Chapter 49
“Please don’t set the house on fire, Levi. I still have to live here after this weekend.” Lucy sighs, her eyes wide with horror.
And honestly, she has a fair point. As excited as I am to be witnessing a fifteen-pound turkey getting dumped in a vat of oil over an open flame, it doesn’t seem like the safest cooking option.
Levi flashes her a grin as he reaches for the waiting bird. “Don’t worry, this is a totally normal way to cook this—and it’s going to taste amazing.”
We’re all gathered around the metal pot and propane set up in Lucy’s backyard.
There is a short white picket fence around the lawn with a single car garage, detached, on the far end from the house.
The concrete driveway was the planned location for this set up, but it’s slanted, and it was unanimous that wouldn’t end well.
So, after significant brainstorming, Mack ran out to buy a flame-resistant tarp to lay in the grass—far from the towering oaks on the property.
And now here we all stand, other than my sister who is yet to arrive, huddled in a circle on the lawn under the backyard floodlight with the smell of warmed oil drifting through the air.
“It’s completely thawed, right?” Mack asks, leaning forward to inspect the bird hanging from Levi’s grip. “Not a single ice crystal in sight? Because that’s what creates an oil explosion.”
“Lovely,” Lucy mutters. I tighten my arm’s hold around her waist in response.
“Completely thawed. I triple checked it,” Claire announces confidently. “You could put the thing on your head.”
“Ooh,” Jenny says excitedly, clapping her mittened hands together. “I ran home from the café last night to watch that in time.” She turns to Lucy. “Did you catch the new Friends last night?”
Lucy nods back with equal joy on her face, declaring, “Easily the best episode ever.”
“And then when Monica put it on and made the wings dance and—”
“Okay,” Mack cuts in. “Then I’m assuming this means it’s good to go.”
Claire smirks. “Yes, drop that bird.”
Slowly, Levi lowers the wire hook speared through the turkey. We collectively hold our breaths as inch after inch sinks below the oil until it’s completely submerged. Then he kneels back down to flip the burner on once more.
“So far so good,” Claire says from Lucy’s other side, giving her a nudge.
“And what happens next? We all stand here and watch it for—”
Jenny’s question is cut off by the sound of the gate by the garage creaking over. Then my sister comes strolling through.
“What are you all doing back here? Are we eating outside or something?” she asks as Claire and Lucy hurry over to give her a hug.
But it’s not my sister that has my attention. It’s the dark figure walking through the shadows behind her. It looks oddly familiar, like someone I know extremely well.
“Tay, who is—” I start to ask as he steps into the floodlight’s glow. “No shit.”
“Hey, long time no see,” my best friend greets me with a wry grin.
“Tad! What are you doing out this way?” I stride over as well, my own mouth lifting in a surprise smile.
“You didn’t tell me Tad was the second brother you wanted to bring,” Lucy says to Taylor. “Although maybe I should have guessed.”
“You knew about this?” I look between them, still partially in disbelief that my three favorite people in the world are all together in this backyard with me.
“I knew Taylor was bringing someone, that’s all.”
“And you must be Lucy,” Tad says, extending his hand to her.
He’s a tall guy, with a few inches on me even. Something that’s not common. And he’s wearing a vest over a flannel, giving him the look of a local rather than a New York City executive.
“I am, it’s so nice to finally meet you,” she replies, taking his hand.
“You have no idea.” He shoots her a charming smirk. “I feel like I already know you. The way this guy—”
“Alright, man. Don’t make me sorry to see you,” I cut in, earning a chuckle.
He releases Lucy’s hand to shake mine. “It’s been too long, brother.”
“You’re not kidding. Glad you managed to get away from the office.”
“Yeah,” he snorts. “Maybe we can convince Richard you need a second set of hands out here for a while… you know, with your article.”
“My article,” I drawl slowly, taking far too long to realize Taylor’s clearly looped him in on the cover story. “Right, that would be perfect.”
“Careful,” Claire warns, her attention on me. “This town has a way of drawing people in.”
My arm snakes back around Lucy, and she doesn’t hesitate to settle against my side. “This town, and its people,” I agree. And I’m honored to have fallen prey.