24. I’m Just Visiting #2
Ledger carries the card table to the stage, and Evelyn places a laptop on it. “Jace and Mackenzie were sad they couldn’t be here with you to celebrate, Charlie. But they didn’t want to miss out on your birthday, so they sent in their entry.” She presses play on a video.
It starts out with both of them, on a beach, saying, “Jace and Mackenzie present, How to Stay Undercover While on a Honeymoon !” Dramatic music plays during clips of things they’ve filmed while on their honeymoon in the most amazing setting I’ve ever seen.
Charlie told me that Mackenzie was a huge fan of spy movies, and I love that they used that theme in their video.
There are parts of their mini movie where they are very unsubtly sneaking places, trying on ridiculous costumes to avoid being noticed, attempting to blend into lounge chairs, and generally being comedically bad spies.
Mackenzie says things like, “Day four. Location: undisclosed. Temperature: offensively perfect. Mission: remain covert… and hydrated.”
And Jace says things like, “Most agents rely on earpieces. Amateurs. We use… the coconut comms system,” and “Suspect acquired. Repeat: subject is pacing. Wings flared. Possibly hostile.”
The best part is that they’re filming everything with other vacationers and locals in the background, very much noticing them, with expressions ranging from curious to amused to downright confused. It doesn’t seem to faze Jace or Mackenzie.
At the end of the video, Jace says, “In conclusion: stay alert.”
“Stay unpredictable,” Mackenzie adds.
“And never underestimate a seagull with a vendetta.”
Then, together, they both say, “And happy birthday, Charlie!”
Mackenzie adds, “Remember: trust no one… unless they bring snacks.”
Everyone cheers just as raucously as we did for the other entries, even though Jace and Mackenzie aren’t even present to hear it.
The funny thing is that several of the performances tonight have had a sort of superhero vibe to them. Really inept ones, for sure. But still, if someone were to tell me that this family was secretly superheroes who were actually good at it, I would buy it.
“Are you ready to choose the winner?” Evelyn asks as Miles, who was apparently the one to win the trophy last year, brings it forward and presents it to Charlie.
“I am.” She stands and takes the stage, facing us.
“We had some truly memorable performances tonight—by which I mean I’ve seen things I’ll never be able to unsee, and I wouldn’t trade a single one of them.
Thank you all for putting your whole hearts”—she motions at Ledger, “and in some cases, your whole faces—into making my birthday so hilarious and unforgettable. This was the kind of night that makes turning a year older totally worth it.”
She holds up the trophy, which is a bobble-head doll that looks an awful lot like her and is mounted on a trophy base. “And the trophy goes to… Emerson for that rap! I did not know you had it in you, but I will forever respect the way you rhymed ‘variance’ with ‘arrogance’ and made it work.”
We all give the biggest cheer of the night as Emerson comes to the stage and accepts the trophy, “Thank you,” he says, as our applause dies down. “I dedicate this win to my calculator and to Ledger, who provided both percussive support and emotional instability in equal measure.”
“You’re welcome for the chaos!” Ledger calls out.
Then there’s cake, and candle-blowing, and an avalanche of birthday wishes. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much in one night.
But the best part—the part I know I’ll remember—is watching Charlie.
The way she lights up with every joke, every ridiculous skit, and every off-key birthday song.
She’s radiant. She’s home. And I want that kind of joy for her every single day.
I’ve had fun too—more than fun, honestly.
Being here with her family feels surprisingly…
right. And I don’t want it to be a one-time thing. I want more nights like this.
As things start to wind down for the evening, a weight settles in my chest. I can’t stop thinking about Charlie and her family. She is deeply rooted here—this town, this family, this life. And I’m not. My work pulls me from place to place. And before I know it, I’ll be in Philadelphia.
Suddenly, the night feels a little too good, a little too borrowed. What have I been thinking, letting myself believe this is something I could keep?
When it’s just the two of us out on the deck of her mom’s house, taking in the warm night air and the stars, I say, “Thank you for asking me to join you. I can honestly say I’ve never experienced anything quite like this.”
She smiles. “I’m glad you came. And I’m so impressed that you performed. Twice! That was so sweet. And so unexpected. ”
“I was going for ‘Never let them guess your next move.’”
“Well played,” she says, and scoots in closer to me, wrapping her arms around my neck.
I put my arms around her waist and hold her close, then whisper, “Happy birthday, Charlie,” before I kiss her.
Everything about tonight has been the kind of thing that dreams are made of, and so is this.
Kissing Charlie always feels so perfect, so right.
Especially when she plays with the hair at the base of my neck with her fingertips.
After a long moment, I say, “As much as I’d like to stand here and kiss you all night, I’ve got a present for you.”
“A present?”
I nod and let go of her long enough to go to the picnic table and grab the gift bag I had set there earlier. Charlie takes a seat on one of the deck chairs with the bag in her lap, and I sit on the one next to her as she removes the tissue paper and then pulls out the memory box I made for her.
Her eyes fly to mine, wonder all over her face. “Did you make this?”
I nod. “All of the wood is reclaimed from different places in The Shadowridge.”
It’s all sanded smooth, but it still bears a lot of the character of its past—faint traces of old nail holes, a soft knot in the corner, a subtle curve in one of the planks that makes it look like it’s always been smiling.
It’s roughly the dimensions of a paperback book, but it’s nearly three inches deep.
She lifts the lid, which opens silently.
I’m proud of that. She sees the sticky note I’ve left inside that reads, Happy birthday to the only person I’d do three fire drills and a Back Pictionary rematch with .
Since Abraham told me that Charlie has kept all of my sticky notes, I’m hoping that the sticky note in this will make her think to keep the rest of them in this box, too.
“It’s meant to hold memories. Keepsakes. I hope it’ll hold a few more of mine.” I clear my throat. “I chose this piece of wood for the inside because see how the grain curves upward like it has a sense of motion? I felt like it shows it’s carrying your history forward.”
Charlie’s eyes meet mine, and I see that they are watery.
She licks her lips and swallows, like she’s trying to hold back emotions.
Then, with a voice that comes out a little unsteady, she says, “Thank you. This is the sweetest gift I’ve ever gotten.
” She holds it tightly to her, like she wants to hold onto it forever.
And every part of me wants her to do the same with me.