Kyle parked the car, and I sat motionless, staring out the windshield at the white garage door in front of me. I was praying that tonight would go smoothly. I did not want any drama. I did not want to cry. All I wanted was to keep things sweet and simple by enjoying this time with my family and old friends.
“Ready?” Kyle asked softly.
He placed his hand on my thigh, pulling me out of one of my many reveries that seemed to be occurring so frequently these days.
I turned my head to face him with a reassuring smile. “Yes, I’m ready.” I stepped out of the car into the hot sun. With the high temperature and humidity plaguing the air, I was glad I had chosen a light tank top.
Jason was standing in front of the house, talking on his phone. When he noticed us, he began walking in our direction. He ended the call and put the phone into his pocket as I met him halfway at the junction of the blacktop and sidewalk. Kyle came to a stop beside me.
“Hey, there.” Jason smiled and pulled me into his famous big bear hug.
All the air was expelled from my lungs on a big whoosh as he squeezed me tight, too tight.
“Jason. Can’t. Breathe.” I somehow managed to get out.
“Sorry, Lil.” He chuckled softly. “I just missed you.” Jason shifted his attention to greet Kyle. “Hey, man.” He extended his hand to Kyle. “How’s it going?”
“Good,” Kyle said in a friendly manner as he shook Jason’s hand. “And you?”
“Better now. Glad you guys made it.” Jason grinned playfully as he turned back to me and threw his arm over my shoulders. “Are you hungry?”
“I’m always hungry for Uncle Dan’s grilled food,” I replied.
“Me, too.” Jason dropped his arm from around me and motioned us to follow him to the house. “Come on out back. Mom will be relieved to see you. She’s been nervous all day. After bombarding you this morning, she thought you might need some space.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry. It’s only us right now. Everyone else won’t be here for a little while. Dinner should be ready in another forty-five minutes. Dad had to run out for another bag of charcoal. Are you hungry now? Or can you wait?” Jason asked.
“I can wait,” I replied, turning to face Kyle.
Surely, the man won’t starve in forty-five minutes.
Kyle rolled his eyes at me. “I’m not a food hoarder, Lily. I can wait forty-five minutes.”
“You might not be, but I am, so stay out of my way.” Jason glared at Kyle with a mischievous grin as he flippantly punched him in the arm.
With a smile, Kyle raised his eyebrows at Jason. “That was your only free shot…remember that.”
Jason laughed.
I looked at the two of them with adoration. It was lovely to see Jason being so cheerful yet at ease. He could be a lot of fun when he let his guard down and lived in the moment. Being the oldest, he did not do that as often as he should. He was the responsible, sensible hard worker of the bunch. It seemed to be a big-brother trend.
Turning back to me, Jason tilted his head with his boyish grin in full effect. “I really like him, Lil. He can stay.”
“So you’ve said, and I’m happy you think so,” I answered, not hiding my humor.
As we reached the front porch, Damon met us at the door with a smile that could light up a room. He stepped forward and pulled me in for a hug. “There’s my favorite girl.”
Beaming, I hugged him tightly. Kyle’s advice about regaining the friendship I had shared with Damon was in the forefront of my mind. “Hey, Damon. How are you?”
Damon held me at arm’s length. “I’m great, and I’m glad that you are here.” He smiled softly. “How are you? Hangin’ in there?” He eyed me closely.
I nodded reassuringly. “Yep, thank you.”
Damon put his arm around my shoulder. “That’s good to hear, Lil. So, are you hungry? Mom is making a salad in the kitchen if you’re ready to eat.”
“Okay, I’ll see if she needs any help.”
Dropping his arm, Damon turned and led us to the kitchen. As I followed him down the narrow hallway, my gaze met the family pictures on the wall.
So many memories.
Aunt Lucie was standing at the kitchen counter, slicing a big red tomato. A large clear bowl of freshly chopped lettuce, a cucumber, and a bag of croutons sat next to the cutting board.
She turned at the sound of our footsteps. Her eyes instantly shimmered with excitement at the sight of me. “Lily, dear.” She set down her knife and came to greet us. She opened her arms and embraced me. “I’m so pleased you came.”
I hugged her back. “Thank you for inviting us.”
“Of course, dear. You’re always welcome. You’re family.” She stepped back and gave me a shy smile.
I could see the hesitation in her eyes as she was still wordlessly pleading for forgiveness. I smiled, hoping to silently convey reassurance to put her worries at bay. I wanted to have a good time and move forward with my family.
Aunt Lucie’s expression lightened. “I should be finished with this salad in a few minutes. Would you like to start with some chips and dip? Or maybe some veggies?”
“Sure, that sounds wonderful.”
“Alright. Why don’t you all go and make yourselves comfortable outside on the patio? I’ll bring some food right out.” She turned back to the counter and grabbed a bag of tortilla chips and a bowl of dip.
I stepped forward. “Would you like some help?”
“Sure,” she said elatedly. She handed me the bag and bowl. “If you could please take these outside, that would be great. I’ll get the drinks and then finish up the salad.”
Jason grabbed a bag that looked to be full of paper plates, napkins, and plasticware. “I’ll take these out and set the table,” he said before walking to the back door.
I followed him outside. Uncle Dan emerged from the garage near the patio, carrying a bag of charcoal. His expression brightened when he saw me. He sauntered over, stopped in front of me, and dropped the bag. He drew me into a hug as I carefully shifted the food in my hands to the side.
“Hey, kid. Glad you could make it. How are you?” He pulled back, searching my eyes for any clues.
I smiled and stepped back. Uncle Dan maneuvered the bag closer to the grill, ripped open the top, and began stacking each charcoal rock. According to the men in my family, grilling was an acquired skill. It was all about the size of the flame and the perfect temperature.
“I’m doing good. I’m definitely ready for Uncle Dan’s famous grilled chicken.”
Once the grill was lit, the smells engulfed my nose, and I closed my eyes briefly, inhaling the scent.
Mmm…charcoal grill.
As a family, we used to grill out several nights a week, especially in the summer. I could live off of grilled food. I loved it that much.
As I looked back at Uncle Dan, he turned his head to me and grinned while nudging my shoulder. “That’s right, kid.” He winked. “And don’t you forget it.”
“Never have forgotten, and never will.” I winked back.
I walked over to the table and set down the bowl of dip. I opened the bag and placed it next to the bowl. Jason opened the packages of paper plates, napkins, and plasticware and made piles at the end of the table. I took a seat at the left side of the table, so I could face the sun. The warmth beating against my skin felt good.
When I glanced down at the large square patio, I was reminded of the fact that it had originally been built by my dad and Uncle Dan. Several years later, when we were teenagers, they had made it larger to add room for a little
barbequing station
, as they had called it. Uncle Dan had made a little roof overhead, so he could grill out even if it were raining. It seemed pretty funny, but he’d claimed it came in handy all the time.
Kyle stepped onto the patio with several liters of soda in his hands. Damon followed, carrying a big blue cooler, and he set it down near the edge of the patio. Kyle and Damon filled the cooler with ice and then walked over to the table. Kyle sat next to me while Damon sat on the opposite side of us.
Aunt Lucie came out with a big bowl of salad and set it on the center of the table. “Dig in, kids. We have plenty to eat,” she announced.
Uncle Dan came over to the table and reached for a salad plate.
“Mom, we’re not kids,” Jason teased. “We’re all in our twenties.”
Aunt Lucie brushed her hands on her apron as she gave Jason a sweet smile. “You’ll always be my kids, honey, whether you’re twenty-seven or forty.”
Kyle and Damon laughed, not at all bothered by Aunt Lucie’s endearment.
Jason shook his head. “How am I supposed to bring a date over when my mom calls me
kid
and
honey
? That’ll make me look like a total pussy.”
Kyle covered his mouth to hide his amusement, no doubt trying to be respectful. Damon threw his head back, rolling with laughter.
Aunt Lucie’s eyes widened and darted to Jason’s. “No using such language at my table, twenty-seven or not,” she chided. Her demeanor instantly softened, filling with love and happiness. “You’re dating?” she exclaimed.
“Of course not. Who would date a pussy?” Damon teased.
Uncle Dan, Aunt Lucie, and Jason all shot daggers at Damon.
Before Aunt Lucie could scold him, Jason beat her to the punch. “Watch it, Damon, or I’ll pound you into the ground,” he threatened.
Damon chuckled. “No need to be violent. Just stating a fact, and you said it first.”
Jason shook his head in denial. “I said it to make a statement.”
“And I said it to state a fact,” Damon retorted.
Kyle leaned into me, still trying to hide his laughter. “This is great. So, who will throw the first punch?” he whispered in my ear.
I nudged his arm playfully and leaned a bit closer than necessary, wanting to take in his familiar scent. Turning my head, I whispered back, “Definitely Jason. He has a bit of a temper, but they can both hold their own in a fight…if they fight fair.” I shook my head. “That isn’t very often though,” I added.
Kyle chuckled softly as we both continued to watch Jason and Damon argue like any two brothers would.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Uncle Dan watching Kyle and me with a loving smile on his face.
“Hey, wait a second! I still haven’t gotten an answer,” Aunt Lucie reprimanded. “Jason, dear, who are you dating?”
Jason punched Damon on the arm with a loud whack. The tension left his face as he turned to face his mom. “Mom, I’m not dating anyone. I was just speaking hypothetically.”
“Oh.” Her smile fell.
“Mom, you know Jason is special. He might never date,” Damon continued.
Kyle and I tried to hide our laughter, but we could not hold back after the way Damon had used such a sincere tone.
“Why you little fuc—” Jason started but was cut off by his mom.
“Jason Matthew Johnson, don’t you even finish that sentence! There will be no cursing at my table!” Aunt Lucie snapped.
She quickly strode over to place herself in between Jason and Damon. She good-humoredly smacked Jason with a towel that had been tucked into her apron. Jason leaned back into his chair and covered his chest with the palm of his hand, laughing hard.
She turned toward Damon and struck him in the shoulder with her handy towel, too. “And I call you kids because you act like kids!”
Everyone, even Aunt Lucie, erupted into laughter. I put my hand over my heart, trying to steady my breathing. When I felt Kyle’s eyes on me, I turned slightly and made eye contact with the most beautiful green with a brown halo eyes I had ever seen. They truly captivated me, pulling me deeper and deeper into his soul every time I looked at them. I smiled lovingly at him, and his affectionate grin broadened.
Aunt Lucie sat down in her chair and recovered her composure. She smiled softly at Kyle and me. “Sorry about that. I seem to have raised wild hyenas.”
Jason chortled. “Uh, Mom, I hate to point out the obvious, but Lily can be pretty wild herself, so we don’t need to pretend today.”
Damon chimed in, “Yeah, she can.”
I glared at Damon and then Jason. “No need to elaborate,” I warned, trying my best to sound serious.
Ted and Jane approached the patio from the side of the house before anyone could respond. Meg and A.J. were right behind them, talking softly. We all stood to our feet, ready to greet them.
“So glad you all could join us!” Aunt Lucie said excitedly.
I shifted on my feet, feeling a bit nervous, as I stood next to Kyle while everyone exchanged greetings. Jane embraced Aunt Lucie in a big hug as Ted and Uncle Dan shook hands.
Meg stepped around Aunt Lucie and walked up to me. Her smile was bright and full of life. She was tall, thin, and gorgeous with a heart of gold. “Hello, Lily.” Meg hugged me hard and then held me at arm’s length. “It’s so great to see you. I thought I was going to have to go on a road trip with one of your cousins and hunt you down. I missed your face,” Meg teased. “How have you been, sweets?”
I smiled back shyly, but I was so very excited to see her. “Hi, Meg. I missed you, too. No need to track me down.” I laughed. “I’m here.”
Meg and I rambled on a bit, back and forth, doing a quick catch-up on her college days and her finding a great temp job and my moving to Florida and writing romance.
A.J. and Kyle shook hands, introduced themselves, and listened to our exchange as they stood by our sides.
As my conversation with Meg was coming to an end, I weaved my fingers together timidly. My body felt like a bundle of nerves. I glanced up to find A.J. watching me.
He smiled softly and stepped forward to embrace me. “Hello, Lily. Long time no see,” he said gently and took a step back.
A.J. had grown at least an inch taller since the last time I had seen him. He was probably just over six feet now.
He must have been a late bloomer
. He looked to be about twenty pounds heavier with muscle than before, too. Next to Kyle though, he still seemed small.
Kyle stared at him intently, sizing him up.
“Hello, A.J. Yes, it has been quite some time.” I gave him a friendly smile. “How are you? Your mom said you finished school, and you’ve been traveling a bit.”
“I have.” A.J. nodded. “I’ve been trying to decide where to settle down.”
Aunt Lucie walked up beside me and put her hand on my shoulder. Uncle Dan had already made his way over to the grill.