with this my love business? Where had that come from? What ever happened to Carly Jane, or just you?
“Food’s ready. Go ahead and take a seat at the table,” Mr. Sheffington said. “Jamie!”
Carly heard a commotion, and a man came hurrying down the hallway in a manner that reminded Carly of the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. She was taken aback by how much he looked like Max. His hair was lighter than Max’s and his chin covered in the stubble of a healthy beard.
When he saw Carly, he stopped in his tracks and stared.
“Jamie, this is our friend Carly,” Max said.
“Oh, hey!” Carly said, and pointed at his shirt. “The dog show!”
Jamie looked down at his shirt. Then up at her. “Dog show,” he agreed. And then he abruptly turned, went to the back door, and opened it. Hazel bounded in and made a beeline for Carly.
“Hello, Hazel.” She was glad for something familiar, and she slid off her stool to greet her old friend properly, grateful for the opportunity to hold on to something for a moment.
“Loyal dog,” Jamie said. “Intelligent and loyal.”
“Oh, she is, she is, she’s such a good girl,” Carly cooed to Hazel.
“You’ll need to wash your hands now,” her mother said. “Bathroom is just there.” She gestured to a door.
As if she was twelve. Carly shot her mother a look and went to wash her hands.
When she returned, they gathered around the table and passed their plates so Mr. Sheffington could heap chicken Parmesan onto them. Carly noticed Max wasn’t eating much, but picking at his food. He was laser focused on their parents. He looked as serious as she’d seen him yet—like he was assessing Evelyn and Toby together, trying to make sense of it. Jamie, on the other hand, dug right in, with no regard for anyone else or any table manners. He ate loudly. Max smiled sheepishly at Carly.
“Slow down, there, Jamie,” Mr. Sheffington said. “This isn’t a race and it’s not good for your tummy to eat so fast.”
“Loyal dog, loyal Dad,” Jamie said through a mouthful of salad.
“You know it,” Mr. Sheffington said cheerfully.
Carly wondered what that meant, but neither Max nor his father seemed curious.
“So, umm . . . Mom said things are . . . progressing with the two of you?” Carly asked carefully.
Her mother laughed. “Things are more than progressing, aren’t they, Toby?”
Mr. Sheffington chuckled, and for some reason, he picked up his wineglass and tried to toast Max’s beer. When Max didn’t take the bait, he did it anyway, reaching long to tap his wineglass against the bottle sitting on the table.
“This is all really new to me,” Max said. “Mind if I ask what progressing means?”
“The thing is, Max,” his father suddenly interjected, “you’ve been really busy with your work and your research and all, and I thought, well, I’ll tell him when the time is right.”
“Oh.” Max put his fork down. “Is the time right? Because I don’t know if you would have told me if I hadn’t stopped by.”
“I think the time is definitely right, don’t you, Toby?” Carly’s mother asked.
Max and Carly exchanged a look of dread.
Mr. Sheffington was looking at his plate. “Toby?” Carly’s mother said, and leaned forward so that she could look him directly in the eye.
Mr. Sheffington suddenly sat up. He smiled at Evelyn, grasped her hand, and then turned to Max. “We’re in love.”
“Loyal Dad,” Jamie said. “Intelligent and loyal. Loyal Dad.”
Mr. Sheffington didn’t seem to notice Jamie, but Max did. He put his hand on Jamie’s arm and gave it a soft squeeze, then let his hand drop. “Congratulations,” he said quietly to his father.
“Thank you.” Mr. Sheffington was beaming so hard that Carly’s heart began to pound in her chest.
“We are so happy,” her mother said, and then, to Carly’s horror, she leaned over to Mr. Sheffington and kissed him on the lips.
“Loyal Dad!” Jamie said, his voice rising.
Mr. Sheffington laughed sheepishly. “It’s okay, Jamie,” he said. “We’re just fooling around.”
“I’ll say,” Carly’s mother murmured, and blushed.
“Jesus,” Carly whispered. She wished she could crawl under the table and curl up next to Hazel.
Her mother said to Max, “I know this is all very sudden. But, as I explained to Carly, sometimes you just know things. Wouldn’t you say that is true from a brain perspective?”
“Mom,” Carly said. “What does that even mean, ‘from a brain perspective’?”
“I think Max can tell us, sweetie.”
Max looked at Carly. She didn’t know what she would call that look