Chapter 40
I dressed myself in a pair of denim shorts and a tee.
I threw my hair on top of my head and slid on my sandals.
There had been movement for the last two hours through the front windows.
Maintenance men were setting up long wooden tables with old, mismatched kitchen chairs.
Mason jars were situated down the center of the tables with tea lights flickering inside.
Bonnie couldn’t help herself—the napkins were linen, and the dishes were still dishes.
Wildflowers sat in ceramic pitchers to brighten the table.
We would even be drinking from mason jars—it all came together with a flare of country charm.
The guests began to file out of their cabins, making their way to dinner. Maddox and I approached the bar that had been trucked in and set up. As we ordered our drinks, I noticed Matthew and Heather were heading in our direction.
“Try to keep your cool, please,” he said to me as they drew near.
“I am not someone you can control. I will treat him how he treats me.” Maddox didn’t respond, and that was good because I wasn’t trying to argue in front of these people—but I would.
“So, I hear that my husband owes you an apology,” Heather said as they reached us.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. He was just upset, and so was I.”
“No, my wife is correct. I had no right to say the things I did about your grandfather. None of this is your fault, regardless of how upset I or anyone else is. I am very sorry, Joslyn.”
“Then I suppose I should apologize also. I wasn’t exactly polite to you either. I am sorry for the way that I spoke to you. In the future, I will do my best to be more respectful.” I held my hand out and he took it in his. It was a truce; we were on the same team, and we needed to act accordingly.
“My husband is a very passionate person to put it, mildly. He is also a fierce ally to have in your corner.”
“I don’t doubt that in the slightest.”
“I do look forward to working together, Joslyn,” Matthew added.
“Your sentiment mirrors my own—truly.”
Maddox put his arm around my waist, and we stepped away from the bar and—with it, the shapeshifters.
I could smell the grill before I was able to see it.
My mouth began to water as the aroma wafted through the air, and we drew closer.
Kitchen staff were unloading multiple serving dishes onto the long table.
They were filled with picnic salads, baked beans, vegetable and fruit trays, platters of corn on the cob and dishes of baked mac and cheese.
The chef was carefully removing meat from the grill and setting it onto waiting platters.
Chicken, burgers, brats, ribs, shrimp and grilled vegetables were brought over and added to the already vast array of food.
Everyone began to sit in the mismatched chairs lining each side of the absurdly long table, which I personally thought was a brilliant idea.
Dining family style reminded me of my childhood and always made me feel like there wasn’t a bad seat to be had.
No assigned seating tonight. I was thankful that I wasn’t being forced to be the center of attention.
Maddox and I sat toward the end of the table near where Bonnie and Ronan were already seated. We began to fill our plates with small amounts of all of the different options until the plates were brimming. Oscar and Lex slid into the seats across from us.
“I heard you really let Matthew have it this afternoon,” Lex said as she dropped a scoop of potato salad onto her plate. She brought her eyes to mine and gave me a sly grin. “He can be a real prick sometimes; he needs to be put in his place on occasion.”
“He was a little loose-lipped while he was talking about my grandfather, and I didn’t appreciate it. You can blame him, but he isn’t here to defend himself. I just wasn’t going to sit there and listen to his bullshit.”
“Well, whether he’s a shapeshifter or not, I heard you held your own in the argument. My guess is he underestimated you.”
“I think we sorted it all out. I would much rather have a good working relationship than a tense one where we don’t trust one another.”
“I think you’re going to be great in this position. You’re going to need to be. You’re the only female and you will have to fight to be heard sometimes.”
“I appreciate that. I will do my best not to fade into the background.”
I smiled at her; she was so nice, but you could tell she had a very different side too. Oscar was busy filling his plate while his wife talked. When she was done speaking, he took over the conversation.
“Joslyn, I have to tell you that I was very impressed today with the way that you handled yourself. When he started getting upset, you handled it without looking to any of us for help. Which I would like to add you would have been totally okay doing. I know our boy Maddox over here would not find it amusing for someone to speak down to you while you endured it. Matthew was skating a thin line and I’m not even sure he realized it.
” Maddox didn’t react at all to Oscar’s comment, not even a smile.
“Thank you. I really do want everything to run smoothly. I don’t mind healthy disagreements, but what happened today was not that.”
“No, but it was necessary, and it was either going to happen today or later. Better to get it over with now.”
I couldn’t disagree with his statement. Now that it was over, we could move forward instead of Matthew not trusting me for six months and then deciding to clear the air.
“I suppose you are right. What’s done is done, and now we move on. I have no hard feelings and would hope that he isn’t harboring any either.”
“It will be fine. Matt’s a good guy and wants what’s best.”
I took a few bites of my food and all of it tasted so good.
Everyone was a lot more talkative at dinner.
The setting was far more relaxed, and it showed with everyone’s demeanor.
The conversation was lighthearted and jovial.
Stories were shared about Xavier, and it gave me some insight into what kind of person he was.
From what I gathered, he liked to think the best about everyone; even when that very thing is what ended up costing him his life.
His trust in other people was his downfall.
As we were all sitting and chatting, a white van pulled up and a man in a chef’s coat got out of the driver’s seat.
He walked to the rear of the vehicle and opened up the back doors of the van.
He began to remove pies and set them onto an empty table.
The guys got up from the table and went to investigate.
When he finished pulling pies out, he switched to ice cream and whipped topping.
The gentleman stayed and served the pies, making them à la mode and passing them off to the crowd standing around the table.
When he managed to serve the group in front of him, he started to plate up extra slices and serve them to the guests that had remained seated.
The pie was just as good as the rest of the meal.
As time wore on, the staff began to clear dishes and remove food from the tables.
The bartender stayed along with the extra pie and fruit platters.
The chatter continued until the wee hours of the morning; laughter and boisterous conversation echoing through the air.
I was feeling more comfortable in my new life with each day that passed.
I had made friends and definitely broadened my horizons.
These were the people I would be spending quite a bit of time with over the course of my life.
I was starting to get sleepy when Maddox found me at the end of the table chatting with Lex and Uryah.
We were discussing werewolves and the traditions that they had collectively decided were antiquated.
Therefore, they had thrown them to the wayside and given their species more freedom in personal decision making.
I suppose if humans would get rid of old laws that no longer made sense to them, why wouldn’t cryptids do the same?
“Hey baby, you look like you’re getting tired,” he said as he sat down next to me.
“Yeah, I guess I am kind of tired. Good thing breakfast is getting dropped off at the cabins in the morning. We do not have anything scheduled until three. I have Charlotte coming in the morning too.”
“Who’s Charlotte? If you don’t mind my asking,” Lex asked curiously.
“That would be my crazy cousin. She isn’t coming to see me. She just so happens to be Alexander’s girlfriend.”
“Oh, well then, I guess I will look forward to meeting her. She is also Ray’s granddaughter?”
“Oh yes, we grew up together. Neither of us know our fathers; our grandfather was our only real male role model.”
“I’m so sorry. I do believe that Ray must have been a great role model though. Well, Joslyn, you two have a good rest of your night.” Lex added. “We really enjoyed your company.”
“It was so nice to get to know more about you. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Both of you,” I said nodding at Rye. I slowly got up from my chair. I waved at the group of men standing near the bar as I passed by.
“Have a good night, guys.” They all bid me goodnight, and Maddox, and I climbed the steps and entered through the front door of our cabin.
I headed straight to the bedroom and changed into the Eminem tee that I still hadn’t given back to Maddox, and I wasn’t sure that I planned to.
I climbed between the crisp, cool sheets and laid my head on the pillow. That was the last thing I remembered until my eyes popped open, and it was daylight again.
* * *
I was woken up the next morning by Charlotte jumping on my bed with Maddox standing in the doorway laughing. “Wake up, wake up. I’m so excited to see Alexander, the dress, the party, all of it.” I reached out and grabbed her foot, pulling it out from under her. She landed on the bed, laughing.