This was a huge moment for her. Sure, she'd had a few boyfriends and she'd certainly spent time with a few guys but she'd never brought one of them home to meet her daddy.
While in the car, she'd sat quietly, grinning, picking nervously at her fingernails, listening to them as they talked about school and football. She had inwardly cringed when her father had asked Ed about his long term goals but he had breezed right through that question and any other questions her father had.
When they'd gotten to the house, Ashleigh's father, Matthew, had told her to help Ed get settled into the guest room before dinner and he'd headed off toward the kitchen.
Dinner... she'd outwardly cringed at that word but hid it from the both of them.
Once they were alone, she'd told Ed that they had exactly fifteen minutes before they had to be at the dinner table. She thought briefly that she should warn him about her mother but, in the end, she simply didn't know what to say.
Matthew had the food on the table when they'd taken their seats. She'd given Ed one last forced grin and, moments later, her mother had joined them.
At first, things were going decently enough. Her father was carrying the conversation and her mother had actually gone ten minutes without saying anything out of the way but, then again, she hadn't spoken at all. Half way through the meal, Ashleigh was stupid enough to finally relax and the second a grin crossed her features, her mother snapped into action.
"Have you known Ashleigh long?" her cold voice interrupted anything Matthew had been saying, demanding the attention of the room.
Ashleigh swallowed hard and her smile instantly disappeared.