Epic-Logue
Tank
some years later
Across the table from me, James tosses chips to the center of the table. “Call.”
Winnie makes a face and pushes her cards forward. “I’m out. I swear, one of these days I’m going to get dealt a good hand.”
With a smile, James wraps his arm around her shoulders and with a tug, moves her whole chair closer. “I think the hand you got dealt is pretty good, Temp.”
He presses a kiss to her temple and both of them gaze over to the portable bassinet holds their newest baby, sleeping as babies only do when you’re awake. According to both of them, Tyler, their first boy after three girls in a row, is the worst sleeper.
“If he’d been the first,” Winnie told Rose once, “he would have been the only.”
“Yeah, I guess our hand is pretty great,” she says with a sigh, leaning her head on James’s shoulder.
“Aw, how cute,” Pat interjects. “Y’all are just adorable. Now, can we move the betting along, please?”
Molly, who’d been watching James and Winnie with misty eyes and a big, goofy smile, jumps. “Oh! Sorry. That’s me. I just got caught up.” She sniffs. “Ignore me! It’s the hormones.”
“You know,” Collin says. “Before we invited the women, we almost never talked about hormones at the poker table. Ow!”
Harper must have stomped on his foot under the table. She smiles sweetly at him. “I’d like to think that the addition of women to the poker table has added a lot more to the experience. Maybe even to your manners.”
“And your character,” Lindy adds from her spot behind Pat. She opted not to play tonight at the monthly Graham Fam poker night and is draped over Pat’s shoulders, looking ready to fall asleep.
I really need this bet to keep moving before that happens.
As though reading my thoughts, Rose places her hand on my thigh under the table and gives it a squeeze. I didn’t realize it was jiggling nervously, but it was. I stop now. Rose’s smile seems to say, Don’t worry. You’ve got this.
I hope so. But my gut is churning as Molly calls, Collin raises, everyone groans, and then, beside me, Rose folds. Then she looks up at me expectantly and gives my leg another squeeze.
“I’m all-in,” I say, pushing my chips to the middle. There’s more groaning. I think James actually growls. In the midst of the grumbling and complaints, I reach into my back pocket and pull out a folded piece of paper and place it on top of my chips.
Pat frowns. “What’s that, Pops?”
“Are you putting the deed to your house in there?” Collin laughs. “Because there might be some fighting over that.”
“We did a good job, didn’t we?” Rose asks.
The dilapidated farmhouse ended up being salvaged, though the renovations took more than a year and involved stripping it down until it really was just good bones.
Now, it’s a gorgeous little place with updated features and the same classic charm it had even when it was falling apart.
But it’s much too small for anyone in my family.
James and Winnie had their girls, Bailey, Addie, and Cait, before Tyler joined them. He’s the sole boy in the bunch, which I find delightfully funny given the makeup of my immediate family.
Molly and Collin are pregnant with their third girl after having twins the year after they got married—and then suffering through a whole lot of miscarriages.
This led to some hard years, and they thought they were done before this pregnancy took them both by surprise.
But the twins are in elementary school and so excited to be big sisters.
Pat and Lindy had another two girls, Celeste and Maggie, each named by the sister before, just like with Jo and Evangeline. They’ve all got Pat wrapped around their little fingers, but none so much as his wife.
Most of the boys in the family ended up going to Harper and Chase, who had Tucker first, then Sarah, and most recently, another little boy named Mason. The name choice positively thrilled both Mason and Chelsea and brought their story full circle.
Rose’s kids, who couldn’t join us this month, had all the boys to restore balance. Mason and Chelsea have three: Dylan, Sam, and Teddy, my little namesake. That one blew me out of the water and was totally unexpected. I try not to spoil him just because his name is awesome.
John and his wife, Madelyn, have two boys whose antics rival my boys when they were little. I love the irony of that, with John being so straitlaced and his sons trying everything from flying off the roof to supergluing furniture to the floor. Madelyn is a saint who seems to take it all in stride.
In any case, our little two-bedroom farmhouse would be busting at the seams with any of our children’s families.
“It’s not the farmhouse,” I say, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms.
There’s a pause, and then all three of my boys go for the paper at once. While they’re fighting each other for it, Chase slips his hand underneath and grabs it. His jaw goes slack when he unfolds the paper and reads it, then his head whips to me.
“Are you serious?”
“I am.”
“But this is … you mean …”
“Give me that.” Pat knocks the pile of chips in the middle over while snatching the paper from Chase. He starts to sit back down, but as he understands what he’s reading, he snaps to attention, standing as stiff and straight as he can.
Lindy, reading over his shoulder, gasps. “Sheet Cake?” she says in a whisper. “You’re betting the town?”
“Yup. Winner takes the town,” I say.
“But why?” Pat asks, falling back down into his chair.
“I’m tired. I love the town and what I’ve been able to build—with all of your help. But it’s time for me to really retire. I want to spend my days with the people I love, not dealing with ordinances and town business. It’s time for someone else to make their mark.”
“Wow,” Winnie says, pushing her glasses up her nose. “This is huge.”
There’s a moment of silence as this sinks in around the table. Rose’s hand moves from my thigh, finding my hand and linking our fingers together.
“If you don’t have any interest in it, now might be a good time to fold,” I say. “Take a moment to think it over. Probably a good idea to discuss with your better half. Boys, you know that means your wives.”
Rose leans in while all my children have whispered discussions in pairs.
Tyler stirs awake, and Winnie tosses a nursing cover over herself and feeds him while she and James keep talking in low tones.
He shakes his head at me, but in a way that tells me he can’t believe I’m doing this but also, mad respect.
“All right, are we good?” I ask, after a few minutes when the talks start to die down. There are nods all around the table. “I know normally the bet should keep going in order, but with this, we’re starting with the oldest. James and Winnie? Are you in or out.”
They exchange a look, and Winnie shrugs, then nods at her husband.
James hesitates, and I realize that Winnie probably let him make the final call.
The respect and trust that runs between the two of them is admirable.
He meets my eyes, and for a moment, I think he’s going to call, but instead, he says, “Fold” and starts to push his cards to the middle.
“Keep the cards,” I say. “We need to settle the real game up so we’re square after this.”
“Collin and Molly?”
“Fold,” Molly says.
“We both love this idea,” Collin says. “But there’s no way with The Oven going the way it is. I’m barely keeping up with the boom.”
“Understood,” I say. “And I hope you all know, even if every single one of you passes on this, it’s okay.
I should have started with that. There is no pressure.
This is my starting point, and if none of y’all want Sheet Cake, I’ve got a contingency.
So, please, don’t jump on this because you think it needs to stay in the family or because of some misguided sense of responsibility.
You’ve all got a lot on your plates. Patrick and Harper, this leaves the two of you.
With Lindy and Chase, of course,” I add.
“Again, this has to be a couple decision.”
Harper and Chase exchange a look, then say, “Fold” in unison.
“Sorry, Daddy,” Harper adds.
“Don’t be. I promise you, I won’t walk out of here disappointed if you all say no. Buying this town has been a great decision for us all. Doesn’t mean we need to keep it. I’ll find another good buyer, and Sheet Cake has served its purpose in our family, I think.”
All eyes turn to Pat and Lindy. She presses a kiss to Pat’s cheek and he swallows, looking down at his lap, where he’s still holding the deed to the town. My heart starts to beat faster.
I really do mean it that I won’t begrudge all of them for saying no. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’ve got a kernel of hope.
When Patrick lifts his chin and meets my eyes, I know from the fire I see there what his answer is going to be. He stands, holding the deed in one hand and holding out his other across the table to shake mine. “I never even thought about this possibility, but Pops, we’re all-in.”
THE END
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