Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Driving over to Levi and Jade’s later that afternoon, Devin wondered why he hadn’t done anything like this before. It wasn’t like he didn’t socialize with his friends or go out and do things, but this was the first time he’d been invited to a barbecue with this particular group of friends.
Huh, maybe we’re not as close as I thought?
Yeah, that thought went through his mind, but it was MacKenzie’s comment that really made the most sense.
“Did you ever notice that single people rarely host barbecues or casual get-togethers?” she asked while they were driving over.
“I mean, they’ll host parties for things like the Super Bowl, but rarely ever just invite you over for a potluck sort of thing.
Or maybe it’s just the way I’m looking at it. ”
“No, I don’t think it’s just you. I was kind of thinking the same thing.”
“Do you think it’s a couple’s thing? Like…you only get invited if you’re part of a couple?” Then she laughed, but he had a feeling she hit the nail right on the head.
He hadn’t been part of a couple in a long time–around the same amount of time it had been since he’d gone to something like this. If it were a town event, he was there, but when it was a smaller get-together, he couldn’t remember when he was on the guest list.
Unless it was guys’ night for poker or to watch whatever sport was currently in season.
It was crazy to be annoyed by this revelation, but for some reason, he was.
“Guess being a nice person isn’t grounds for getting invited anymore,” he murmured.
“Oh, I don’t look at it like that,” she countered.
“When you’re single, it can be seriously annoying to be around couples.
Especially those who are newly dating and think everything they do is adorable.
” She groaned. “They are the worst. After that, it’s newlyweds.
All they want to do is talk about their wedding and honeymoon, and, ugh… enough!”
Devin couldn’t help but laugh because she was spot on.
“The couples who’ve been married a long time, however, are entertaining at first, and then get annoying.”
“Okay, now this I’ve got to hear.”
“They’re comfortable with who they are, but also have a ton of advice that most people didn’t ask for.
That starts out entertaining–especially if you’re not the one they’re advising.
But then, the spouse who’s been quiet up until that point, suddenly chimes in and then they start either arguing with each other, or have to explain to everyone why each other is wrong. Annoying.”
For a moment, Devin thought about the different couples he knew and he had to admit that she pretty much described all of them.
“Wow,” he said with amusement. “I don’t think I ever paid that much attention or people watched that closely, but…you’re right.”
“Kevin and I were the worst couple to be around because we just didn’t care and usually brought our bad moods and arguments everywhere we went.” She shuddered. “So glad that’s over.”
Reaching for her hand, he gave it a squeeze. “Me too.”
And when she smiled at him, he realized just how happy he was to be a part of this couple. He didn’t think they gave off that “everything we do is adorable” vibe, but maybe they would if this weren’t a temporary situation.
Way to bum yourself out right before we get to the barbecue, dufus…
So he pushed that thought aside, and fortunately, they were turning onto Jade and Levi’s block.
“This is the first time I’m seeing their house,” he admitted.
“They moved in not that long ago. Jade used to have a cute two-bedroom place around the corner from me. But with her and Levi getting together, they knew they needed a bigger place.” When he parked in front of their house, he let out a low whistle.
“This is easily three times the size of Jade’s old place. And the property is massive!”
“I have nothing to compare it to, but I’m still impressed. What a great front yard!” She paused. “Is that…is that a volleyball net I’m seeing over there?”
Volleyball was one of Devin’s favorite activities. It was always fun, and it was a good way to let his competitive nature come out and play, so he was thrilled when MacKenzie pointed the net out. “Do you play?” he asked.
“Me? No,” she replied with a hearty laugh. “Definitely not.”
“How come? It’s a great game!”
“I have a huge fear of getting hit in the face with the ball. And before you ask, yes, it’s happened before. More times than you think. Plus, I suck at it. When the ball isn’t hitting me directly in the face, I’m usually missing it, so…”
“So…that’s a hard no, then. Good to know.”
“Definitely a hard no.” Letting out a long sigh, she looked toward the house.
“Are you okay?”
Turning her head, she looked at him, but her smile seemed a little sad.
“I’m just…I’m not used to all of this–the togetherness all the time.
I never had a circle of friends who did everything together.
I’ve spent more time with Ashlynn and Avery in the last week than I’ve spent with some friends I’ve had since middle school. ”
“I get that, but…it’s not a bad thing, right? Because if you’re not comfortable, we don’t have to stay. Hell, no one really knows we’re here so…”
She looked out the window and shook her head. “Avery’s waving wildly right now, so…”
“So they know we’re here,” he finished for her. “Okay, but that still doesn’t mean we have to stay. We can go out there, stay for an hour, and then go. It’s totally up to you. If you want to stay, we’ll stay, but if you want to go, we’ll go.”
“I guess.”
“How about we come up with a code word?”
The look she gave him was full of confusion. “A code word?”
He nodded. “Yup. A word that doesn’t sound so wildly out of place, but one that if you say it, I’ll know it means you want to leave. Then I’ll make up the excuse and get us out of here.”
“Devin,” she whined. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I’ll be fine. I swear. Let’s just…let’s do this.”
“Pineapple.”
Now she looked at him like he was crazy. “Excuse me?”
“Pineapple,” he repeated. “That’s our codeword. If you say pineapple, I’ll know it’s time to go.”
“I doubt it will come to that.”
Together, they climbed out of his truck and grabbed the food before making their way to where everyone was hanging out. There were easily twenty to thirty people mingling in the massive yard, and it took almost an hour to walk around and chat with everyone before they started serving food.
There were hamburgers and hot dogs, grilled corn on the cob, barbecue chicken and ribs, and about a hundred different side dishes.
Everyone had brought something and the tables were overflowing with food.
They had made themselves a couple of plates before joining Ashlynn, Reid, Avery, and Leo at one of the many tables.
“I almost feel bad missing out on the festival today,” Avery said. “I know we’ve seen and done everything, but it feels wrong that we’re not there.”
“We’re going back tomorrow,” Leo assured her. “It’s been fun, but this is much better. No traffic, no fighting for a parking space, and no waiting in line for everything.”
“Except the food,” Reid said. “We’ve got enough people here that there were some waits to get a burger.”
“I can’t believe Jade threw all this together on such short notice. When we were all together last night watching the fireworks, she never mentioned anything about this,” MacKenzie commented.
“I think Silas was getting a little overstimulated,” Ashlynn explained. “This was a good compromise where they could still have some fun without dealing with all the noise and the crowds. But like Leo said, we’ll all be back there tomorrow for the big finale.”
“I heard they might have some big-name performer doing a show tomorrow night!” Avery said. “Did anyone else hear that? Who do you think it could be?”
“I can’t imagine it’s anyone really big,” Ashlynn countered. “There’s no way they could pull something like that off. And besides, this is a little mountain town ski resort, not Las Vegas, for crying out loud. It’s not like Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran would want to come here.”
“Hey, you don’t know that,” Reid teased with a wink.
“Whoever it is, I’m sure it will be good,” MacKenzie added. “The sound was phenomenal last night.”
“It was!” Avery agreed. “And I also heard that this could become an annual thing! How cool would that be?”
“It would be even better if they combined it with the Fourth of July festival,” Leo suggested. “Not that there’s anything wrong with ours, but if they did it up on the mountain and actually waited for the fourth to do just one massive firework show, I think it could be fairly epic.”
“Any idea who we would have to talk to about that?” Ashlynn asked to no one in particular.
“My guess would be whoever organized this year’s event. The resort clearly has an event coordinator,” Reid said.
“Maybe,” Devin added. “But I thought I heard this was of the investor’s team's efforts to draw people back to the resort? Or am I wrong?”
“I’ll have to ask Levi,” Ashlynn said. “He worked closely with all of them, so maybe I should start with him.”
“Ask Levi what?” Levi said as he walked over and joined them.
“About doing the festival at the resort again next year, but for the Fourth of July,” Ashlynn explained.
“I’ll bring it up at the next meeting. In the meantime, who’s up for some volleyball?”
That was all the encouragement Devin needed before jumping to his feet. Looking at MacKenzie, he asked, “You good?”
She nodded. “Go have fun!”
As soon as Devin, Reid, and Leo were gone, the girls moved in close. “Okay, what’s going on with you?” Avery asked.
MacKenzie’s eyes went wide. “Me? What do you mean?”
“We might not have known each other very long, but we can totally tell you’ve got something on your mind,” Ashlynn explained. “Did you and Devin have a fight?”