Re: lakeside mansions: Dietre A. & Hugh C.
The thought of Secret Shopper Hugh lurking around the restaurant was rather amusing. Dietre didn’t exactly laugh, but he did let out a breath that could have been the ghost of one, his smile bright for just a moment. And it did change his face, when he smiled, all those sharp edges were softened just a little. “I promise to be on my toes.”
No more smiles when asked about his mother, it fizzled out into an anxious bite to his lip. He was deliberating, thinking, brow slightly furrowed. Was he going to answer? In the end he did. “...Yes. Not seriously, it was more just… a hobby to her, I think…”
“She liked it enough to own a piano, and to teach me the basics when I showed an interest.” The way Dietre averted his gaze from Hugh now was not due to bashfulness, but reluctance. Talking about his mother brought a sad, faraway look to his eyes. He plucked nervously at the cuff of his sweater. “She was often too busy to play much...”
He didn’t like to talk about his past, but he was beginning to feel that not sharing anything was unfair to Hugh. How could they truly become friends if he didn’t let the man get to know him? Dietre’s use of past tense likely gave Hugh the hint that his mother was no longer living. That, and the fact Dietre made it no secret that he was very much alone in the world and had been for a while.