Food. Friends. Family.
FOOD. FRIENDS. FAMILY.
Tyler: Dinner tonight with the bears?
Jon: I wish I could, but I promised to help Evie.
Tyler: Bring her.
Jon: I don’t know.
Tyler: Simon’s ex-wife will be there.
Jon: I’ll try to convince her.
Tyler: I’ll see you there. ;)
Jon: You’re insufferable.
Tyler: And yet so damned cute.
“You’re sure I’m not intruding?”
My knuckles hovered in front of the door. “It’s dinner, not an orgy.”
“I was worried dinner meant something else in your world.”
I rolled my eyes. “Would I be wearing a polo to an orgy? What do you take me for? A charlatan? Besides, Lucy’s going to be here.”
“Oh, good. Not a complete sausage fest.”
“These sausages aren’t for you.” I knocked. I gave her the side-eye. She had opted for a fancy dress for this meal. I had to admit, the Olsen siblings cleaned up pretty well. “Wait. Didn’t you have a crush on a gay guy in college?”
“We’re not talking about that.”
“Dylan?” Who she thought just had an affinity for rainbows. “You talked about him non-stop. Whatever happened to him?”
“He’s a big-shot lawyer now.” I raised an eyebrow at her. “Not that I’m keeping tabs on him.”
The door opened while I snickered. “You made it! Jon and Evelyn are here,” Simon boomed. He gave me a hug and then turned to Evie. She held out her hand, but he kept his arms hanging in the air. She leaned in while he gave her a quick squeeze.
“I’m in the kitchen trying to show Chris how to cook. Bobby’s in the living room with Lucy and Tyler. I think Jason… Where’d Jason go?”
“He’s putting Lucas to bed.” Lucy squeezed past Simon before he ran back to the kitchen. Lucy showed us in. “Have a seat. We’ve got snacks. You know Simon, he makes enough food for an army.”
“Cause you all eat like starved troops,” he said from the kitchen.
When I informed Evie about Lucy being there, she had questions. I explained about her living with her ex-husband and his boyfriend between stints abroad, and she just nodded. When she added, “Sounds like something I’d expect from Firefly,” it made me smile. It made sense. Everybody here found a way to get along. She even commented it made sense to have three people raising Lucas. I appreciated her pragmatic open-mindedness.
“Finally, another woman.” Lucy led us into the living room before taking a seat on the floor, stealing crackers off the charcuterie. “I love the boys. But I’m feeling like Goldilocks.”
“I was thinking you’re one dwarf shy of being Snow White,” Evie said without missing a beat.
Lucy howled. “Sorry, Tyler, she’s my new favorite.”
Bobby sat in a recliner, a plate of finger sandwiches resting on his belly. I walked over and leaned in for a hug when he slid the plate out of the way. He gave me a kiss on the cheek.
“I’m glad you made it.”
“I wasn’t really given a choice in the matter.”
“That checks out.” He nodded, offering me a small sandwich. “They’re delicious.” I snatched one, popping it in my mouth. My eyes went wide. There was egg salad, and then… I swallowed, spoiled for eternity.
“Lucy,” Tyler said, stealing the cracker out of her hand before sitting next to me on the couch. “Evelyn’s been working at a hotel in Salem.”
When I caught a whiff of Tyler’s cologne, a blend of firewood and citrus, I imagined leaning in to give it a smell before kissing him. We had a date, a successful date, but I didn’t want to make it weird. Not sure of social protocols, I gave his hand a light squeeze. “Lucy, didn’t you live in Boston?” I appreciated his determination to bring Evie into the fold.
“I did my residency there. What hotel?”
Evie let out a long sigh. “Hex and Hearth, it’s a?—”
“Across the street from the House of the Seven Gables? I’ve been by there a thousand times.” Lucy shook her head. “I should have stayed. The hotel I always book has the tiniest rooms.”
“You’re glad you didn’t. That place… how it’s still standing is beyond me. They call me the manager, but the staff refer to me as Duct Tape Olsen. I’m the only one who holds it together.”
“Firefly isn’t much different from Salem,” Bobby said. “They have Halloween. We have Leaf Peeper season. Both bring thousands of tourists who don’t know how to drive.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “You know what they call us, Evie?”
“Flatlanders.” The word echoed from everywhere in the house.
“When are you guys going to stop calling me a flatlander?” Chris asked from the kitchen.
Tyler held his hands up in surrender. “You’ll have to go before the?—”
Chris frowned. “I’m not drinking Moxie!”
“Flatlander,” everybody said in unison.
Bobby chimed in. “Tyler mentioned you’re thinking about joining the carnival committee? ”
“Yeah, I spoke with Gladys. There’s a meeting tomorrow. She squealed a bunch. So I think they’re excited? Be honest. Did I make a huge mistake?”
“Nah.” He waved his hand. “You’ll love Walter and Harvey.” Could it be the same Harvey from the cemetery? “They’re a riot. Most of the work is put on by the summer baseball league and their parents. The planning committee just makes sure all the attractions show up.”
“So it’s an honorary title?”
Bobby shook his head. “Don’t say that to them. They’ll have you believe that without their efforts, the entire event would fall apart.”
Small-town politics, big-city drama. It’d give me a reason to get out of the house. Evie might complain about me not helping lug boxes, but I think having time alone in Mimi’s house gave her a chance to process her emotions. Unlike before, I always checked in when I walked in the door. Since she arrived, we both put in effort to rekindle our relationship.
“Unless you want me to stay and help?—”
Evie threw her hands up. “No. I get more accomplished when you’re not there pining over every photo. Consider this your penance.”
“You just want to be alone with the pie.”
Her eyebrows waggled up and down. “That sweet, sweet pie.”
“Speaking of.” Bobby turned his empty plate upside down. “Chris, are you done destroying dinner?”
Bobby’s boyfriend stepped into the living room, his apron covered in food. He pointed to the light brown stain. “Dinner’s served. We’ll be having pot roast.” Then, to the orange streak. “Carrot stuff. Somewhere there are potatoes, but like, fancy potatoes.”
“Cheesy potatoes aren’t fancy,” Simon said.
Everybody’s head shot up. Bobby led the charge to the dining room, nearly tripping as he climbed over Lucy. “Hurry up. They have fancy potatoes!”
Jason came charging down the stairs. “Hi, Jon. Hi, Evie.” He barely gave us a second glance as he chased after Bobby. “I heard right. Fancy potatoes!”
“This is so Maine,” Evie said, getting up and walking with Lucy. “What’s next?”
“Hush,” Lucy said. “Or they’ll break out the deer jerky.”
Yup. Definitely Maine.
“Is everybody ready for the photoshoot?” Chris couldn’t help but smile. I had already heard about his strip tease during a spaghetti dinner. Getting naked for an audience doesn’t seem to faze him. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was using it as an excuse to take off his clothes.
“I need to shave,” Jason said.
“We don’t need that image,” Lucy chimed in.
“I meant my face! I’m not getting in front of a camera until I’ve trimmed, moisturized, oiled, and waxed.”
“You’re serious?” Evie asked. “You’re all going to whip it out for the camera? ”
Everybody stared at their empty plates, afraid to answer Evie’s question. It was Lucy who, after her third glass of wine, lacked any inhibition. “They’re avoiding eye contact cause I bet every one of them has done this before.”
Evie looked around the table until her nose scrunched up at me. “Ew.” Alright, I couldn’t blame her. I didn’t want to think of her naked, either.
Jason picked his phone up off the table. “I’m sure if I look on my phone?—”
“Don’t you dare!” Simon said.
The table burst out in laughter. Lucy might have dirt on Simon, but she wasn’t the only one who had a sexy photo of him on their phone. Jason glared at me as if he had read my mind. Okay, don’t tell his boyfriend that Jason shared photos of him in a leather harness and chaps. Note made.
“I think it’s going to be fun.” Bobby shoveled another helping of cheesy potatoes on his plate. “I mean, it’s just a handful of guys being dorks.”
“Showing off your dorks,” Evie said.
“When has that ever stopped us?” he said. “Besides, you’ve already seen me naked.”
All heads turned toward Evie. Her face turned three shades of red. She wasn’t getting out of there until she explained. I’m pretty sure Jason and Chris would block her exit while Simon and Tyler held her down. She had a secret, and we needed the dirt.
“He was thirteen.” She spoke as if that would suffice. It did not. “He was helping Abraham plant in the garden and he went to wash off. Apparently, somebody doesn’t care if the neighbors’ windows look over their backyard.”
“I wasn’t the one taking in all the sexy,” Bobby mumbled while filling his mouth with more potatoes. “Can’t blame you.”
The table erupted in laughter. I hadn’t laughed this much since… I couldn’t remember. I loved Jason like a brother and now, by extension, Simon. Growing up with Bobby next door, I couldn’t help but love him and Chris. As I moved from face to face, I realized these people were the friends I always needed. When I got to Tyler, I caught him snorting as usual. We locked eyes.
I didn’t know what was going on with him. My thoughts of him jumbled as I tried to separate the romantic fondness of our first kiss and what that meant when compared to our situation now. Were the feelings in the pit of my stomach from a memory, or were they rumblings about the future? It got complicated, and they always ended with us sharing a kiss goodbye. I didn’t want to deal with complicated worries about the future. Living in the moment mattered.
I smiled at the adorable librarian.
Jason picked up his phone. The expression of dread on his face stopped the roar around the table. Simon and Bobby picked up their phones, and similar expressions crossed their faces.
“What is happening?” Eve whispered.
When Tyler and Chris followed suit, I realized all the locals had received a text message. “Oh, no. ”
“What’s wrong?” asked Lucy.
“They know,” Jason whispered.
Lucy couldn’t help but snicker. She covered her mouth, apparently catching onto the joke before Evie or me. What would— Oh. No.
“Country boys!” Evie cried. “Explain!”
I gripped her leg under the table. “They activated the text chain.”
“Who are they? Why are you all acting like?—”
“Gladys,” Jason said. “She just texted half the town.” Evie looked at me, confusion scribbled across her face. “Firefly. Our library is in trouble. Our boys are trying to save the day with a saucy calendar.”
“She didn’t,” Chris said. “What am I saying? Of course, she did.”
“Bring snacks. Let’s make sure they show their good side.” Jason looked up from his phone. “Then she inserted a lot of eggplant emojis.”
“So many eggplants,” Simon said.
“Is this a big deal?” Evie asked.
“It means half the town will be there,” Jason said.
“With pie,” I added.
“Gloria,” Chris whispered. “Gloria is going to be there.”
“Yay for town support, right?” Oh, Evie, such an innocent flatlander. She didn’t understand that when the town got involved, they got involved.
“Gloria is Chris’s biggest fan,” Simon said.
“So there I was, put up for auction like a piece of cheap meat.” Chris didn’t just tell the story; he acted it out. “The music starts, and I give the crowd a little of this,” —he thrust his hips— “and a little of this.” He shook his booty. “And then in walks Gloria with a wad of money.”
“Close enough to the truth,” Bobby said.
I watched Tyler’s face as Chris continued his story. There were some handsome men at this table, but only one caught my attention. Thinking about the treehouse as I dozed on his shoulder or the heart-to-heart at the drive-in, I wrestled with the conflict. I wanted to know more about him, but the more this thing between us grew, the harder it’d be when I said farewell. Perhaps I spent too much time letting the outcome ruin the moment? I’m sure Mimi would have a pithy saying that mentioned throwing caution to the wind. For her… for him … I’d try.
“Thanks for having us,” I said.
“Don’t mention it,” Jason replied. “I’m glad you could finally make it.” He held his arms, pulling me in for a hug. Jason gave the best hugs. It might have been why I had such a big crush on him as a kid. He always hugged just a little longer than a straight man. I loved those few extra seconds.
“Same to you.” He let go, doing the same for Evie. I couldn’t help but giggle as she stiffened. As kids, she tolerated Jason and me with our sleepovers. When we got loud, she’d complain to Mimi, asking if she’d make us camp in the backyard .
“I’m glad you’re here, Evie.” She didn’t bat an eyelash at him using her nickname. He was just as close to a brother as me. “Take care of each other.”
He stood in the doorway as we walked back to the car. I had hoped for a few minutes alone with Tyler, but Simon had put him to work washing the dishes. I’d have to settle for sending him goofy selfies.
“Ready to head back to Mimi’s?”
She nodded. There had been laughter and more inside jokes than I could keep up with. As dinner moved into dessert, Evie had grown quiet. I wanted to ask what was going through her mind, but I didn’t dare pry. We had a good night together, and the last thing I wanted to do was upset a small victory.
We walked to the car, and I watched as she kept her eyes fixated on her feet. As we climbed into the car, I couldn’t ignore it anymore. Did I ask what was wrong? Would I be intruding? What’s the worst that happened? We go back to not talking?
“Did you have a good time?” Subtle. Get her talking before sorting through our emotional baggage.
“Yeah.” She buckled her seatbelt and clasped her hands in her lap. “Yeah. Your friends are great.”
“Seemed like you and Lucy hit it off? Jason says she doesn’t warm up to people very fast.”
Awkward small talk. She wasn’t a stranger. At least then we could discuss the weather or the farmer’s market. I turned the key, the engine breaking the silence between us. I pulled back, wondering how fast I could drive the one-point-six miles? Did Firefly even have cops?
“She’s not what I expected. Lucy, I mean.”
“Think she was going to be a bearded woman?”
“Actually, yes.” She whistled. “And she’d be a good-looking one, let me tell you.”
“Her and Simon could share trimmers.” I had to give a soft laugh. “Well, that got weird.” She grew quiet. “I don’t want to be nosey, but is everything okay?” We had been under the same roof for over a week, and it still felt as if we were strangers staying in the same bed-and-breakfast.
“Yeah. I mean…” She trailed off. I held my tongue, letting her decide how much she wanted to share. “This all has been a lot. It’s weird being in Firefly and not having Mimi around. It’s just bringing up a lot of stuff.”
I wanted to say she could talk to me if she needed to. The words should be easy. Vocal cords should vibrate until my lips formed the words. But they didn’t have the frequency to cut through years of pain. Instead of filling the silence with concern, I let the sound of wheels on gravel hide my cowardice.
“Thanks for inviting me.” She kept her eyes forward as I stole glances. “You have a wonderful group of friends.”
“We’ll have to do this again.”
I owed Evie an honest conversation about what created this void between us. I knew what I should do, and yet I bit my tongue. It’d mean admitting all the ways things went wrong. It’d be the antithesis of the conversations I had with Tyler. I preached radical love, but my heart hung heavy as I found myself unable to follow through.
I glanced in the rearview mirror, expecting to see Mimi shaking her head.
We pulled into the driveway, and my hand hovered over the key. As soon as I flicked it to the right, the engine died, and the silence came rushing in. It highlighted the lack of my voice and the words I should be saying. Evie opened her door while I lingered.
“You coming?”
“Give me a minute. I need to text Jason.”
She shut the door and headed toward the porch. Despite our city ways, we honored Mimi’s open-door policy. Evie gave me one last glance before shutting the door. I let out a long sigh, trying to wrap my head around the situation.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
Two words, and yet they conjured years of pain. Some people might say they didn’t know when they fell out of touch with a friend. For us, I could pinpoint it. When Mimi told us about Mom and Dad, she tried to hold a stoic face. Our grandmother hugged us tightly for what seemed like an eternity. While Evie confronted her grief, I shut down. That hug. It had been the last time I acted like the brother she deserved.
I glanced at the rearview mirror, convinced Mimi remained buckled in the center seat. Wiping the tears from the corners of my eyes, I sucked in a ragged breath, steadying myself. I accepted Mimi’s death. As I learned about the rich life she lived, the grief diminished. She had lived… adventured.
Pushing the door open, I climbed out of the car. I couldn’t waste the opportunity with Evie. Perhaps not all adventures were grand. Maybe some were small, intimate moments that required sorting through the pain? I didn’t know how or when, but if I was going to make the life I wanted, I think it started with an apology.
I only needed to muster the courage to speak.