, I realized while subtly studying my brother. Time had a way of flying past without us realizing it.
“So Caroline, any idea on where you want to teach at?” Mom asked, restarting the conversation.
“Anywhere that needs a new English teacher,” she replied, tucking a strand of shiny black hair behind her ear. “Right now, I’ve got to find somewhere that’ll take on a first year teacher, which is trickier than it sounds.”
“How’s that going?” my father asked.
“Not so well,” she said with a shrug. “I've had to expand my searches and apply for non-preferred grades. I just haven't gotten anything yet.”
“I'm glad to hear you're working on it,” Dad told her. He adjusted his glasses and looked over at me with raised eyebrows. I thought about throwing my beer at him, since I really was trying to find a job, but instead just smiled and took a sip.
“I’m sure Tommy would take you over his English teacher,” my mother said, pulling my father's focus away from me. “We haven’t been very pleased with her.”
“I applied at the school, but I haven't heard anything back,” Caroline replied. “Maybe you'll get lucky Tommy and get me next year instead.”
I was glad that Caroline had joined us for our dinner. It was supposed to be a miniature celebration for our graduation, and it wouldn’t have felt right without her. She was an honorary member of the family and had joined us for dinners for as long as I could remember, back when dinners were usually followed by a sleepover.
Caroline’s company was also a great excuse to talk about someone else’s unemployment instead of my own. It was almost a toss-up as to which one of us would find work first. At least with her here, my dad wouldn't use the entire meal to find out how many resumes I had sent out.
I tried to pay attention to the discussion about how terrible Tommy's teacher was, but the table next to us stood and left, giving me a clear view of the room. Instead of the conversation, I was drawn to something else. Or rather, someone else. It was the guy who had saved me from falling in the entryway.
From where I sat, I had a perfect view of his face. My first impression of him was dead on. Gorgeous. He was strikingly handsome, with dark hair combed to one side and a square jaw covered in beard stubble. He wore square dark framed glasses that instantly gave him the impression of intelligence. My stomach fluttered with the thought that I had been wrapped up in his arms not that long ago. Warmth filled my belly and my heart skipped a beat. He must have felt me looking at him, because he glanced up and smiled at me.
I nearly melted at the subtle flirtation and even more so when I noticed his eyes. They were sky blue, unlike any I had ever seen in real life. They were beautiful and intriguing. I smiled back to the man, willing myself not to blush. He nodded and then brought his gaze to his menu once again.