10. Chapter 10 #3
“And so neither of us was too hot or too cold,” Gloria adds with a little laugh.
“But it was all worth it.” Patty looks at Tallahassee, grief clouding her eyes.
Nash also notices Tallahassee’s distress. I’m grateful when he changes the subject, even when it lands on me. “Why Warlock?”
I retell the same story about how I got my callsign.
Patty scrunches up her face. “That makes no sense. Darren wasn’t a warlock.”
Like Patty, Gloria seems genuinely confused. “You’d need to be Uncle Arthur or Maurice.”
“Those are horrible nicknames,” Patty tells Gloria.
“Or Dr. Bombay,” Nash pipes in.
I can’t help my amusement. No one ever understood my nickname without an explanation, and this whole family gets it.
“Hey, remember when Tallahassee thought she was abnormal because she was straight?” Nash muses with a laugh.
Tallahassee shakes her head. From their reactions, it’s obvious he’s told this story on multiple occasions. “Stow it, Nash,” Tallahassee warns.
“No, let him talk. This sounds interesting,” I interject.
“Our parents liked girls. I liked boys. And poor Tallahassee couldn’t understand why she liked boys too. She thought something was wrong with her,” Nash tells us with a laugh.
Tallahassee’s cheeks turn pink, and she drops her head to her chest. “Kill me now.”
I release her hand, stretching my arm across the back of her chair. My need to touch her is strong so I begin stroking my fingers between her shoulder blades.
“You need some new material,” she admonishes. “Why do I put up with you?”
He waggles his eyebrows at her. “Because you love me.”
“Not right now I don’t,” she tells him, but she’s smiling when she takes a generous gulp of her soda.
I drop my head close to hers. “I have to say, I’m thrilled it worked out that way.”
I’m near enough my breath ruffles her hair. My own body reacts when a shiver rolls through her.
My dad’s smiling when he decides to join in and embarrass me by regaling the group with a humiliating story of his own.
“When Darren was eight, he climbed up on the roof with a towel tied around his shoulders like a cape. He thought he could fly like Superman. Luckily, I stopped him before he jumped and broke his neck.”
“Always the superhero,” Tallahassee teases with a smile.
“Who’s up for a game of poker?” Cynthia suggests during a lull in the conversation.
“Tallahassee’s the worst poker player in the world,” Nash informs us, pushing away from the table to get the cards and chips. “Which chaps her hide since she’s so competitive.”
“It’s not my fault cards hate me. And you’re one to talk about being competitive,” Tallahassee fires back once he returns and she begins doling out equal piles of chips to all of us.
With the way they bicker and tease each other, you’d never guess Tallahassee and Nash aren’t biological brother and sister.
“You’re both equally competitive. It’s a tie,” Patty, ever the peacemaker, asserts adamantly. “And don’t blame the cards, they’re innocent.”
“Dice like you,” Gloria tells Tallahassee with conviction.
Nash shuffles and deals the cards. After several hands, it’s obvious that he was right, Tallahassee is not a good poker player. She grimaces when her cards are bad and grins and bounces in her seat, eager to bet, when they’re good. She has no poker face whatsoever.
Tallahassee is sitting between me and my dad. When she happens to glance my way, she catches me looking at her cards.
“Hey!” She turns her cards the other way, then catches my dad peeking at them. “Hey! The Stevens boys are big cheaters,” she complains.
“You’ve got a handful of nothing, honey,” I tell her with a grin.
Honey? What the hell? That’s the second time an endearment has slipped out of me.
I’m relieved when she doesn’t react to this one either. “I’m aware, cheater. I’ll take four.”
Nash laughs. “Of course, you will.”
Hours later, when we get ready to leave, we’re all hugged warmly by Patty and Gloria.
I enjoyed myself immensely today. This house is a home. Full of noise, love, laughter, and life. Tallahassee’s family is amazing. It felt good to hang out and have a great time with them. I hope I’m invited back again soon.
Watching my dad talk, laugh, and have fun. Seeing the obvious mutual attraction between him and Cynthia was entertaining. I don’t know the last time I saw him this happy.
But seeing Tallahassee relaxed, open, and carefree felt like someone reaching inside me and squeezing my heart. The lightness in her—her walls and shields down—was such a contradiction to the haunted look she normally wears.
“I had a wonderful time. Your family is delightfully charming,” Dad tells Tallahassee when we arrive back at Nash’s place.
“I’m glad you had a good time.” She kisses his cheek, they say their goodbyes, and I walk her to the door.
“My dad’s right. Your family’s great. I had a good time too. Thank you for inviting us.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed yourselves.”
I hear her soft gasp when I take a risk and place a lingering kiss on her forehead.
“Goodnight, Tallahassee.”
Her echoed reply is breathless. “Goodnight, Darren.”