“Are you wearing that to shield the earth from all the galactic forces?” I mock her.
“I’ll have you know that skin cancer is a deadly disease.”
“It is…” I agree. “You’ll turn into a lobster, won’t you?”
“An English lobster at that, but hey, I got the magic juice.” She holds up a solo cup, cheering herself on.
I leave her alone to get drunk and sunburned to see Morgan enter the yard with her dad by her side. He’s the spitting image of Scarlett—same eyes, and even the eyebrows are shaped the same. Given that he’s from Little Rock, I expected some hick-town old man and am surprised he looks young and fit for his age.
She waves at me, and I walk toward her, unsure whether or not I should kiss her. So, I lean in and kiss her cheek as she pulls back and introduces me, “Noah, this is my dad, Max.”
I shake his hand as a sign of respect and then offer him a beer. Lex and Charlie have joined us, introducing themselves. Charlie seems to take to Morgan, pulling her aside and introducing her to the girls. This is all new to me. I don’t know why I feel incredibly uncomfortable. It’s like all my worlds colliding in one backyard.
“I’m Ava, Uncle Noah’s favorite,” Ava says confidently.
Morgan leans across to me. “The sleepwalker and toothbrush bandit?”
I ruffle Ava’s hair. “Yep. She also enjoys using my cell and buying apps because Uncle Noah has never had to lock his account before.”
Ava has a way with her words, talking endlessly about anything and everything. Morgan has the patience of a saint, weighing in heavily on which Wiggle she likes best. I don’t even know what the hell a Wiggle is.
We sit down at one of the picnic tables when Kate and Mom walk outside with bowls of chips and some salad. I turn my head as Kate sees us at the table, her usual mischievous grin playing on her lips. She leans over to whisper into Mom’s ear before they both turn around and walk our way.
Here we go.
This is it.
Why the fuck are you sweating bullets?
I turn around, pretending not to notice when Kate purposely wraps her arms around me, giving me a big hug. “Hey, momma’s boy.”
I pull her arms off me, noticing her eyes are glazed over caused by too much punch. “You know my mom is standing right here?”
“Yes.” She grins. “She gave me the go-ahead to call you that. In fact, she insisted.”
In the space of a few hours, Mom and Kate seem inseparable. I don’t understand why. Kate is great, but I made it clear that nothing would happen between us. At least, nothing else would happen between us.
Mom clears her throat, raising her eyebrows at me. I shake my head, forgetting that Morgan and her dad are standing beside me.
“Morgan, Max, please meet my friend, Kate, and, of course, my mom,” I say, toning down the enthusiasm.
“Mom, Kate… this is Morgan, my uh… girlfriend.” I gulp.
Morgan’s eyes widen.
Damn! I don’t know what compelled me to call her that.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
Kate extends her hand, shaking Max’s first, then reaching out to Morgan. I notice that Morgan’s withdrawn and appears quieter than usual. She has that same expression on her face from when I first had that meeting in her office.
“I’m so happy to finally meet you. Noah’s told me so much about you,” Kate mentions happily.
“Interesting,” she says, monotone. “He never talks about you.”
There’s an awkward silence.
Of course, I don’t talk about her.