“You’re on.” I look at my brother and see the hurt in his own eyes. The playfulness from earlier gone.
“We’ll get through this.”
“I know, Johnny. I know. I wish like hell we didn’t have to, though.”
We sit in silence until I hear my dad greeting newcomers, and I know instantly who is here. Finn’s voice travels through the house. My spine straightens, and Johnny chuckles into my hair.
“Wanna tell me about this guy?”
“Nothing to tell. I don’t know anything about him. Today, when I saw him, it was a surprise.”
“Shock or not, you two were sending off some serious vibes.”
“You’re full of shit!” I pull away and slap his shoulder. “Besides, I can’t get involved with a Marine. It’s too dangerous.”
“Sweetie, you have to let go of your safety net. This guy got a rise out of you, much more than I ever saw with you and Russell. He was a complete dud.” He refers to my ex-boyfriend.
“Russell wasn’t that bad. He was completely safe and kind.” I try to defend the man I dated for a few months. But it’s not a good defense because Russell was a bit of a dud.
“Safe is a curse and a lead balloon. If a wo
man ever admitted to dating me because I was a safe choice, I’d never be able to get a hard-on again.”
“Stop being so crass!”
“Like I said, Simon would be proud. I’ve heard funerals and weddings are the best places to meet someone.” He wiggles his eyebrows.
“You’re sick, you know that? Sick and perverse.”
“Oh, how I love when you use big words.”
“What am I going to do with you?” I get up, pulling him along. “Let’s go greet our new guests.”
“New guest a term for new guy?”
I start to give him a smart-ass remark, but stop when I see the glimmer in his eyes.
“Let’s not make a big deal out of this, okay? We’ve got a lot on our plate right now. Not to mention, I know nothing about Finn. Dating is the last thing on my mind.” I try to sound as convincing as possible. Every word is the truth, but I can’t deny I’ve been thinking about Finn since the day in the park.
Secretly, I’d hoped he’d come back with Ember to see Blade, but never in a million years did I expect to find him at Simon’s funeral.
“I make no promises. There’s no denying the way he looked at you. But for today, I’ll back off.” Johnny tucks me back to him and guides us to the house full of people.
I’m going to strangle them! I think to myself for the hundredth time as I watch my brother and dad through the sliding glass doors. They’re surrounded by none other than Finn and his friends, and they’re laughing. Laughing and smiling!
Meanwhile, I’m stuck in the living room with my aunts and a few cousins who are rambling about stupid shit. For the last hour, I’ve been subjected to useless and ridiculous conversations. Each time I try to excuse myself, one of them finds a way to pull me back, so I’m forced to be polite and stick around.
When I catch Johnny winking at me, I scowl. This happens every time our extended family gets together. Dad, Johnny, and even Simon would put me with the ‘women’ of the family and abandon me.
Don’t get me wrong, I adore my whole family, but there’s a tipping point. And right now, I’ve hit mine. My cousin, Bea, starts with her incessant chatter about setting me up with a guy from her office… again.
Winnie runs around the backyard with the other children, and I inwardly curse myself as I devise an escape plan. I say a little prayer and jump up, doing my best to act alarmed.
“Oh, gosh! I think Winnie just face planted in the yard!” I lie. “I need to check on her.”
I rush to the back, playing the doting aunt, and rush to Winnie in case the women are watching. My poor niece looks at me with wide eyes when I swoop in and pull her into my arms, kissing all over her face. Then when I start to tickle her, she squirms and giggles loudly. We spin in a circle, and I see no one is watching, so I put her down and she runs off, forgetting my interruption.
When I join the group on the patio, Finn immediately stands from his seat and gestures for me to sit.