At first glance, it didn’t look like her dad was too upset. That was a good sign.
“The road trip ended up decently,” Clyde said. “I was happy to see the Rivers won three out of six against two very tough teams. Especially having to pick up a doubleheader due to the rainout. That’s always tough on the road.”
“Yes, sir. We had some issues but we’re addressing them.”
Clyde leaned back in his chair. “Yeah? What kinds of issues?”
This was a conversation Tucker knew Clyde should be having with the coaches, not him, so he was treading very treacherous waters. “Pitching was a little off and bats got cold when they should have been hot. But we have a stretch of home games coming up, and I expect we’ll do really well.”
Clyde took a sip of his beer. “That’s good to hear.”
It was nothing he wouldn’t say to the media, so he figured his ass was safe there.
“And what did your coaches say about some of the issues?”
“Clyde. You’re grilling the poor boy,” Helen said. “Less shop talk at home, okay?”
Clyde instantly relaxed his demeanor and smiled. “You’re right. Baseball’s in my blood, so you’ll have to forgive me for getting so intense about it. I love that team and want what’s best for them.”
“I understand,” Tucker said. “I love the team, too. I’d like us to win every game.”
“And that’s the kind of competitive spirit I like all our players to have.”
“And on that note,” Helen said, “I’m going to go check on the lasagna, which I’m sure is done.”
Aubry stood as well. “I’ll help you.”
“Clyde, Tucker, why don’t you two make your way to the dining room?”
Tucker lifted the bottle he’d brought. “Uh, I brought wine in case anyone is interested. I’m sure it’s not as good as the awesome stuff you have in the wine cellar.”
Clyde frowned. “How do you know about the wine cellar?”
Shit. Tucker realized as soon as the words left his mouth that he’d made a critical mistake. He shot a quick glance over to Aubry.
“I took him down there that night of the team party,” Aubry said. “I’d run into him when we were restocking the chardonnay and I needed an extra set of hands, so he followed me down and helped me carry the bottles upstairs.”
“Oh,” Helen said. “Well, thank you for bringing a bottle, Tucker. We’ll open it and have it with dinner.”
Clyde didn’t say anything, but didn’t seem suspicious, either, which to Tucker’s way of thinking was a very good thing.
Thank God for Aubry’s quick thinking. He needed to remember to engage his brain before he opened his mouth.
He followed Aubry’s father to the dining room, certain he was going to get grilled about his intentions toward his daughter. But by the time they took their seats, Aubry had come in with the salad and bread, and Helen followed shortly thereafter with the lasagna, leaving them no time alone.
Tucker had to admit he wasn’t sorry for that. The man intimidated the hell out of him, not because he was Aubry’s father—though there was that—but mainly because he was the boss.
Fortunately, conversation at dinner was fairly innocuous. They discussed Clyde and Helen’s travels, Clyde’s upcoming business deals, which had nothing to do with baseball, and Aubry’s work. Tucker was glad to be kept out of the equation. He finally relaxed enough to enjoy the amazing dinner Helen had fixed.
“So how long have the two of you been dating?” Helen asked after she brought out dessert, a spectacular looking cheesecake.
Damn. And things had been going so well. Tucker looked over at Aubry.
“Almost two months,” she said.
“What? And I knew nothing about it. You are very good at keeping secrets, Aubry,” Helen said.
“How are you juggling dating with your work?” Clyde asked.
“Just fine, Dad.”
“But you’re so busy. You work a tremendous amount of hours. I just don’t see how you manage to have a social life with everything else you have going on.”
Tucker so wanted to say something, but this wasn’t his argument to have.
“Well, as you know, Tucker is busy as well. He’s on the road a lot, and when he’s in town he has games, too.” Aubry looked over at Tucker and smiled. “But we carve out time to see each other.”
Tucker figured Aubry could handle her father.
“And you two have obviously made it work, since it’s been two months and you’ve brought Tucker over for dinner. So is this serious?”
Aubry shot her mother a look. “Mom.”
“I’m sorry. But you know I get anxious about these things.”
“I’d say for both of us, considering the stage of our careers, it’s serious.”
Aubry looked over at Tucker, probably as surprised at what he’d said as he was.
Helen beamed. “That’s great to hear. Isn’t that great, Clyde?”
Clyde nodded, his smile not as pronounced. “Yes. I’m very happy that you’ve managed to make this work, given both of your hectic schedules.”
But Aubry seemed ecstatic. She got up and hugged both her parents. “Thanks, you two.”
After they ate cheesecake, Tucker helped Aubry take the dishes to the kitchen. They loaded the dishwasher while Helen put the leftovers away.