Chapter 10 #2
“Amazing. Would you say this is a new belief?” Knox asked brightly.
“I would say that as I’ve matured, I’ve come to certain realizations, that’s all,” I replied.
I smiled at him sweetly. “Someday maybe you’ll mature, Knox, and then you’ll understand.
” Before he could snap back, I added, “Drew, I’m not sure what these chicken pocket things are, but they smell delicious. ”
“Thank you,” Drew said after a moment. “They’re called… hand pies. They just seemed… appropriate for today.”
“Oh.” I ground my teeth together. “Great.”
“Bet those hand pies whipped up… fast,” Em commented.
“So fast. I thought they’d go well with these hand-mashed potatoes,” Drew went on with false innocence.
“And these peas!” Gage exclaimed. “Did you shell them by hand? I can always tell.”
“I’m glad you made plenty, honey,” Marco interjected. “I feel like I’ve been fasting all day.”
Drew snickered and patted Marco’s hand. “You’re lucky I’m so handy in the kitchen.”
My family was a bunch of assholes, and I was going to sell every last one of them except Aiden on eBay.
I broadcasted a glare around the table, then proceeded to ignore them all and focus on my dinner.
Drew was a good all-around cook but an amazing baker, and the chicken pies—I was officially shortening the name—were delicious. I hadn’t gotten three bites in, though, before my thoughts strayed back across the field and orchard to Luke.
I wondered if he was sitting in his trailer still and what he was eating. He’d better not be anywhere near that damned roof.
All these months, I’d assumed he was living happily in a house he hadn’t earned, with no responsibilities.
I’d even, maybe, envied him a little for being able to do whatever he wanted, including pick up and move to Vermont on a whim.
The reality had been so, so different. And I should have known better.
I did know better. Everyone had their own mess to deal with, and Luke had more than most.
He’d been trying to carve out a place for himself in the Hollow—even painting that rusted-out trailer with fresh cream paint and decorating it with those beautiful blankets, making the best of the shit hand he’d been dealt—and I’d begrudged him every last inch of space.
And even after we’d supposedly been friends and gotten ourselves locked into this ridiculous handfasting thing, I’d been more focused on making sure nobody thought the handfasting was real than on making sure Luke was supported.
But Knox had been right. Since when did I care what other people thought? Luke needed a friend, and I could be that for him.
“Food okay, Webb?” Drew asked. “You’ve eaten less than Hawk.”
I realized I’d paused with my fork halfway to my lips, staring into space for fuck knew how long. “Oh. Yeah. Sorry. I’m…”
Porter gave me a knowing look across the table that said, Woolgathering again?
“I’m fine.” I scooped up more potatoes.
“Daddy, I finished. Can I go upstairs? I’m watching a video on hydrapraetonic plants since that’s what we’re learning about next week in science.”
“You mean hydroponic,” I corrected. “That’s when you grow plants in water. Do you know, it’s a ninety percent more efficient way of using water?”
Aiden frowned, his little nose scrunching up and his Sunday-green eyes narrowing.
“No, this is different,” he informed me.
“You probably just don’t know about it. Mr. Williams does.
He also knows about black-capped chickadees.
We’re going on a field trip to see them next week in their winter habitats. ”
“Oh, I see.” It took serious effort not to laugh. I wished I had Luke’s number in my phone so I could text him about this conversation, because I was pretty sure he’d find it hilarious, too.
And probably embarrassing. I imagined his cheeks flushing pink.
How weird was it that I was supposedly betrothed to the man but didn’t have his cell number stored in my phone? Only in Little Pippin Hollow. I realized I needed to fix that.
“Homework done? Then go ahead and watch your video,” I told Aiden. “You can teach me about hydrapraetonics later.”
“Sick!” Aiden said, running off. “Thanks, Dad!”
I snickered to myself as I watched him leave, then resumed eating, only to find the whole family staring at me again.
“Wut?” I demanded, mouth full of chicken. I swallowed. “What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing,” Gage said airily. “Not a thing. Just… noting that someone mentioned Luke Williams’s name, and you didn’t turn green or bust out of your clothes or Hulk-smash the table.”
“Or tell everyone he’s nothing to you,” Em said with a judgmental sniff. “Which was very shitty, B-T-W.”
“Seriously,” Hawk agreed.
“It’s a momentous day, indeed. In fact… I think I need to make a proclamation about it.
” Drew stood up, grabbed the roll of paper towels from the counter, and began unrolling them like a scroll.
He pretended to read, “Whereas Thomas Webb Sunday has managed, for the first time in recent memory, not to stick his size-thirteen boot in his mouth where Luke Williams is concerned, and listen to reason for ten seconds…”
I shook my head impatiently. “Alright, alright, enough. How long can I expect this teasing to continue just so I can plan my meals accordingly?”
“Oh, I’d say a solid week,” Drew said happily.
“I vote a month,” Em countered. “Minimum.”
“Pfft. I’m planning to mix up ‘whereas’ jokes with randomly bursting into ‘Sweet Caroline’ until the end of my days.” Knox leaned back in his chair and draped an arm over Gage’s shoulders.
“That’s gonna be sooner than you expect if you keep this up,” I informed him. But then I sighed. “Look, I admit that Luke is… nice.” To put it mildly. He was maybe the sweetest man I’d ever met. “I misjudged him. I’m the asshole.”
“Finally. I’ve been telling you that for years,” Knox agreed.
“Well, Jesus,” Marco interrupted. “Don’t be all dramatic about it, kiddo. You’ll be nicer from now on.”
“I will. I definitely will.” The legacy I wanted to leave for Aiden was about more than orchards full of apples; it was about being a decent person. Living your life the right way. Showing up for the people who needed you.
“Hey, Drew?” I wiped my mouth with a napkin. “Does Norm’s brother-in-law still have a roofing business?”
“Yeah. Jerry Walcott. Walcott Roofing. Why?”
“Like I said, I was at old Ben’s place today.” To Em, I added, “Apologizing for what I said at the diner earlier.”
“Good,” she said with a firm nod. “And you should find a way to make it right, too.”
“I’m trying. The house needs some major work.
It—” I hesitated. Luke had been so proud of the work he’d done, and he’d seemed so embarrassed about how much was left to do.
I wasn’t sure how much to share about the actual condition of the place.
“I thought it would be good to get him the name of a roofer he can trust.”
More like, I was thinking about calling Jerry myself and having him go out to quote the job.
I knew Luke couldn’t pay, but I also remembered that Jerry had a thing for refurbishing old farm equipment, and I just happened to have a rare model 1913 Case tractor in one of the outbuildings that I’d been thinking to fix up at some point.
Luke’s roof was more important.
Making up for the way I’d treated him for months was more important.
“Well, I think that’s great,” Hawk said, his brown eyes misty. “I think, when a person’s been an asshole, it’s important to own up to it. People are more important than money or things.” He swallowed hard and choked out, “Excuse me,” before fleeing the table.
“Uh.” I looked at Drew and then at Knox. “What’s his deal?”
“Not a clue,” Knox said.
“I just got here.” Porter held up his hands.
“He’s upset at Jack,” Gage said. “Clearly.”
“Jack? My best friend Jack?” I demanded.
“His boss Jack, the owner of Panini Jack’s Jack.
Yes, that Jack.” Gage leaned over the table and lowered his voice.
“I was over helping Helena Fortnum update the guest booking system at the Apple of My Eye when Mary Duarte from the Hair Lair came in—because, you know, Mary and Helena are in the same knitting group, and they go way back—”
“Baby, you terrify me,” Knox interrupted. “How the fuck do you know this shit?”
“I love you, too.” Gage patted his leg distractedly.
“Anyway. I overheard Helena telling Mary that Hawk and Jack had a fight at the diner earlier. I guess Helena was trying to get people to sign a petition against the development, and she got up on the table and started singing ‘Do You Hear the People Sing,’ you know?”
“From Les Mis?” Marco demanded.
Gage nodded. “Mary said it was very moving.”
“Dear God,” I muttered.
“And then Jack made Helena get down, for safety reasons—”
“No shit,” Porter exclaimed. “The woman is, like, a hundred and twelve.”
“—and he told her she’s not allowed to campaign for signatures to save the Peak inside the diner and he’s not even sure which way he wants to vote. Hawk got really upset.”
“Not surprising. Hawk’s got years’ worth of pent-up emotions that have to come out sometime,” Drew said.
The others nodded, but I frowned. “I think you mean months. They only started talking about the development recently.”
Marco gave me a pitying look I didn’t understand.
“It’ll blow over,” Knox predicted. “Hawk’s not one to hold a grudge, especially with Jack.”
“I dunno.” Gage sounded troubled. “Sometimes you can only push a person so far before they start coming to some important realizations.”
I felt like I was missing some subtext in the conversation, and normally I would have insisted on knowing all the details so I could manage shit for everyone…
but I couldn’t bring myself to ask for more information.
My brain had officially reached maximum capacity, and I told myself I’d think about it later.
When later came, though, Hawk and Jack were the furthest thing from my mind.