Off the Rails

Chapter Nine

Dakota
After a confusing walk through Liam's house, we reached a very fancy dining room. As we entered, four people in the room looked up at us.

There was an older blonde woman who wore a pink dress. I assumed she was Liam's mom. Her facial features looked welcoming and kind.

Beside her, at the head of the table, was a dark haired man with piercing blue eyes. I guessed he was Liam's father.

There was also another woman with brown hair and a young girl who looked to be about seven years old beside her.

There was a quick moment of silence, until Liam spoke up.

"This is the lovely Dakota Brooks," he said, politely gesturing towards me.

I smiled. "It's very nice to meet you all."

"The honors is ours, dear. I have been dying to meet you since Liam mentioned he was seeing a girl." The blonde older lady said with a smile. "Please, sit down." She gestured towards two seats.

Liam pulled out the chair for me and I sat down with him on my right. On my left was the little girl.

"It's a pleasure, Ms. Brooks," the brown haired man said. "I'm Johnathan Clarke, Liam's father." He gestured to the blonde woman. "That is Hazel, my wife." He then pointed at the brown haired woman and the young girl. "That is my sister, Mary Windsor, and her daughter, Laura."

Mrs. Windsor smiled and said, "Hello,"

"It's great to meet you all," I smiled and looked at Laura, who shyly looked away.

"Dinner should be coming out soon. I hope you don't mind wedding soup and filet mignon." Mrs. Clarke said.

"That sounds delicious," I replied, making sure to sit up straight. It actually did sound good. I loved steak.

A silence fell over the table.

"So, Dakota, I heard you recently came to Blackden Ridge," Mr. Clarke made eye contact with me, and I kept my eyes locked. Yes, this man was intimidating, and I knew Liam hated him, but I was not going to give him the satisfaction of thinking he scared me in any way.

"Yes, about three weeks ago, sir," I replied.

"How are you liking it?" he inquired.

"It's nice— a big change from New York City, where I used to live. But I like the atmosphere here, the small town. It's comforting."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," he replied.

I smiled. Then, Liam spoke, "Dakota is standing out— in the best way possible. She's already doing great in school, because she's extremely intelligent, and is a top participant in a science extracurricular we have for students interested in scientific or medical careers in the future. She's something Blackden has never seen." He looked at me and smiled, and I found it hard not to blush. He was totally talking me up.

"That's wonderful," Mrs. Clarke said. "Do you plan to go into a scientific field?"

"Hopefully, yes," I answered. "I always planned on pursuing something medical, probably in pediatrics."

"Are you looking at any schools? Any career path planned out?" Mr. Clarke asked.

I hesitated. I used to have my whole life planned out. But that was before the divorce, before the move. It was before everything felt pointless.

"I used to have specific places I wanted to go," I said. "But I recently realized that there are so many options and opportunities for me to explore that I haven't narrowed down exactly what I want to pursue yet." I lied my ass off.