Chapter Five
Lennon
“H ere are the keys,” Sebastian says. He hands me a Welcome to the Island key ring with keys attached, two silver and one bronze.
“The silver ones work the back door and deadbolt. The bronze is for the utility room beside the outdoor shower, where we keep the beach supplies. Feel free to use anything you want. There are sand blankets, tents, chairs, coolers, and everything else you could need. It’s also where I keep the garbage bins. Just pull them out to the curb on Sunday night and back in sometime Monday afternoon.”
I arrived at the airport in Wilmington this afternoon to start my thirty days of leave for the wedding of the year.
Why am I using thirty days of leave? Because my mother insisted that since I’m the best man, it’s my duty to be here for the lead-up to the main event, which includes, but is not limited to, a welcome party, tux fittings, guys-only fishing excursion, dance lessons, bachelor party, coed wedding shower—whatever the fuck that is—and a farewell brunch.
It’s like some royal prince is getting married instead of my baby brother.
I place the keys on the kitchen island.
“I thought you guys were moving in here. Wasn’t that the reason for the party last September?” I ask.
Sebastian purchased this oceanfront cabana as a fixer-upper and spent last summer remodeling it for his girls. The party was planned as a housewarming celebration, but he turned it into an engagement party with his surprise proposal that night.
Sebastian sighs. “That was the plan. Mine, at least. But the girls are happy at the cottage. It’s on a quiet cul-de-sac, Leia has her fairy garden, Nana and Gramps’ pool is across the street, and Ida Mae is next door. Here, there’s no yard, and the neighboring houses are rentals, so it gets noisy sometimes.”
“So, you guys are staying there?” I ask.
“We haven’t hammered out any details yet, but Nana has said that she and Gramps are willing to sell it to us. Avie pointed out that if we do expand our family down the road, adding on to the cottage would be a lot easier than here. It has a huge yard with lots of space to grow. This place already fills the entire lot, and the only way to grow is up.”
“That’s too bad. I know having a house on the beach is your dream,” I say.
He shrugs. “Dreams change. Now, I just want to be where my girls are happy.”
I nod as I look around.
“Well, you and Wade did a good job. It should generate premium rental income, or you can sell it for a good profit.”
He glances down at his phone and sighs.
“Something wrong?” I ask.
“Avie texted me while we were on our way back to say her mother showed up this morning. Looks like I’ll be getting the full mother-in-law experience ahead of the wedding,” he declares.
I laugh.
“It’s not funny. Avie’s already a nervous wreck, and her mother is going to drive her crazy,” he complains.
“Sorry, bro. I want to sympathize—I do—but it’s too much fun watching you suffer,” I say as I slap his back.
“Fucker,” he mumbles under his breath.
“Come on. Let’s get lunch, and I’ll buy you a beer,” I offer.
“Anson and Parker are waiting for me at the marina. We can swing by and grab them and head to the Barnacle Café.”
“Sounds good,” I say.
I retrieve a ball cap from the duffel bag I tossed on the bed and throw it on my head. Grabbing my wallet and phone, I shove them into my pocket, and we head out to meet the guys.
“I’ll have the cheeseburger plate with tots and a Sticky When Wet IPA. Thanks,” I order.
“Coming right up.”
The waitress tucks her pad into her apron and gathers our menus before heading to the bar.
“Now that Lennon is here, planning for the bachelor party weekend can commence,” Anson announces. “What are we thinking? Atlantic City? Vegas? Cabo?” He throws out suggestions.
Sebastian shakes his head.
“No can do, fellas. Avie is stressed out enough. I’m not going anywhere.”
Anson’s face twists into an expression of disgust. “Are you kidding me? You’re not even married yet, and she’s tightening the leash?”
Seb’s eyes cut to him. “I’m not on a leash. I just happen to care about the mental state of my bride, asshole.”
The waitress comes back with a tray and sets our beers and a round of water on the table.
Anson thanks her and then turns back to Sebastian. “Why do women get so worked up over weddings? It’s literally a thirty-minute ceremony, where the preacher man feeds you what to say, word for word. Slap rings on each other’s finger, kiss, and you’re done. What’s there to stress out about?”
Parker and I mumble our agreement.
“It’s all the other shit. The dresses, the hair, the food, the flowers, the seating arrangement, and the DJ list. I swear her mother has called every other day for the last six months to add or subtract something,” Sebastian gripes.
“It’s a beach wedding. All you need is a Jimmy Buffett tribute band, a pool with a floating bar, and a taco truck,” Anson says.
“And a bachelor-party weekend in Vegas,” Parker adds.
Anson points at him. “Exactly!”
“Sorry, guys, it’s not going to happen. You’ll have to settle for a night out somewhere around here.”
They both pout like a couple of ten-year-olds.
“Fine. But we’re going to spend the night in Wilmington, at the very least. A farewell to your freedom is a bigger deal than happy hour at Whiskey Joe’s,” Anson declares.
“Wilmington is fine. It’ll have to be the Friday night before the wedding. Every other night has an activity scheduled,” Sebastian agrees.
“I can’t believe we have to take dance lessons,” Parker gripes.
Wade’s girlfriend, Eden, is a dance teacher on the island, and as a favor, she agreed to give the entire wedding party a few easy dance instructions for the first dance.
“I’m not happy about that either. Why can’t we just sway back and forth, like normal men, while the girls dance?” I finally add my two cents to the conversation.
“My soon-to-be mother-in-law attended one of her friends’ daughter’s weddings last year, and the wedding party did the rumba, which wowed the crowd and looked ‘great on video,’” Sebastian explains, using air quotes.
Anson groans.
“Come on, guys. Eden promised she’d come up with something easy, and it’ll make Avie and her mom happy,” Sebastian pleads.
Parker clasps Anson’s shoulder. “We’ll be there, right?”
Anson grabs his mug and raises it in my brother’s direction with a forced smile planted on his face. “With bells on.”
Our food arrives as the conversation shifts from bachelor-party shenanigans to this evening’s plans.
“Mom and Dad want to have us over to grill out tonight,” Sebastian informs me.
“That’s fine, but Wade is picking me up around four to give me a lift to Oak Island.”
“Oak Island? What’s going on up there?”
Oak Island is another small barrier island off the North Carolina coast, a few miles north of Sandcastle Cove.
“I’ve got a meeting with a chief petty officer from the Coast Guard Station on Caswell Beach,” I reply.
“For what?” he asks.
“Don’t say anything to Mom or Nana, but I’m considering a transfer.”
His hand, holding his fork, stops halfway to his mouth, and his eyes snap to mine. “A transfer? What does that mean? You’d leave the Navy?”
“Thought the Navy and Coast Guard were the same thing?” Anson interjects.
“The Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security during peacetime, but under the command of the Navy during wartime,” I explain.
“So, it would be a lateral move?” Anson asks.
“Sort of. I would do an IST, which is an interservice transfer. The transfer allows officers to continue their service career without interruption, and since I’m an unrestricted line officer now, I could captain a Coast Guard vessel.”
“All I heard was blah, blah, blah officer,” he quips.
“Basically, I can transfer to the Coast Guard without giving anything up. Or I could retire and go into business with Wade, which he has offered up. Today, I’m going to feel out the transfer option.”
“What brought this on? I’ve never heard you talk about leaving the Navy before,” Seb asks.
I shrug. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about lately. I’d like to be around more now that Sebby and Sabel are getting older and with Dad’s recent health scares.”
“Would you have to live on Oak Island?” Parker asks.
I shake my head. “No. I could live here. I’d just go to work every day, like any other job.”
“When would you move?” Seb asks.
“I’d have to complete my current active-duty contract with the Navy, so it wouldn’t be until after the end of this year. Probably sometime early next spring.”
His face lights up at the prospect.
“Don’t get your hopes up. I’m just exploring my options. Nothing might come of it.”
“I’m not, but I’d love to have my big brother around more.”
A chime sounds from his pocket, and he fishes his phone out and looks at the screen. He frowns and taps on the glass as he stands and walks away from the table.
When he returns, he has a bemused look on his face.
“Looks like you’re going to have a roommate,” he says, the statement directed at me. “That was Avie. Amiya showed up this afternoon, and Avie sent her to the cabana, not realizing you were already settled there. She assumed you were staying at Wade’s.”
Wade’s home is filled to capacity with Eden; his son, Dillon, who’s in town for the summer with a friend in tow; and Eden’s brother.
“Wade has a full house,” I note.
I could ask him to see if Eden’s parents would let me rent their place for a few weeks.
“Yeah, I told her,” he says.
“You’re welcome to bunk on our couch. It pulls out,” Parker offers.
He and Anson have a two-bedroom condo not far from the cabana.
Great. Four weeks on a pullout bed doesn’t sound ideal.
“Avie said Amiya doesn’t have a problem with sharing the cabana if you’re fine with it.”
“Works for me.”
We order one more round and finish our meals before settling the check and heading out.
“Are you sure about this?” Seb asks on our way back to the cabana.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You don’t think things will be uncomfortable at all with what happened last year?”
“We had sex, Seb. It was good sex. One night of good sex. That’s it.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought with Avie too. But trust me, one night of good sex can turn into something else if you’re not careful,” he quips.
“Well, it has been nine months, and there’s no baby, so …” I tease.
His free hand comes up and punches me in the chest.
“Ouch. Fuck. I’m kidding.”
He smirks before his eyes return to the road, and his tone turns serious. “Even if there were no Leia, I think Avie and I would have made our way back to each other. That night in Hawaii, I knew she was different. It was good sex for sure, but somehow, it felt like more.”
I reach over and clutch my baby brother’s shoulder. “I’m happy you two found each other again. Avie’s amazing.”
“I’m a lucky son of a bitch.”
“That you are, bro. That you are.”