We Have Company
Mike: It’s too much wine for just me.
Sammy: What is this “too much” you speak of?
Sammy: Are you inviting me over, Mr. Wardwell?
Mike: Rose is demanding that I formally request your attendance.
Sammy: How could I say no to a formal request?
Mike: Good. The fine china is already on the table.
I stood in front of the mirror, staring at the top of my dress shirt. Buttoned, it felt as if I were saying, “I’m closed off.” I flicked it open. Just to be daring, I undid the second. Nope. I couldn’t go out there screaming, “Undress me with your eyes.” I settled on one and rolled up my sleeves.
Seeing Sammy naked the second time had moved us from tryst into something more.
I didn’t know what, but it had feelings attached to it.
After the drive-in, I’m pretty sure I wasn’t alone in this feeling.
If it were just some naked time under the covers, I wouldn’t have stressed this much.
Dinner with Rose and Edward? It felt as if I were going on my first date.
“Is this a date?” I asked my reflection.
I walked out of the bathroom and toward the kitchen.
We had gone places together, but the rock and the bridge didn’t feel like dates.
The movie in the back of the truck felt more date-ish, but that had been an attempt to make Sammy feel better.
Tonight had no goal other than gathering and sharing a meal.
Oh, and of course, being subtly interrogated by Rose.
It was definitely a date.
“Michael, get the door.” Full names? “Your little friend is here.”
I blew past the kitchen, ignoring the smell of freshly baked bread. Reaching the door, I patted down my shirt one more time, making sure I was ready for company.
I opened the door. “Well, well, look who it is.”
“Did you invite the whole town?” He glanced down and smiled. “Missed a button.”
Dammit, the hair poked through just above my belly button.
Before I could rectify the wardrobe malfunction, Sammy snapped it in place.
“Though I think I liked it better before.” I had stopped questioning his sexuality.
Not even my insecurities could ignore the way he flirted.
He might not be gay, but he was at least a Mike-sexual, and that was good enough for me.
“Butts in chairs,” Rose bellowed.
By the time we reached the dining room, Edward had already taken a seat at the end. When I mentioned having Sammy over for dinner, I knew she’d go above and beyond. I counted two types of potatoes, three vegetable side dishes, and at least one bowl filled with dinner rolls.
Sammy reached for the chair next to him, and Edward shook his head. “That’s the General’s seat.”
“The General?”
“Don’t listen to him.” Rose waltzed into the dining room with a huge silver tray and a full ham as if it were a normal everyday occurrence. “You sit wherever you want.”
Edward and I shook our heads behind her back. It was a trap, and we’d never hear the end. Rose might be the sweetest human alive, but even she had traditions that couldn’t be violated. Thankfully, Edward had taught every person who walked through that door how to navigate the General.
Sammy sat opposite Edward while I sat across from Rose.
I watched her in the kitchen as she ripped off her apron, tossing it onto the counter.
She dragged her fingers through her hair before tossing it over one shoulder.
When she caught my eye, she flashed a toothy grin.
Holding her hands up to her chest, she made a heart before returning to the dining room and taking her seat.
“Why are there empty plates?” She looked horrified. “Well? Dig in already.”
I didn’t need another prompting. While I scooped potatoes onto my plate and reached for the green beans, I caught Rose staring at our guest. She might be all smiles, but the cogs were turning as she decided the topic of conversation.
“Mike tells me you invented a doohickey?”
“An app,” I corrected.
“Sounds like a doohickey to me.”
Sammy hoarded the potatoes like a spud dragon. When he dropped a modest amount on his plate, Rose came to his rescue. Reaching across the table, she took the dish and showed him how to do it correctly. The second spoonful could have fed a small army on its own.
“I created an app to help people going through burnout. It mixes a holistic and therapeutic approach to recovery.” He delivered a well-rehearsed elevator pitch. When Edward’s eyebrow went up, Sammy realized his mistake. “I help people who’ve had the life sucked out of them by their jobs.”
“Oh!” Now Edward got it. “I could have used that after the military.”
“You?” Rose shook her head. “You didn’t have to deal with the wives all day. No, you went off to war, and I was left with all those biddies. They were a full-time job.”
“She’s not lying,” he said. “I had it easy by comparison.”
“All those times I had to bail one of them out of jail.”
I nearly spilled the gravy boat as I snorted. The thought of Rose showing up at the police station was comical on its own. Did she reach into her purse and drop a wad of bills on the counter? Did she know the cops by name? Or was this one of those stories where she was talking about herself?
I opened my mouth to ask.
“Don’t,” Edward said. Shaking his head, he held up a finger to his lips. “You don’t want an answer to whatever was about to come out of that mouth.”
“Enough of that foolishness,” Rose said. Oh yes, I was certain the General had gone on a wild adventure that landed her behind bars. “Michael told me you were here for a work thing?”
Sammy nodded while he stuffed a biscuit into his mouth. He held up a hand, hiding his mouth. “Company retreat. We like to practice what we preach. With a new update coming, I wanted to make sure everybody had time to rest. The best ideas come from a relaxed staff.”
“Mmhmm.”
I knew the look on her face. She was about to—
“Why Firefly?” She asked it as if it weren’t a loaded question. Pulling at the ham, she dropped a few slices on her plate. I tried catching her attention to shoot her a dirty look, but she wasn’t having any of that. Rose had a question, and there was no way he’d get away before answering.
“I’m sure you’ve heard about my dad.” Understatement of the century. “I’ll be honest. Firefly because sometimes pettiness feels good.”
Edward laughed, dropping a spoonful of mashed potatoes onto his plate. “I like this one. He’s a keeper.”
I shot Sammy a quick grin. Edward had said loudly what I had only whispered in the back of my head.
Whenever the daydream set in, and pictures of the future arrived, I shut it down with the thought of him waving goodbye, standing next to his suitcase.
Harsh, but it wasn’t about self-sabotage.
I wanted to stay grounded and appreciate the time I did get to spend with him.
And self-sabotage.
“When do you head back?” To an outsider, it might be nothing more than a harmless question. In Firefly, the answer might as well come with a Social Security number and credit card numbers. “I hope it’s not too soon.”
He let out a long sigh. “Unfortunately, only a couple of days left before I have to head back to reality. Can’t have the boss slacking at work.”
“That’s a shame. At least you’ll get to witness our first Pride parade. You’ll get to see why everybody falls in love with Firefly.”
“It’ll be my first,” he said. “I’ve been on the train during Pride. It’s… over the top.”
“Over the top is what we do,” Edward said. “Might as well be the town motto.”
“I’m sure you’ll love it. Firefly knows how to show a flatlander a good time.” She stared me in the eye as she said it. “Isn’t that right, Michael?”
Full name. She demanded an answer, and no amount of blushing would deter the General.
“You’ll have to come back for the fall festival.” I could dodge as well as she could interrogate. “Or the harvest festival. The winter festival?”
“Don’t forget the thaw festival,” Edward added.
“What about the ice fishing derby?”
“Or the winter carnival,” I said. “What doesn’t this town celebrate?”
“Ask that during the Mosquito Market.”
Sammy’s eyes went wide in disbelief. “Really?”
“I guess you’ll have plenty of reasons to come back then.”
The table went quiet as each of us shoved food into our mouths.
She had laid the groundwork for plenty of visits.
How many would it take before the image of him and the suitcase stopped being a deterrent?
I continued devouring a helping of roasted potatoes, a smile breaking out on my face.
Sammy, a knitted cap, a matching sweater, and building a snowman?
I wouldn’t mind that one bit.
“Are you sure you’ve had enough?”
Edward leaned forward, pulling the napkin from his collar. “If you don’t outright say no, she’ll keep feeding you. Stand tall or prepare to pop a button.”
I stared at my plate. I had asked for a slice of pie, knowing better. Without specific measurements, she had placed a quarter of it on my plate. I could hear my jeans straining. Even with a napkin, I had covered myself in blueberries. The shirt was a lost cause.
“I’m good, but thank you.”
“Maybe a small slice for later,” she said.
“If you send him back to Valhalla with pie,” I said, “the Glitterati Guild will—”
Sammy’s eyebrow went up, and I froze. It was one thing to talk about them in relation to Pride. My brain couldn’t come up with a lie fast enough. Admitting to knowing that an extra slice of pie could hide in a layer of Spanx was not something I wanted Sammy to hear.
“Those girls know how to pack it away,” Rose said.
I eyed her. “Did you just make a drag joke?”
She plopped down at the table, sliding a plastic container in front of Sammy. “I did, indeed. I should have baked an extra just for them. They’re the only reason I found out I had been buying the wrong-sized bra my whole life.”
A knock at the door interrupted what had turned into an over-share. Rose gestured with a finger at me. “You get the door. I want to tell Sammy embarrassing stories about you.”
“Don’t you dare.”
“Shh, I need to hear this,” Sammy said. “Be a dear and get the door.”
Edward chuckled. “Definitely my favorite.”
I stood, not taking my eyes off Rose. “No photo albums.” Anybody else, I’d be worried about revealing my insistence on wearing high heels around the house. She and Edward, without prompting, had teased about my relationship, questionable as it was, but they had steered clear of mentioning Mabel.
At this point, Sammy had left an impression.
I couldn’t remember the last time we laughed this hard around the table.
As soon as he left, Rose and Edward would give their assessment, and I’m sure it’d be glowing.
Of course, then they’d turn the questions toward me, and they’d be less than thrilled with my shrugging.
I walked through the kitchen, giving a final, stern glance. “I repeat. No photos.”
Shaking my head, I walked down the hall. I wouldn’t be shocked to find Omar, nose up, as he sniffed the air. While visitors were more common in the morning, it was never too late for a pot of coffee and swapping stories with the neighbors.
I opened the door.
I blinked repeatedly, trying to fathom why Gladys stood on the porch.
Despite the summer heat, she had a sweater draped over her shoulders and a long-sleeve blouse.
I was about to turn and shout that company had arrived when I saw the smile and sparkle in her eye.
She wasn’t here to see Rose and Edward. Hell, she wasn’t here to see Mike.
“Gladys, can I help you?”
It was the nicest thing I could think of to say. With Sammy inside, I didn’t want her crossing the threshold and turning an already decided matter into a family discussion. Worse, I didn’t want her revealing my secret in front of Sammy.
She gave a slight wave. “Hi. I know we talked last night. But I think if I could explain the importance, you’d understand—”
“No.” One word. A complete sentence.
“Mike, Mabel is part of Firefly. We only want to honor—”
“She’s gone,” I whispered.
“Gone?”
“Retired.” The whisper turned into a hiss. “She’s gone for good.”
“Mike.” Her eyes had gone soft, not the normal intensity she used when commanding a meeting. “Just because you’re not wearing the wig—”
“Gladys.” I made it firm. My fingers had balled into fists. I didn’t want to get angry, but at this point she refused to listen. Small-town friendliness had crossed a boundary.
“Mabel should be in the parade.”
I glanced over my shoulder, hoping her words didn’t carry through the kitchen. If I were lucky, Edward would be sharing embarrassing stories and laughing at his bad jokes. My hand rested on the door as I debated pushing the conversation onto the porch or slamming it shut and moving on.
“I don’t know how else to—”
“Mike.” She clasped her hands over her chest. “The town wants to see her.”
There it was, the underlying reason I had shoved Mabel into the closet.
Gladys hadn’t come to speak with Mike; she wanted a persona.
She didn’t want me; she wanted Mabel, and the more she spoke, the more my blood boiled.
It didn’t matter what her intentions were; she crossed a line, and I wasn’t having it.
“I told you no!” It came out with more force than I intended. “There is no more Mabel.”
SLAM.
It happened before it registered. I stared at the door in disbelief. I knew it was wrong, and already my mind tried to justify it. Gladys hadn’t taken no for an answer. She crossed my boundaries repeatedly. No matter the justification, I knew what I had done wasn’t right.
And for what? Mabel remained locked away, and I wouldn’t let Gladys change that. I stood frozen, waiting for another knock, but it didn’t come. When the second stair on the porch squeaked, I knew she had left.
Fearful that our conversation had carried into the dining room, I turned around.
Rose stood in the hallway, silently watching.
Her arms crossed over her chest as she shook her head.
In all my years visiting, I don’t think I had ever seen her disappointed.
My chest hurt. The sadness on her face hurt more.
Words weren’t necessary. No matter what Gladys did to provoke me, I had been in the wrong. Worse, I couldn’t tell if her soft eyes and pursed lips were about a door being slammed shut or what I had said.
Mabel had gone from my savior to my shame.
I stifled the choke for air.
“Don’t be rude,” she said. “We have company.”
She turned around and went back to the dining room.
Whatever story Edward told, both he and Sammy were roaring with laughter.
Alone, I let the tears well up in the corner of my eyes.
I wiped them dry, taking a deep breath. I’d set my emotions aside for now and finish the dinner.
Then I’d deal with Rose’s disappointment.
And mine.
I let the lie become a mask as I walked back toward the dining room.