Chapter 1 #5
Emma brought a platter of burgers to the table that was nearly as big as she was and set it down before taking her spot next to Drew.
“There.” She smiled at me, and her dark ponytail swayed.
“I knew better than to put the food out before you got in here, Gage, or there’d have been none left.
Though I just realized I’m still cooking as much as I did when Reed and Porter were home over the summer, so maybe not. ”
“Please. This guy eats as much as Porter and Reed together,” Knox commented before passing the platter to Marco, Drew’s friend from next door.
“This guy has a name,” I retorted. Marco passed the platter to me with a wink, and I took two burgers because why not? “And a girlish figure to keep up.”
“Me, too,” Aiden piped up from my right, reaching for a second burger, even though he still had half of his first one in his chubby hand which, frankly, was the correct and smart way of doing shit when you shared a table with a bunch of guys who were bigger and hungrier than you.
I stretched out a fist for a bump, but he bumped me back with his elbow rather than surrender either of his burgers, and I covered my laugh with a cough.
Webb took a giant bite of his burger and groaned happily. “God, that’s good. Remind me why you don’t cook every night, Ems? We’d pay you.”
“Because conforming to some patriarchal expectation that I, as the only female in this household, should shoulder more of the responsibility for cooking, cleaning, and caretaking, would be massively unfair to all of you, who deserve to achieve self-actualization, and part of that is learning to make food that doesn’t suck.
” She grinned and flipped her long hair again.
“Also, I’m student body president, captain of the girls’ lacrosse team, and I work the orchard on the weekends all fall.
Truth is, you couldn’t afford me, Webb.”
“That’s my girl,” Drew said proudly.
“Oooh,” Hawk laughed. “Tell him, sis.”
I lifted my water glass. “From one youngest sibling to another, I salute you.”
Emma winked down the table at me before her gaze turned speculative. “So, Gage,” she began in a carefully neutral voice.
“Oh, jeez,” Hawk said under his breath.
“Beware,” Webb mumbled.
“Nonsense,” Emma sniffed innocently. But even after two weeks, I knew their warnings were correct.
Emma Sunday was two hundred pounds of persuasion crammed into a five-foot, hundred-pound package, and she proved it when she continued.
“I was just thinking you might like to come to the fundraising auction dance with us tomorrow night. It’s being put on by the Averill Union Athletic Association to raise money to cover sports fees at the high school.
” Her big green eyes—the same eyes all the Sundays at the table besides Hawk had—went wide and limpid.
“You do want to help underprivileged children, don’t you? ”
“Er.” Red flags were popping up all over the place. “Isn’t tomorrow night a school night?”
“Nope! The high school is off Thursday and Friday for teacher in-service days.” She beamed, smelling blood in the water.
“Oh. Um. What do I have to do?”
“Show up,” Emma replied promptly. “That’s all. Dance a little, the same way the other guys will.” She smiled innocently. “Be your usual charming self.”
Knox snickered, and I tossed the lumberjack look-alike a dirty look. I was charming! I could contribute! I could dance.
“Sure,” I said easily. “I’d be happy to. I mean…” I hesitated. “It’s not a party for high school kids, is it?”
“No way,” she assured me. “Half of the Hollow will be there, along with half of Two Rivers, and probably all of Keltyville—all the towns that send their kids to Averill Union. Webb’s going. Knox said he might come. And Hawk is coming, too, aren’t you, Hawk?”
“I said maybe.” Hawk spoke to his plate. “I’m not good at… you know. All that stuff.”
Aw. My brother Beale hated socializing, too.
“If you go, I’ll go, too, and we can stick together since I won’t know anyone but you guys,” I offered.
Hawk’s gaze flew to mine, and I felt the weight of Knox’s stare on me, as well.
“There’ll be lots of pretty girls there,” Drew observed apropos of nothing.
Hawk frowned. “I’m gay, Uncle Drew.”
“I’m well aware, Hawk,” Drew confirmed gently. “I’m just mentioning it in case Gage is interested.”
“Oh. Thanks.” I shrugged and smiled. “But I’m not. At all.”
Drew smirked down at his burger, like he wasn’t surprised to hear it.
“If Gage and Uncle Hawk are going, I’m going also,” Aiden announced, licking burger juice off the side of his hand. I picked up his napkin and casually handed it to him. “My teacher Mr. Williams says boys can dance.”
“They can, for sure, but you’re not coming this time, bub,” Webb said. “You’re staying home with Uncle Drew.”
Aiden looked like he might argue, but Drew cut in.
“My ankle’s still awful sore, so I need a babysitter, and Marco tries, but he doesn’t know how to make Sunday Sundaes the right way.
He always gets the ratio of peanut butter to pretzels and chocolate sauce wrong.
” He shook his head sadly. “I’ve only taught my secret recipe to you. ”
“This is true,” Marco said in a voice that made it sound like there was an unspoken “…thank God” at the end of the sentence.
“Mr. Williams says it’s important to help people with a happy heart or not at all.” Aiden sighed. “So I’m happy to help you, Uncle Drew… I guess.”
I pressed my lips together against a smile.
“Wonder if Jack’ll be there,” Webb asked the table at large, but based on the way everyone darted glances at Knox’s face, somehow it felt like he was speaking mostly to his older brother.
Knox must’ve thought so, too, because he swallowed his bite of burger and scowled. “You’d know better than I would. He’s your best friend. Or ask Hawk. Hawk works for him every day.”
“Or you boys could head over to the diner tomorrow and ask him yourselves,” Marco suggested.
Webb gasped like he’d never heard such an amazing idea. “Yes. Yes, we should. Hawk is working, so Knox and I can go grab a bite for lunch and visit.”
Knox made the discontented grumbling noise he usually reserved for me. “You’re as transparent as glass, Thomas Webb Sunday.”
Aiden leaned toward me and giggled. “Oooh, Daddy just got middle-named.”
“Don’t know what you mean,” Webb said breezily. As breezily as a man built like a mountain and with a voice like a bass drum could, anyway.
“I mean,” Knox said, setting his burger precisely in the center of his plate, “I won’t be conforming to your fraternal expectation that I, as a single bisexual male, am ripe for a setup with someone simply because he is also a single male.
That would be massively unfair to Jack, since I hardly know the man.
And furthermore, I have neither the time nor the inclination to date anyone right now, male or female, since I’m busy trying to sort out the orchard’s finances and my time is valuable.
” He paused for a beat, and then his lips tipped up slowly.
“Truth is, you can’t afford to set me up, Webb. ”
The whole table collapsed into laughter, even Aiden, who pretty obviously didn’t get the joke. Webb ran his tongue over his front teeth and dipped his head in silent acknowledgement.
And Knox…
Knox grinned that grin. The happy-go-lucky one. The one that had made me weak-kneed. The one that made me do stupid things. It was twenty times as powerful in person, and I found myself staring at him, even though I tried to make myself look away.
Then Knox’s gaze clipped mine, and his smile died just as suddenly as it had been born.
Ouch.
Toby was seriously the worst at advice. I had no idea why I ever listened to him.
He cleared his throat. “I’ll go out to lunch with you tomorrow, though, Webb,” Knox volunteered. “It’d be good to get to know Jack, since he’s your friend and all.”
Webb grinned conspiratorially. “Excellent.”
“Maybe…” Hawk began suddenly. “You know, maybe I will go to the fundraiser tomorrow night. You sure you’re up for it, Gage?”
Against my stupid will, my consciousness swung toward Knox. He stared at his plate like he had no interest whatsoever in my answer, but I could practically feel the “say no, Goodman” energy coming off him in waves.
Was I up for a few hours where I wasn’t looking for smiles from a guy who very clearly and stubbornly didn’t like me?
“Yeah,” I said breezily. “Looking forward to it.”