thirty-three | will
THIRTY-THREEWill
No one tells me anything.
“Aren’t you shorthanded at the Grill?”
“Reeve’s brothers are filling in for me for a few hours.” Knox glances at Emberly. “She’s running a few minutes late, but she’ll be here.”
I narrow my eyes at Emberly. “You talked Reeve into this, too?”
“She volunteered.” Emberly hands Knox a Mason jar filled with plastic knives. “I have to run back to my cabin and get something. Can you keep an eye on the campfire?”
Knox bows. “As you wish.”
Emberly flashes a smile and I want to shove my best friend into a swamp infested with rodents of unusual size.
Cab returns and dumps an armful of logs at our feet. I remember when she could only carry one at a time.
“There’s a weird looking pizza in our fridge. Could you heat it up?” I tell her. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Sure!”
I wonder if she’ll be this agreeable after she turns thirteen.
I wait until she and Emberly are both out of earshot before I turn on my best friend.
“What are you doing here?” I repeat.
“Eating my weight in pudgy pies hopefully.”
“I’ll rephrase. Why are you doing this? If it’s to make sure that I don’t fall for a Category Two again—”
“I’m doing it because it’s a good idea, Idiot. Food brings people together. It makes them happy. And happy people leave nice reviews and come back next summer.”
I feel a stab of guilt that I questioned Knox’s motives, but I’m still not sure about Reeve. She knows how devastated I was when Serena left.
“I’m going home to make sure Cab saves a few slices of pizza for me,” I tell Knox. “Even though there’s nothing on it but a few tomatoes and blades of grass.”
“Fine with me. I’ll stay here and wait for Reeve. Unless you’re afraid I’ll steal your girl?” Knox wiggles his eyebrows.
“Emberly is not my girl.” To prove it, I walk away.
Cab and Juni are waiting for me in the kitchen.
“This is going to be so great, Will.” Cab picks off the basil (I knew it) and tucks into a slice. “It’s going to be like game night.”
“Game night?”
“That’s what we did when the lights went out.”
I shake my head, but it doesn’t dislodge a memory. “When was that?”
“I don’t know.” Cab shrugs. “Dad hooked up the generator in the garage and everyone at the resort came over.”
“Did Brighton or Lexi tell you about that?” I ask the question carefully because I never know if it’s Cab’s memory or if she’s repeating a story we told her.
“No. I remember Mom made popcorn.” She jumps up and puts her plate in the sink. “I gotta get back and help Emberly.”
I pop the last piece of crust into my mouth and follow her to the door. I’ll have to tell Knox that his meatless pizza lands at a respectable seven point five.
There’s already a crowd gathered around the banquet table and I see several fishermen tying up their boats at the dock.
When Cab and I reach the firepit, Reeve is there. She and Emberly are deep in conversation, which worries me a little. Knox already has a fan club, a group of college-age girls who checked in with the Drummond party.
By the time the competition starts, I count twenty-five guests awaiting instructions from Emberly. I claim one of the Adirondack chairs and watch the show.
Emberly is a natural emcee. Confident and funny, with a winsome smile that puts everyone at ease.
It’s when she links arms with Reeve and Knox, though, that my gut twists a little.
This morning at breakfast, she sat down at the table and devoured pancakes like she’d been part of our Saturday morning ritual from the beginning.
Serena had never warmed up to my friends and the feeling was mutual.
“One of our judges tonight is Reeve Wilde, whose family runs Wilde River Adventures just down the road from here. If you want to unplug and unwind for a few hours or a few days, talk to her after the competition.” Emberly waits for the applause to die down before she smiles at Knox.
“Judge Number Two is Chef Knox Westland from the Off-Road Grill. Pudgy Pies aren’t on the menu, but if you’ve never tried a brat burger, I suggest you make a reservation to be amazed. ”
The title of chef isn’t entirely accurate, but Knox doesn’t correct her.
I thought Emberly had convinced my friends to give up an evening because she needed bodies, but she’d come up with a creative way to provide free advertising for their businesses. And I’m guessing it was by design rather than accident. Knox was right. I am an idiot.
“Here are the rules,” Emberly is saying. “We’re separating you into three categories according to age. Once the timer starts, you’ll have ten minutes to choose your ingredients and make a pudgy pie.
“We’ll be awarding prizes based on taste, creative use of ingredients, and overall appearance. But everyone is a winner, because you’ll get to make another one for yourself after the judging.”
A cheer erupts and the competitors take their places at the table.
The next hour is mayhem, but no one seems to care.
Cab hands out the prizes, which are coupons for a free hot fudge sundae or shake at the Dairy Den.
The last contestant, a boy about her age, turns red when Cab smiles at him but then trails behind her like a stray puppy as she walks back to the bonfire.
“Harrison Henry Michaels the Third,” Emberly whispers. “Seventh grade. Lives in Des Moine. Captain of the middle school Lego team. He’s also afraid of the water, so you can rest easy this week.”
It’s a little scary she knows what I’m thinking.
“How did you find all that out?” I whisper back. “Is part-time hacker on your resume next to party planner?”
“I talk to people.” Emberly smiles. “And Harrison has a very proud mama.”
“Fear of water would definitely be a deal breaker.” I feel better about this than I should.
I mean, it’s not like Cab is old enough for a serious boyfriend, but there’s going to be a first crush followed by a broken heart someday.
And I’m really hoping that someday is ten … maybe twenty … years from now.
“Will?”
Carol Anne Gilford bustles up to us, a Dairy Den coupon clutched in her hand. She’s one of the few regulars this week and beat out a Drummond cousin for The Most Creative Use of Ingredients entry with her combination chocolate chip, strawberry and gouda pudgy pie.
“How are you, Mrs. Gilford?” I might be running Pinehart now, but she and her husband have been coming to the resort since I was in middle school, so it doesn’t seem right to call her by her first name.
“Wonderful!” She holds up the coupon with a giddy smile. “I just wanted to tell you how much fun we had tonight. Marty and I have always loved coming here, but it’s fun to see you branching out and trying something new.”
I am not branching out. Or trying something new. This is all Emberly. And when she leaves, there won’t be karaoke, SUP yoga, or pudgy pie competitions. No matter how much the guests might enjoy some group activities, I don’t have the time or the mind space … or the personality … to implement them.
“I’m glad you had fun.”
Mrs. Gilford pats my arm. “Your parents would be so proud of you.”
I’m not ready when grief takes me by the throat and squeezes.
Ben, the pastor of Cedar Bridge Community church, warned me not to be surprised when that happens.
I don’t experience it on a daily basis anymore, but I found out he was right.
Grief never really leaves, it just lies dormant until something, a familiar place, a sound, a memory, shakes it free again.
I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out.
“Mrs. Gilford, when you use that coupon for the Dairy Den, I recommend the peanut butter shake,” Emberly says. “It’s almost as good as your pudgy pie.”
“Oh!” Mrs. Gilford beams. “I’ll have to try it. Marty promised he’d take me there tomorrow.”
She flits away and the grief adjusts its grip, allowing me to breathe again. I don’t trust my ability to speak though.
Emberly doesn’t fill the silence. She steps closer and reaches for my hand.
The warmth of her skin chases the chill away. Takes me back to the tree house, when I told her things about the accident that I’d never told anyone else. And it also takes me into the future, flooding my brain with the what ifs that kept me awake last night.
What if I made room in my life for a relationship?
What if this life is enough for someone?
If I’m enough.
My gaze drops to Emberly’s lips.
What if I kiss her?
Maybe she can read my mind because her lips part. I weave my fingers through hers and the movement brings her another inch closer.
I want to feel her arms around me again. I want to kiss her until her smile becomes part of me. I want so much it hurts.
And it’s going to hurt even more when she leaves.
“I have to get back to the Grill.”
Knox’s voice is too loud. And right behind us. I twist toward him, breaking the connection. Reeve is standing next to him and I let go out Emberly’s hand.
“I have to get home, too. There’s a potluck after the outdoor service tomorrow and I signed up to bring the potato salad.”
I’d forgotten about the potluck. Cab and I will have to make a quick stop at the deli on the way.
“I’ll see you guys there.”
They both smile, but I know better. My phone will be blowing up with messages all night.
Reeve wraps one arm around me in a side hug and whispers, “Don’t you dare turn it off.”
Because, apparently, she can read my mind, too.