Chapter 11
Gabriel
My brother, Alec, has this habit of talking with his hands when he’s got some big emotions. So, when both his mouth and his hands are going like crazy, I know it’s bad. His wife, Oakley, is looking on, amused.
And yes, we tease him about his big emotions. We shouldn’t.
But we do.
“I never thought I’d see the day when you were on the outs with Dad.”
Alec’s arms go wide.
I adjust my chair at the outdoor theater overlooking Longdale Lake. He’s Sebastian’s activities president, or CEO of Fun, the misnomer the family gave him when he came to Longdale after his pro football career-ending injury. He and Sebastian dreamed up this addition on a ridge near the resort, on the edge of the property. It’s an amphitheater with every amenity the local acting troupe and other performing artists could need or want. And it was a gift to Elianna from Sebastian, in the hopes of winning her back.
It worked.
I ignore Alec’s comment because I don’t know what to say. It hurts. And I did it to myself.
“Do you know the details of what happened? Of what I did?”
I need to have a family meeting and make sure everyone’s on the same page about what happened in Prague. Not tonight, though. Tonight is about Milo.
That doesn’t stop me from thinking about River.
“I’ve heard some things. Yeah.”
Alec grabs Oakley’s hand, and she lifts her other one to put her sunglasses on top of her head. Her ponytail swishes in the lakeside breeze.
“I’m not going to make any excuses. It was as bad as probably everyone has said. And knowing you all are talking about it makes my skin crawl. Makes me want to fly right back to Europe and do the pilgrimage thing all over again. Which is saying something.”
It wasn’t the physical aspect, although I did get blisters and a sore back and knees from all the walking, it was the mental. Of having all day, every day to torture myself with guilt over what I did. Except, if I wasn’t all in my head about it, I’d have to listen to everyone else’s conversations and there’s only so much of that I could take.
“We all make mistakes, Gabriel,”
Oakley says. “Sounds like you’re fixing things. I don’t think you need to worry too much about it anymore. It’ll blow over.”
“Dad’s not going to stay mad at you for very long,”
Alec says. He takes a long drink from his water bottle and then glances at his phone. “Hold on. I’ve got landscapers coming to get this area ready for the party and I have to give them some instructions.”
He stands and holds his phone to his ear, walking towards the lake.
When I don’t respond, Oakley offers a small smile. “In a way, I’ve been where you are,”
she says. “I lost my dream job and my lying thief of a boyfriend in one fell swoop. It was rough.”
She drags the word out and shakes her head. “But it brought me here, and now I can’t imagine my life anywhere else. And Alec is . . .”
she smiles and ducks her head, adjusting the neckline of her t-shirt. She crosses her leg and pumps her sneakered foot. “Well, Alec’s my person. And I don’t take for granted the fact that I had to hit rock bottom in order to find him. It’s funny how things work out.”
When I only nod, she continues. “It’s a sort of swinging pendulum. One minute we’re on top of the world, the next minute, we’re flat on our backside, wondering what just happened. It’s hard, but rest assured, it’s going to be okay. There’s always hope.”
“Thanks. It’s not good. But I’m just going to keep going . . . keep trying to get my old life back. I think my dad will come around eventually.”
Here’s to hoping he comes around after I’m married to River for a year.
Married to River. It’s actually going to happen. We’ll go to the family party tonight, be a true couple, convince my dad we’re in love. Then we’ll elope to the county courthouse and voila! The countdown to my return to Foundations begins.
“Well, good luck,”
Oakley says, sliding her necklace charm along the chain. “I mean that sincerely. And if your old life isn’t what comes back around for you, try to trust that whatever it is, it’s a thousand times better than what you had before.”
She grins.
I don’t see how that’s possible, but I appreciate the sentiment.
She excuses herself to go to her physical therapy internship, and when Alec returns after his phone call, he’s managed to wrangle up two more of our brothers: Oliver and Milo.
“Where are Sebastian and Henry? Then we could wrestle like the old days.”
My eyes scan the tree line at the rim above the resort. “Or try to find Maverick the donkey. I heard he’s still around somewhere.”
“He’s still around,”
Oliver says. “But right now, Henry’s holed up in his security office, so I doubt he can come, and you know Sebastian can’t spare the time.”
“When are Mom and Dad getting here?”
I ask, my heart thrumming in my ears at the thought of having to see Dad again.
“Not until late afternoon,”
Milo says. “Then we’re going to party.”
“Which means I’ve got a ton to do before I can allow myself to relax with the family.”
Oliver scowls.
“Sebastian’s overworking you now, huh?” I ask.
“It’s more like I’m overworking him.”
Oliver smirks.
“And how have you been filling your time since you got here?”
I ask Milo. Please give me some tips because I’m going crazy not working in an office.
Milo shrugs. “Sleeping. Eating. The chef upstairs at The Summit restaurant is legit.”
He glances back at Oliver’s retreating form. “Give me the deets on River,”
he whispers.
“I’m not going to talk about this with you.”
“Why not? I’m the only one who knows. Don’t you want to talk things out? This is a big deal, man.”
He’s right. It’s so far off the beaten path for me that it feels wrong. But everything I’ve done the past few weeks has been off the beaten path.
When I don’t say anything, he continues. “Fine. Don’t talk to me.”
“How about we talk about your future plans? What are you going to do with your life now that you’re graduated, huh? Because you know that at the party tonight, you’re going to be asked that fifty times.”
It’s a low blow and the instant I say it, I feel bad. I know Milo doesn’t know where he wants to work, and that’s been a concern for him and our dad. He’s given Milo an offer of employment, but so has Sebastian. Milo knows I want him in Denver. It’s a lot of pressure.
When he grows mute, his mouth in a severe line, I point. “You don’t like being badgered, either.”
“Okay, okay. I know. Still. Tonight’s the big debut for you and River. The big setup so that no one’s in complete shock about you two eloping next week.”
“They’re still going to be in shock, regardless of if they meet her first or not.”
“That’s true,”
Milo says. “But it will help. I think they’ll all be able to accept it better if they see you together and in love first, you know?”
“Together and in love?”
I feel my brows rise, nerves broiling in my belly.
“Yeah. You guys have practiced what you’re going to say and do, right? This has to be natural. If Dad thinks you’re faking it, he’ll never give you your job back.”
“I know. I was thinking she and I would just sort of play it by ear.”
“Play it by ear?”
His look holds concern. “No. You’ve got to have a plan.”
“We only have a few hours until Mom and Dad get here, there’s not time.”
“I can try to help in the moment. I can talk about how I heard you were dating long-distance weeks ago. But there’s only so much I can do.”
“It helps that River already knows most of the family.”
“That’s a bonus. Or not. Because if they already know her and think that she’d never fall for you, that could potentially be a problem. Look. You two sort of have a thing going. Just ramp it up and you’ll be fine. Let it free. And practice how you’re going to answer the questions.”
“Why would there be questions?”
Milo’s head drops to the side as if to say, How could you doubt me? “Because Dad’s going to be extremely suspicious.”
“I was trying not to think about that possibility.”
“It’s going to be fine. What’s her favorite color?” he asks.
“How would I know? Why is that even relevant?”
“Because women care about color, okay?”
Milo insists. “And food. You know the saying, ‘Feed me tacos and tell me I’m pretty?’ That’s like the truest statement in the world.”
He leans forward on his elbows. “You get those two things down, and there’s hope. If you can’t provide those two basic needs, for a woman to feel desired and special and for her to be fed and taken care of?”
He punctuates the last few words, “There is no hope.”
“And what makes you the expert on this? You’ve been in college the past few years. Women in college are nothing like women in the real world.”
Milo gives me a look like I’m a newb. “Your misgivings about women are worse than I thought. No wonder you got dumped.”
At my growl, he jumps up to standing from the bench, his hands out. “Sorry! Too soon? Just do the prep and then look at her like she’s the sun, the moon, and the stars. And by the end of the night, Mom and Dad will be practically begging you to marry her.”
I can’t help laughing. “We can only hope.”
Milo starts to walk away, probably to find food. The guy always had a hollow leg. He whirls back around and returns to the table. “There’s a spark there. Just don’t fight it. Let it blossom, and you’ll be fine.”
He claps his hands together. “My middle bro is getting married!”
He grins and I shush him. “Oops. That might have been a little loud. But still.”
He waves his arms down. “I’m happy for you, man.”
“It’s not real. You remember this, right?”
I lower my voice even more. “It’s not real, and it’s going to end.”
Milo gives a knowing smile. “Whatever you say.”