Chapter 17
Brody
‘You made it,’ Nick says, smiling as Kate and I walk up to the table. Sawyer put two of the long tables together to fit us all. Nick and Lyndsay are here and Jason’s at the bar talking to Sawyer.
‘Hi, I’m Lyndsay,’ she says to Kate as we sit down. ‘And you’re Kate?’
‘Yeah. I’m just here for a few weeks.’
‘It’s too bad you can’t stay,’ Nick says. ‘We could use some new people in Haydon Falls.’
‘She’s a city girl,’ I say. ‘She’d be bored here.’
Kate looks at me. ‘That’s not true. I haven’t been bored since I got here.’
‘What have you been doing?’ Lyndsay asks.
‘Painting. Organizing stuff. Cleaning.’
‘What the hell?’ Nick says to me. ‘You’re making her work?’
Kate laughs. ‘It was my idea. I’ve been really stressed and keeping busy helps me feel calm. I like organizing and doing stuff around the house. I love painting, but Brody wouldn’t let me paint more than my room.’
‘Why not?’ Nick asks me. ‘That whole house needs to be painted and you’ve got someone staying with you who loves to paint.’
‘I don’t want her doing that. She’s supposed to be on vacation.’
‘What are you drinking?’ Sawyer asks, coming up behind me.
‘Amber ale.’
‘Hey, Kate.’ Sawyer smiles at her. ‘What can I get you?’
‘I liked that stout I had the other night.’
‘Good choice. That’s Gina’s favorite too. I’ll be right back.’
While he goes to get the drinks, Jason joins us at the table. ‘You must be the new tenant,’ he says to Kate.
‘That’s me.’
‘I’m Jason. I’m sure Brody told you about me.’
I lean over to Kate. ‘The brother I said was a pain in the ass?’
‘Hey!’ Jason shoves me.
‘Boys!’ I hear my mom say. ‘Be nice.’
I look behind me and see Mom and Dad walking up to the table.
‘Well, look who’s here,’ Dad says, pretending he didn’t know we’d be here. ‘All our boys.’
Mom smiles. ‘I hope they have room for us.’
‘Right here, Mom,’ Nick says, pointing to the chairs across from Kate and me .
As soon as my parents sit down, my dad looks at Kate. ‘And who is this pretty young lady?’
‘Kate, the girl who’s been staying with me,’ I say, even though he already knows this.
‘It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Kanfield,’ Kate says, sounding very formal. ‘And you as well, Mrs. Kanfield.’
‘Oh, honey, call me Martha.’ She points to Dad. ‘And that’s Carl. I assume you know everyone else?’
‘I think so,’ Kate says, looking around the table.
Sawyer returns with our beers. ‘Dad, you want the usual?’
‘Nah, I think I’ll have something lighter tonight.’
‘This one’s light,’ Nick says, holding up his glass.
‘I’ll go with that,’ Dad says.
‘What about you, Mom?’ Sawyer asks.
‘Give me that milk one.’
‘Milk stout. Got it.’ He takes off.
‘So Kate,’ Mom says, getting ready to start her investigation of a girl I’m not even dating. ‘Tell us about yourself.’
‘Well, let’s see, I grew up in Chicago, went to college there, and now I work as a financial planner.’
‘My brother and nephews live in Chicago,’ Mom says. ‘I think you met one of them last week. Didn’t Nash stop by?’
Kate nods. ‘Yes, he did. He dropped some supplies off.’
‘You put them to use yet?’ Dad asks me.
‘Dad, I told you, I’m not working on the house right now. I’ve got too much going on.’
‘What do you have going on?’ Nick asks. ‘This is the first week all winter you’ve had to use the plow.’
‘Yeah, well, I’ve been doing other stuff.’
Sawyer returns with the drinks, interrupting what was about to be a very uncomfortable conversation.
My family knows I haven’t been working on the house so I don’t know why they’re bringing it up.
The house and what I do with it isn’t their business.
Jason’s the only one allowed to have a say in it.
‘I thought you were bringing a date tonight,’ Sawyer says to Jason.
‘To meet the whole family?’ Jason laughs. ‘Yeah, I don’t think so. I told her we’d go out tomorrow instead.’
‘Why don’t you want her to meet us?’ Mom asks.
‘Because I’ve only been on two dates with her. It’s too soon to meet the family.’ He takes a drink of his beer.
‘Tell us about her,’ Mom says, sounded excited.
She really wants Jason to find a girl and settle down.
Now that Nick and Sawyer are in serious relationships, Mom’s hoping Jason will be next.
I’m hoping he stays single because if he finds someone, Mom will put all her matchmaking efforts on me.
She already tried setting me up last year with some girl from church.
I never dated her. We talked on the phone and decided there was no chemistry there.
‘She’s a preschool teacher,’ Jason says. ‘And she has a little girl who’s three.’
‘So she’s divorced?’ Mom asks.
‘No, she was dating the guy and got pregnant. The father didn’t want anything to do with the baby so he took off.’
‘That’s a shame,’ Mom says.
‘You sure you’re ready for that?’ Nick asks.
Jason sets his beer down. ‘Ready for what?’
‘Being a father. That’s a big responsibility.’
‘I’ve been on two dates with her. I didn’t say I was marrying her. ’
‘Yeah, but you still need to think about if this is what you want. If it’s not, you shouldn’t be dating her. You’re just wasting her time.’
‘He’s right,’ Dad says to Jason. ‘Don’t be pursuing a woman with a child if you can’t see yourself being a father to that little girl.’
Jason sighs. ‘Okay, yeah, I’ll think about it. Now, can we stop talking about my love life and talk about something else?’
Mom smiles at Jason. ‘I think you’d make a wonderful father. You’re so good with the kids at school.’
‘I’m their teacher, not their parent. That’s different. I don’t know if I’d be a good dad. And I work with teenagers, not toddlers.’
‘Sometimes teenagers act like toddlers,’ Nick jokes.
‘You’ve worked with younger children before,’ Mom says to Jason. ‘You said you enjoyed it.’
‘I did, but again, they’re not my kids. Now that we’re talking about it, I don’t think I’m ready for that, so I guess I won’t be going on that date tomorrow.
’ He takes a drink of his beer. ‘Back to being single.’ He turns to me.
‘You want to go to that bar next week? The one where you met Hannah? Maybe I’ll have better luck this time. ’
‘I don’t think so,’ I tell him. ‘I’ve got a busy week.’
‘We’d go at night, after work.’
He needs to shut up. I don’t want to talk about other girls in front of Kate. I just had sex with her. I know we’re not dating, but it’s still not right to be talking about other girls when she’s sitting right next to me.
‘Jason, what is wrong with you?’ Mom says in her scolding tone .
‘What?’ He looks around the table. ‘What’d I say?’
‘Your brother already has someone. Get one of your friends to go with you.’
Jason looks at me. ‘You’re still with Talia? I thought that didn’t work out.’
This is so awkward. But I get why Jason’s confused.
I’ve been avoiding him all week, knowing he’ll ask me about the house.
He doesn’t know Kate and I have become more than roommates.
I’m surprised someone else in the family didn’t tell him.
Nick obviously told my parents and Sawyer figured it out when Kate and I came to the brewery the other night.
I don’t know how he knew. It’s not like we were sitting close or holding hands.
When he asked me how long it’d been going on, I tried to deny it, but he didn’t believe me. My stupid brothers know me too well.
‘Just drop it,’ I say to Jason, giving him a look to shut up.
Mom sighs and says to Kate, ‘I’m sorry, dear. My sons don’t always think before speaking.’
‘It’s fine,’ Kate says, giving her an uncomfortable smile.
‘What am I missing here?’ Jason asks.
Sawyer leans over to Jason and says something to him, so quietly I can’t hear, but I’m guessing it’s that I’m dating Kate.
‘Oh.’ Jason glances at me, then mutters, ‘Sorry.’
I ignore him and talk to Dad. ‘So what’s new at the orchard?’
‘Ask Nick. He’s in charge of it now.’ Dad smiles at Nick.
‘We’re planning for spring,’ Nick says. ‘We’ll be replacing some of the trees that aren’t producing anymore, trying some new varieties. ’
‘I’d love to see the orchard,’ Kate says. ‘It sounds beautiful.’
‘There’s not much to see in the winter,’ Nick says. ‘It’ll look a lot better in the spring when the trees are in bloom.’
‘And it’s gorgeous in the fall,’ Lyndsay says. ‘You should come back for the fall festival.’
‘Maybe I will,’ Kate says, glancing at me.
Is she really planning to come back here? I assumed I’d never see her again after she left. I’m not sure I want to if she’s with someone else. As much as I tell myself I don’t have feelings for her, I do, and I don’t want her coming back here if she’s with some other guy.
Nick and Lyndsay tell Kate more about the orchard and the festival, something they could talk about for hours. I’m bored listening to it, but Kate seems really interested and it keeps my family from talking about Kate and me or asking me about the house.
An hour later, I’m finishing my second beer and ready to go home. I love my family, but I see them all the time. I only have a couple weeks left with Kate. I’d rather go home and be alone with her than spend all night here with my family.
‘You want to head out?’ I say to Kate.
‘Already?’
‘Honey, don’t go,’ Mom says to me. ‘You just got here.’
‘I’ve been here for over an hour and I’m tired. It’s been a long week. I worked 15-hour days after the storm ended.’
‘What are you going to do now?’ Nick asks me.
‘What do you mean?’
‘What are you going to do until the next storm? ’
‘I don’t know. Probably check my equipment, make sure it’s ready.’
‘Why don’t you work on the house?’ Nick glances at Kate. ‘You’ve got someone willing to help.’
‘I’d love to help!’ Kate says. ‘I’ve been giving Brody all these ideas. I’m obsessed with those home makeover shows.’
‘Well, there you go,’ Dad says. ‘Sounds like you got a plan for next week.’
‘I’m not working on the house,’ I mutter, feeling my anger rise.