Trini's parents were in good spirits, all smiles for the daughter who so rarely came home for a visit. It took a great weight off her shoulders to see them so pleased with her decision to visit; it gave her hope that they would be just as pleased with her decision to stay.
But by the time everyone had finally settled down and their order had been placed with the waiter, Trini felt as if she was frozen with fear. She had thought she had made up her mind on a course of action, but as soon as she saw her parents she was overcome by an intense urge to just throw everything out in the open and get it over with. Preferably as painlessly as possible. But, of course, there was the nagging fear that they would get the wrong impression about her motivation for coming home in the first place, and she did not want that.
"So," her father began once the waiter had left, cutting right to the chase, "how did the interview go?"
"Really well," she said brightly, glad to have some sort of direction. And it was true. The interview had gone well. She had nailed it; she hadn't really doubted that part of it, since she was almost perfectly qualified to take the position being offered. "So well, in fact, that they already offered me the job."
"And?" her mother prompted.
Trini smiled. "And I'm going to take it, of course. I'm not going to pass up a chance to be closer to my family and friends."
Although they had already discussed it over the phone, her father made her go over every detail of the new job opportunity... but in the end he sat back with a satisfied look and she knew he approved of her decision. She felt like she could finally breathe a little easier.
Once the food arrived and conversation dwindled to inconsequential small talk, which mostly involved hammering out the small details of Trini's plans for the move and job change, Trini found herself beginning to relax and enjoy the opportunity to spend time with her parents and Kim. Everything was going well, even better than she had hoped. It had really been too long since she had been with her parents at home, in Angel Grove, rather than having them come to visit her.
But by the time dessert arrived - in vast quantities that probably owed something to Kimberly's presence - Trini's mother had a sly look on her face that made her daughter suddenly feel worried again. She was up to something, Trini just knew it. She kept a close eye on both of her parents, and her mother in particular, as they split up the numerous goodies, but if anyone was up to something they were content to keep waiting for a while longer. Long enough that she thought maybe she had just imagined that look. She had just begun to let her guard down again when her mother pounced.
"So how's Jason been lately?" she asked, her tone deceptively casual.
Trini mentally flailed for an answer that wasn't incriminating; beside her, Kimberly struggled rather less than valiantly to keep a straight face. "He's... fine, so far as I know," she managed at last.
"Oh, no better than usual?" her mother pressed. "I thought he'd be happy to be reunited with an old friend."
Trini felt her face heat, but could not resist divulging that, "Well he did seem pretty happy to see me..."
At that, Kimberly could contain herself no longer and burst into a fit of helpless giggles.
"Kimberly," Trini hissed.
"I'm sorry, I can't help it," Kim apologized. "Your mom... the look on your face... this is just too funny."
Trini had to admit, grudgingly, that in spite of the time she had spent lying and telling half-truths to cover for herself and the other Power Rangers as a teenager, she was still no better at keeping a secret than her parents were. She had tried and failed, so now she had little choice but to just let things happen as they would. "So... you already knew about me and Jason? Or at least you guessed?"
Her mother smiled and nodded enthusiastically.
Trini had to wonder just how much Kimberly - and Jason! - had helped with that brilliant deduction. "Am I that transparent?"
"Yes," Kim got out between giggles.
Trini sighed and looked to her father, but there was mirth in his eyes and she knew she would get no help from that quarter.
"You never do anything just on a whim," Kim added. Trini's mother nodded agreement once more. Trini scowled at her parents; cowards, both of them, letting Kimberly do all the talking so they didn't have to take any of the blame! Not that Kimberly seemed to mind. She seemed altogether too pleased to get a chance to have a little fun at her friend's expense.
"Your mother and I raised you to think before you act," her father pointed out, oh-so helpfully. "It was fair to assume that you did not take the job interview in Angel Grove only as an excuse for a single visit."
"Fine, fine," Trini muttered. "But how did you know about Jason? I didn't even know that we were going to reconnect until after I got here."
Her mother gave her a gentle, knowing smile. "Honey, he was the very first person you wanted to see when you got here, even before your own parents. It didn't take a lot of guesswork to figure out what was going on in that heart of yours."
Trini sighed. Why did her parents always have to be so smart and insightful?
Her mother finally managed to sober herself, at least for the most part. Innocently, she asked, "Were you trying to keep it a secret?"
Yes, of course. Duh. "I didn't want you to think that I made a rash decision because of... him," Trini said, floundering slightly.
Amused at her discomfiture, and probably guessing exactly what it was that she did not want to admit, her father grinned. "If Jason had anything to do with your decision to finally come home, then we owe him a debt of gratitude."
"And he is a good man," her mother added.
Trini glanced to Kimberly at that, afraid to look at her parents. Kim quirked a brow; Trini could practically hear the cheerfully, evilly added, "and he's good in bed, too!" and wanted to die.
Oblivious, her mother concluded, "You could do far worse in a boyfriend."
Well, there was that. At least she had not jumped right into bed with someone her parents didn't like. Even if it was still mortally embarrassing to admit such uncharacteristically impulsive behavior to her parents. And they were not at all inclined to let her forget that it was totally unlike her to fall head over heels for someone so quickly.
She tried to take their ribbing in good humor, finding her place of inner calm and telling herself that lunch would be over soon and then she could murder Kimberly - or at least get revenge - in peace.