I could see that Jonathan’s cheeks turned red and with good reason. I doubted that he was used to getting random hugs from 50-year-old women.
This is not happening right now. “Mom! Couldn’t you just shake his hand?” I rolled my eyes at her as I ground out the words under my breath.
He was clearly taken off guard but he was a good sport. “Oh, it’s okay Sky, your mom gives good hugs! It’s nice to meet you to, Mrs. Marshall, Mr. Marshall.” He shook Jay’s hand and looked him in the eye. I knew that Jay liked that. He used to tell me that if a boy didn’t shake his hand and look him in the eye when he came to pick me up for a date, that I wasn’t going because it meant that the boy didn’t respect me.
“Oh, Jonathan, here you are! Your mother got lost in the candle section and I had to tear her away to come find you!”
A deep, sultry voice permeated the air and I looked up and saw the most gorgeous older man I had ever laid eyes on in my life. I mean, he was absolutely beautiful! The woman beside him, was pretty but not stunning, yet there was something about her that made her stand out and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. And then I saw them glance at each other and I could see the spark. I really thought I actually saw a physical spark! His eyes were full of love as he quickly leaned down and kissed the side of her head.
“Joshua, you’re being silly. Jonny, don’t listen to your father, it was me that had to drag him out of the tool section, honey.”
I looked at Jonathan and his cheeks were bright red. His parents were embarrassing him!
“Okay guys, settle down, I want you to meet some people. Mom, dad, this is Nancy and Jay Marshall, and this is their daughter, Skylar Miller. Skylar is one my advisees in our dorm, and these are my parents Joshua and Sarah Hunter.” I could hear something in his voice, something was different but I couldn’t quite tell what it was.
His mother seemed to give Jonathan a knowing smile and then turned to us. “Well, it is so nice to meet all of you!”
Hmmm, I wonder what that was about.
“Oh, please call us Nancy and Jay.” My mom was gushing around Jonathan’s dad and I didn’t blame her, he was gorgeous! She wasn’t flirting or anything like that but I could tell she was a little awestruck and it was cute. His wife didn’t seem to mind at all, and the more I thought about it, I was sure she had to be used to that sort of thing.
“Well Nancy, please call us Sarah and Joshua.” Jonathan’s mom had a huge, friendly smile that was infectious.
My mom smiled back at her and I could tell that she liked her. It was nice to see my parents meeting people they wouldn’t normally meet. My mom and Jay tended to stay within their circle of friends and they never really did anything fancy or even daydreamed about it. So I liked that they were meeting people who were so different from them who seemed to be really nice people.
“So Skylar, how do you like school so far?” His mom was so friendly.
“It’s extremely challenging but so far I love it. If you ask me the same question during finals you might get a different answer!”
Jonathan’s dad chimed in. “Don’t worry Skylar, I’m sure you’ll breeze right through finals. I felt the exact same way my freshman year at this very same university. I loved it at first but was really dreading my first final. Just make sure you’re well prepared and you will do just fine. The university is very selective about who they let in, so you’re already way ahead of the game, I’m sure.”
Okay, so this guy was not only gorgeous but he seemed really nice!
I smiled at him. “Thanks, Mr. Hunter.”
Jonathan’s parents were awesome and I don’t know why but I felt really comfortable around them. I knew that they were super wealthy but they seemed so down to earth. I don’t know if I had ever gotten a better vibe from people I had just met before, but they seemed really cool.
“Oh, so Joshua you attended here as well? You must be so proud that your son is going here now, huh?” Jay jumped into the conversation with ease.
“Oh yes, we are extremely proud of Jonathan. He is number one in his class so we could not be happier.”
I glanced at Jonathan who was looking at me, and raised my eyebrow and gave him a half smile and mouthed, “Wow, number one?” I didn’t know he was a super brainiac. Looks, brains, and a sexy singer…he had everything but he didn’t have me, not yet. He seemed to want me but I had to know that he didn’t also want every other girl. I got lost in my thoughts and after a few seconds I realized that no one was saying anything. My mom was gently shaking my shoulder.
“Well, what do you think honey?” Wait, what did I miss?
“I’m sorry, what was the question?”
Jonathan’s dad chuckled. “You probably have your mind in your books, I remember what that was like. Sarah and I invited you and your parents to join us for dinner this evening, if you don’t already have plans.”
What?! I glanced at Jonathan who was standing there looking like a cute, hopeful little boy with his hands tucked into his pockets waiting for my answer. He could not have been more adorable. My heart was pounding against my chest at the thought of spending time with Jonathan and his parents and I had to dig deep to hold my excitement inside. A slow smile spread across my face and Jonathan let out a soft slow breath and smiled. I didn’t realize until that moment that he had been holding his breath.
I glanced at my mom with raised eyebrows and she smiled and nodded, so I agreed. “That would be really nice. Thank you so much for the invitation.”
“Of course dear, we like getting to know Jonathan’s friends, especially…” Jonathan quickly stepped in and looked really uncomfortable as he cut is mom off.
“Mom, dad, we should probably go pay for our stuff, I have a couple of things to do before dinner. I’m sorry to be so abrupt Mr. and Mrs. Marshall, it was really nice meeting you both and I look forward to getting to know you better at dinner.” He smiled at my parents and my mom was as much a sucker for a gorgeous face as I was.
“Oh no problem, we probably kept you too long!”
Jonathan’s mom quickly stepped in giving Jonathan a slightly scolding look. “Nonsense Nancy, you are all very lovely and we have enjoyed meeting you. Does 7:30 work for dinner?”