Chapter Sixteen – The Barbecue Incident
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The Barbecue Incident
J o had made us a list of things we’d need for the barbecue, so on Saturday we pile into the truck and drive to Bridgeport to buy everything. Jay had already looked up where to get all the stuff, so we have a route planned out.
First stop is a home store for a charcoal grill and a basic tool set. The salesman must’ve smelled we’re new to this, because he tries way too hard to upsell us on some fancy gas model. But we stick to what Jo wants and grab a simple grill.
Since we’re expecting guests, Jo had added plastic tables and folding chairs to the list, so we swing by Walmart to pick those up. After that, we hit a dollar store for the small stuff: paper plates, plastic utensils, that kind of thing.
The last stop is the grocery store. We get burgers, hot dogs, and some mushrooms and veggies Jo asked for. Apparently, Hugh, Mike’s husband from next door, is a vegetarian.
When Jo gets home after work, we’re out back unloading the grill and folding chairs onto the lawn.
The food’s already in the kitchen, and Shane has lined up the condiments on the counter like we’re running a food truck.
Jay’s halfway through assembling the grill, crouched in the grass with the manual open beside him, and I’m trying to get a folding table to actually stay open.
Jo steps onto the porch and just stands there for a second, taking it all in with her hands on her hips and a smile tugging at her mouth.
“Looks like you got everything,” she says.
“We crushed it,” Shane adds, gesturing proudly toward the backyard chaos.
She walks over, eyes scanning the gear, then pauses by the charcoal bag and picks it up. She turns it in her hands and lets out a soft laugh.
“Oh no,” she says. “You guys bought match light?”
Shane frowns. “Yeah? The guy said it lights fast.”
Jo grins. “It lights fast because it’s soaked in lighter fluid. If we cook too soon, everything’ll taste like burnt nail polish.”
Shane makes a face.
“It’s okay,” she says, setting it back down. “We’ll just let it burn longer before we start cooking. Not a big deal.”
She steps into the kitchen, but a second later, I hear her call out. “Hey! What are these?”
She comes back holding one of the wooden skewers between her fingers. “ You planning to grill on toothpicks?” she asks, holding it up.
I walk over and take it from her. “Those are skewers.”
“No,” she says, laughing, “these are cocktail sticks. Like, for olives. What were you going to do, grill grapes?”
Jay leans over for a look. “Oh. I thought they looked kind of short.”
“They’ll catch fire before they even touch the grill,” Jo says, still laughing. “It’s okay. We can do foil packets instead. I’ll prep them in the morning.”
Despite our complete incompetence when it comes to barbecue stuff, she looks genuinely happy seeing all the things we’ve brought home.
I’ve been trying to work up the nerve to tell her how I feel — with words — ever since Shane brought it up, and seeing her like that, smiling and light again, gives me the push I need.
I march straight to her, cup her face in my hands, and kiss her hard. She laughs into my mouth, surprised, but within seconds she’s kissing me back just as hard. When I finally pull away, she’s breathless.
I look into her eyes and say the words out loud for the first time. “I love you.”
Her smile fades into something softer. She holds my gaze, then whispers, “I love you too.”
There’s a beat of silence until Shane clears his throat behind me. “Not to ruin the moment,” he says, “but if we’re saying it out loud now...”
I turn to see him standing a few feet away, arms crossed, a small smile tugging at his mouth. Jay’s next to him, nodding like he’s been holding something in too.
“I already told you,” Shane says. “But I don’t mind saying it again. Just... you know, in case it wasn’t obvious. I love you.”
“Didn’t kiss you ‘cause Kory was faster,” Jay adds. “But, yeah. I love you.”
I feel Jo’s whole body lean into mine, warm and relaxed. She stretches one arm out toward the others, clearly trying to pull them in, but her reach doesn’t get her far. Jay closes the distance himself, with Shane right behind him.
She pulls them both close, holding on tight without letting go of me.
“I know,” she whispers to them. “But it’s still nice to hear. And I love you too.”
The next day, we help her prep the foil packets and veggies after breakfast, then start setting everything out in the yard while she makes us lunch. We light the grill two hours before the guests are expected, since we’ve gotten the wrong kind of charcoal.
Jo looks nervous. She’s been to plenty of barbecues at her parents’ house, but this is her first time hosting one at her own home.
Alice and Jayme are the first to arrive, with Kate. She’s already squirming in Jayme’s arms when they step into the yard, and the second he puts her down, she bolts, running aimlessly like someone let a balloon loose .
This time, Alice seems a little more comfortable around us, even smiling when we say hello. After their first visit, I figure Jayme has helped with that. They bring so many juice boxes for Kate that they barely fit in the cooler, so Jo tucks half into the freezer.
Mike and Hugh come over from next door carrying a bowl of potato salad. They’ve talked to Jo plenty by now, and she introduces them to Alice’s family with a warm smile.
Then Fontes shows up with his wife, S?nia. She hugs each of us when Fontes introduces her, then hands Jo a dish covered in foil. “It’s called pavê de abacaxi,” she says. “Brazilian dessert.”
A little later, Jo’s friend Jenna pulls up in front of the house in a Chevy Spark. It’s so tiny that my back hurts just looking at the thing.
Jo hugs her tight and pulls her into the yard.
After everything, I’m not exactly thrilled to see anyone from Jo’s work, but that’s kind of the point. She set this up for people to get to know us, so we do our best to sound light and gentle when she introduces us.
Jenna’s polite. Warm, even. “You really scored three gorgeous men, and I still can’t get one. Not even an ugly one,” she tells Jo, and they both crack up.
It’s so good to see Jo happy, laughing like that, I can’t help but smile too.
Shane is surprisingly good on the grill, and in no time, we’re all eating and chatting. I never thought I’d feel this at ease around so many people, but I do.
After a while, Shane sits with us to eat, and S?nia smiles at both of us.
“I want to thank you for what you did for Daniel. He told me you didn’t even hesitate to go in for him and Jason.
I know this job is dangerous, and I try not to think about it too much, but hearing how close it came.
.. I’m just really glad you were there.”
Jo looks between S?nia and us, her brows furrowed. “What happened?” she asks.
S?nia glances at her, surprised. “You didn’t know?”
Jo looks at me, then at Shane, her expression hardening. “Know what?”
Jay takes a breath before answering. “It was a warrant service. Intel said there was only one guy inside the house, but there were two. Fontes and I ended up in a bad spot, so Shane and Kory breached from the back and took out the first shooter so we could get to cover.”
Jo’s eyes go round and wide. “When did this happen?”
“Last Friday,” I say, quickly adding, “Everything turned out fine. We handled it.”
Her eyes go even wilder, a flick of panic creeping on. “Why am I only hearing about this now?”
Shane shrugs. “You’ve got a lot on your plate. We didn’t want to add more. And it wasn’t a big deal, just bad intel.”
S?nia looks almost indignant. “I’m sorry, but I’m not letting you say this wasn’t a big deal. I’ve been a cop’s wife for nine years, and thank God that kind of situation doesn’t happen often. You were very brave.”
I’m already annoyed. I get that she’s grateful, but she’s going to end up scaring Jo. “Shane’s right,” I say. “It wasn’t a big deal. We’ve seen worse more than once, so…”
S?nia turns to me. “Where did you work before? Was it really that dangerous?”
Fontes clears his throat. “It’s not that.” He glances at her, then at us. “It’s because they’re an aegis unit. Anytime there’s a high-risk call, or an entry where the threat level’s too high, they’re the first ones sent in. Every time.”
He looks down, then away, like he can’t bring himself to meet our eyes. “Even when it’s outside protocol. When it’s too risky and they can’t justify sending a human officer in, they send the aegis unit instead.”
S?nia doesn’t say a word, just staring at her husband.
Jo looks from Fontes to each of us, shocked. Now I’m a bit mad at Fontes too. He and S?nia didn’t do us any favors by talking this much to Jo.
We all fall silent. In the background, I hear Mike and Hugh chatting with Jayme and Jenna near the grill, and Alice laughing with Kate somewhere in the yard.
Jo moves her chair closer to Jay, then tugs on my shirt to pull me in, and stretches her arm, trying to reach Shane on my other side.
I get it. It’s the bunch-up. That weird urge to curl into a tight ball together, preferably somewhere hidden. It’s something my brothers and I used to do as kids when we were really scared, but we stopped when we were teenagers. I didn’t even know nyras felt the same thing.
We all respond, shifting in around her until we’re packed tight. It’s nice, being like this with her. But the mood’s awkward now, heavy, and it doesn’t take long for us to become the center of attention.
Alice calls out from the other side of the yard. “Reminder: this is a family barbecue. Save the bonding stuff for after dessert.”
Jo lets out a half laugh and starts to move, so we shift to give her space again. A little later, the conversations pick up, and I’m grateful to Alice for breaking the tension. When we finally eat S?nia’s dessert, it’s so good that Jo asks her for the recipe.
In the end, it really is a good afternoon.
Just as the sky starts turning purple, Kacy arrives, and she brings her boyfriend.