I hate when someone calls just to ask a question. It makes me feel tricked into answering immediately. No matter what the question is, I like to take a moment and think about it. It's more than being incredibly awkward on the phone, it's the fact that my first reaction is to say yes, even if it's an incredibly awkward request.

I froze, phone to my ear. "Laliana?" Tate asked on the other end of the phone. "You alive?"

I shook my head and then remembered that he couldn't see me standing in the middle of my living room wearing a pair of bunny slippers, cat leggings, and a neon green shirt with a nerdy crocodile on it. Laundry day left terrifying possibilities.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"My aunt was wondering if you were free for dinner tonight." I pulled my phone away from my ear and stared at it, confused by the question and needing to check the caller ID.

"Your aunt?"

"Yeah, Aiden's mom," Tate clarified.

"What? Why!?!" I squeaked. I loved Katherine. She was warm and reminded me of my own mother. But if there was even the slightest possibility that Aiden would be there, I didn't want to go. Dinner with people you didn't know well had a high potential for awkwardness, but dinner with people whose family members you've kissed and may be there... yeah that is a hard pass for me.

"Um... because she likes you and it's family dinner and I've missed the last three and if I bring you she won't kill me," Tate spoke, his voice near panic. "Okay, truth time. I forgot and it's starting in an hour. She asked Aiden and me to ask you WEEKS ago but I forgot and Aiden isn't in town. So please save me from having to show up and tell my aunt that I have been literally seeing you every day since she asked and I still couldn't manage to ask you in time to come to family dinner."

I smiled at the end of the world vibe Tate had taken to. I had to hold back a laugh to pull off my next set of words with a serious tone. "Uh... but you didn't tell me with enough time."

"Look, I'll owe you BIG TIME! PLEASE COME LALIANA! SAVE ME FROM MY AUNT'S FURY!"

I muted the phone as I started laughing. "This guy."

Clearing my throat, I unmuted the phone. "Gee Tate... this is really short notice and I am super busy," I said as I pulled a PopTart out of the cupboard, getting ready to eat it for dinner like the queen that I was.

"I will buy you coffee for the next month!" He shouted, no longer trying to keep his calm.

"As tempting as that is, I can't..." I looked down at my cat leggings. "I am in the middle of a laundry cycle and I don't have any clothes that I would willingly wear in public."

"Fine! I'll buy you coffee for the next month AND bring you clothes that won't bring shame upon your household. Please, please, please Laliana."

I laughed. "I don't know if I trust you to pick out clothes for me."

He scoffed. "You offend me. I know EXACTLY what to bring you. I'll be there in twenty minutes!"

"Wait! I didn't say—"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"TATE! WAIT I DIDN'T SAY—"

"Going through a tunnel, can't hear you BYYYYE!" Then the line went dead.

I sighed. "Guess I'm going to a Dalton family dinner."

...

I stood in front of a vine-covered gate, surrounded by a large wall with vines of flowers filling the air with a sweet smell. I couldn't see the house I was about to enter, and the idea of going in blind made me nervous.

"I can't believe I am here as a buffer so you don't die," I said glancing up at the gate.

"I can't believe that worked," Tate replied. He shot me an intense look. "You ready?"

"Uh... why are you making that face? Is there something I don't know? Is this a trick? I can leave right now if this is some kind of prank." I backed up several steps, suddenly suspicious. Tate held up his hands.

"Woah! Relax. Just messing. Family dinners are awesome." He gave me a large grin. "So? What do you think of my outfit choice?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

I stared down at my purple sweatpant dress and light grey leggings. A silver belt synched in the dress at my waist and matched my boots. I felt incredibly comfortable. "I can't decide if it's creepy that you knew my size and my favorite clothing material, or sweet."

"Um... all Dalton boys have worked in my aunt's dry cleaners at some point or another. We learn how to pick up on the obvious real quick." He held up two fingers. "Style choices, and sizes." He knocked on the gate. "Besides, my aunt told me your size. The other thing was just obvious. You muttered the WHOLE time you had to wear anything fancy."

I smiled down at myself. Guess I'm just obvious.

The door buzzed and Tate pushed it open. "Into the lion's den you go," he said giving me a lite shove through the door.

I instantly found myself inside a garden and turned to make sure I hadn't fallen into the Secret Garden. But Tate stood behind me holding his arms up as in presentation. "Tada! Cool huh?"

"Where am I?" I asked as I turned back around, taking in the thick green arches covered in twinkly lights and vines. Light pink roses covered the sides of a long pathway that led to a porch.

"Katherine likes to garden," Tate said.

I touched the leaves on the first arch, in awe. "She did this?"

"Something like that."

"It's beautiful," I whispered. The garden was well-tended. I could see the love and detail put into each flower. The tending to each part of the arch. The sun poked through the leaves, filling the pathway with strands of warm afternoon light.

"Quit stalling," Tate said pushing me forward. "Don't want to keep em waiting."

"Tate?" Katherine Dalton called as soon as Tate ushered us through the front door and into the warmly decorated living room. "You are late!" There was a crash in the kitchen, followed by a bubble of laughter. "Well serves you right for trying to eat out of a boiling pot!" Katherine shouted at a cat that scattered out of the kitchen, through my legs, and out the door.

"Sorry, Aunt Katherine! But I bring gifts! Look who's here!" Tate shouted as he shucked off his jacket and tossed it onto a brass coat hanger. He wore a dark green button-down shirt and jeans underneath the long peacoat he had been wearing moments before.

"Did you bring her?" called a younger voice.

"Get back here Isabella! You aren't done setting the table!"

There was a sudden crash of silverware on the table. "Done!" Then a fourteen-year-old girl darted into the living room. She had long dark curly brown hair that bellowed down her shoulders and bright green eyes that stared at me, wide-eyed. "OH MY GOSH...." She squeaked. Her eyes bounced to Tate. "Is it really her?!?"

Tate snorted. "Be cool or she'll run right out the door." Walking over to the girl, he enveloped her in a one-arm hug. "And where's my hello hug huh?" She laughed as he ran his knuckles over her head. Then he whispered loudly. "Run Laliana. I'll distract her so you can get away!"

The girl instantly shoved him away in protest. "Hey! I'm not crazy!" She turned to look at me embarrassed. "Sorry about him."

I laughed. "No, it's fine. I'm used to his kind of weird."

"Takes one to know one," Tate responded.

"True," I admitted.

The girl held out her hand, "I'm Isabella. Feel free to call me Iz."

I took her hand and smiled. "Nice to meet you Iz. I'm—"

"Laliana Summers! I know!" Iz blurted, overcome with excitement. "I love your books."

I blushed from head to toe. "Oh... thanks."

Tate poked Iz. "See! I told you she gets flustered when you compliment her."

"Psh. What. I'm totally normal to compliments," I said with a wild wave of my arms as my face grew redder.

Iz laughed, her eyes growing brighter. "Oh this is going to be fun," she said glancing up at Tate next to her.

"Oh my gosh, there are two of you," I muttered.

"Yep!" They both responded in unison.

Katherine walked into the living room, wiping her hands on a flower-patterned apron. "Isabella throwing the utensils on the table does not count as setting it." She stopped when she spotted me. "Laliana! What a wonderful surprise!"

Katherine wrapped me in a warm hug, making me miss my own mother so much that I held on for a beat longer than was probably appropriate, but she didn't seem to mind. "You asked me to bring her," Tate interjected.

Katherine took a step back and assessed me. "That doesn't mean I expected you to remember that I asked."

"Of course I remembered!" Tate said, throwing up his arms in the air, exasperated.

Katherine turned and shot him a knowing look. "Did you?" She turned and looked at me. "When did he ask you?"

Oh crap.

My eyes shot to Tate. "Don't look at him. He does not deserve you lying for him. Better to stay in my good graces," Katherine spoke before Tate could give me a clue on what to do.

"But... he keeps me alive..." I stuttered, suddenly panicked.

"It's true. She kinda has to be nice to me." Tate crossed his arms, satisfied.

Katherine scoffed. "She does not! You must keep her safe whether she likes you or not!" She continued to look at me, waiting for an answer. Oh my gosh, this is where Aiden got his stare from. It's too powerful!

"He told me an hour ago," I admitted, unable to keep my mouth shut under her gaze.

"Traitor," Tate muttered.

Katherine beamed at me and took my hands in hers. "I appreciate your desire to protect him. But I appreciate your honesty more."

Then she led me into the dining room, Tate and Iz right on our heels. "Now we know who is on dish duty!" She said as she ushered everyone into their seats. Tate swore under his breath as Katherine left the room to grab the food.

"Language Tate!" Katherine shouted from the kitchen.

I stared at Tate wide-eyed. "She hears everything!" he hissed taking his seat next to me.

"It's true," Iz said as she sat down across from me. "And she is scary observant. So I should warn you now to expect a LOT of questions about what has been in the tabloids about you and Aiden..."

"Oh," I said, stuck on a one-word response, trying not to panic.

Before I could turn and glare at Tate for dragging me to a family dinner that was going to turn into an interrogation, Katherine walked back into the room holding large platters of Mediterranean food.

I stared at a chicken skewer, torn between hunger and using the skewer to kill Tate for leaving me without an escape plan. I wasn't even dating Aiden!

What am I supposed to tell his mom? Hey, I was fake dating your son, but then he kissed me and regretted it, so now we are not fake dating and he disappeared. But not before becoming famous for saving my life from a psychopath. You don't happen to know where he is, do you?

---

Have you ever had to sit through an awkward dinner? How did that go?