Page 35 of Patio Lanterns

“What? Really?” Aidan asked.

She nodded. “Of course. You’ve always been an honourary Pelletier.” She looked to Lark and Dove. “Right girls? Hasn’t he?”

“Of course,” Dove said.

“Absolutely,” Lark added.

“Rick, you too, of course,” Robin said. “Actually, we should invite all the neighbours who knew Mom and supported our family in some way all these years. We’ll throw a celebration of life party for her.”

“We will?” Dove questioned.

Lark furrowed her eyebrows. “What kind of party?”

“Oh, you know. Like the dock parties they used to throw when we were kids. A big ol’ bonfire, dancing, the lights strung along the lakefront.”

“And plenty of food,” Aidan added.

“Of course, food.” Robin laughed. “We’ll have it Friday. Friday at sunset.”

“Robin,” Lark snapped. “I really think the three of us ought to sit down and discuss this before you start inviting people to Mom’s private memorial willy-nilly.”

“Why?” Robin asked.

“Because you can’t just throw together a celebration of life party in a matter of days without having a well-thought out plan,” Lark scoffed. “Besides, this is something the three of us really ought to discuss first, don’t you think?”

Uh oh. It appeared that Robin had gone off-script before there was even a script in place. Rick wondered what had compelled her to put forward such an elaborate idea before talking to her sisters about it.

“Don’t worry, I have a plan,” Robin told them. “And the plan is that I’ll take care of everything, you’ll see.”

Lark smirked. “You? Come on.”

Rick nipped things in the bud. “I say that if this is what you girls decide you want to do, Aidan and I would both be honoured to attend. If there’s anything you want us to do to help, just let us know, okay?”

Robin smiled up at him. “Thank you, but I’ve got this.”

Attagirl, he cheered silently.

Aidan jingled his keys in his hand. “Hey Robbie, we definitely gotta grab that beer later this week.”

“You know where to find me,” she said with a shrug.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe you’re seeing anyone right now, are you?” Lark ribbed Aidan. “Well, in case I haven’t mentioned it, Robin’s single too.”

“Geez, can’t two old friends just grab a beer?” Robin asked. “Last time I checked, we were on Lake Whippoorwill, not Love Island.”

Wait a minute. What the heck was going on here? After putting Robin down all evening, now her sister was trying to set her up with Aidan? Rick was dizzy from trying to keep up. His eyes bounced from Robin to Aidan and back again. He had definitely picked up on a closeness between them. A history. Feelings. He called her Robbie for Chrissake. Maybe there really was a potential to be something between them. Which made Rick the dense old fool who had gotten in the way.

“You know, maybe Lark has a point,” he said.

Robin’s head whipped around. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I’m just saying, you’re both young, good-looking, and single.” He shrugged. “Who knows?”

She shot him a deadly glare. If her eyes were daggers, he’d have been gutted from stem to stern.

“Right? Who knows?” Lark laughed.

They all walked outside to say their final goodnights. Robin said nothing to Rick, instead freezing him out with a cold shoulder and icy stare. Well, she might’ve been mad now, but surely by morning, she’d come around. She would be better off with someone much younger than Rick, and he’d be wise to move on from their one-night stand.

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