Page 10 of My Return to the Walter Boys
Two giggles confirmed her theory.
Katherine was a stickler for serving dinner at the table, so I was surprised to see her setting it up on the island, buffet style. Then I spotted the reason for the shift.
“Whoa,” I said, eyeing the mess. The entire surface of the ten-foot-long farmhouse table was covered in stuff—piles of neatly folded clothes, stacks of books, and tubs filled with old toys and knickknacks. “What’s going on over there?”
Nathan shrugged. “My mom mentioned something about sorting through old stuff to sell for a fundraiser sometime this fall, but I didn’t catch the details.”
“It’s a community-wide rummage sale to raise funds for a new park,” came a quiet reply, and when I turned to face the source, I found Kim watching me with cautious eyes. “Hey, Jackie. It’s good to—”
“Jackie!” A small body collided with mine, nearly knocking the wind out of me. “You’re back!”
“Oof. Hello, Parker,” I said, returning her hug. “Did you have a good summer?”
“The best! My dad taught me how to use a slingshot, and I started tennis lessons. I wanted to sign up for boxing, but Mom says I’m violent enough as it is.”
As she prattled on, I mouthed “Talk later?” to Kim, and she nodded in agreement. Then I spent the next two minutes listening to Parker asshe filled me in on everything I missed while I was gone. Considering the rocky start to our relationship, I was surprised but touched by her excitement. It reminded me of my younger self and how I always lit up whenever Lucy made time for me.
“All right, everyone,” Katherine called over the ruckus, clapping her hands together to get the room’s attention. “Dinner’s ready. Come get a plate, and help yourselves. We’re eating outside tonight.”
Having witnessed past Walter feeding frenzies, I decided to hang back for my own safety. It was the right call. While Isaac and Lee jostled each other for first dibs on the drumsticks, Zack and Benny whacked anyone within reach with their paper plates. Sweet Baby Ray’s splattered everywhere when Jack unscrewed the cap and, without thinking, shook the bottle, and Alex nearly sent his plate of food flying when he tripped over his father who was still under the sink working on the plumbing.
“Hey, that’s enough! Save some for the rest of us,” Parker exclaimed as she and Jordan stood over a steaming casserole dish. She tried to snatch the serving spoon from Jordan’s hand, but he batted her away with ease, took what looked like his third heaping scoop, and added it to a plate filled with one thing—cheesy potatoes. When he went for another helping, Parker punched him in the ribs.
“Ow!” Jordan dropped the serving spoon, and it clattered back into the casserole dish. “Mom, Parker hit me!”
“Yeah, because you’re being an asshole and hogging the potatoes!”
“Language!” came a muffled reprimand from under the sink.
Katherine pinched the bridge of her nose. “Parker, what have I told you about hitting people?”
She huffed but hung her head. “That it’s only acceptable in certain contact sports and if someone is trying to kidnap me.”
“That’s your second warning. If it happens again, you’ll be grounded. And, Jordan? You need to eat more than potatoes for dinner. Put something healthy on your plate.”
Once everyone else had food, I served myself and spent a few minutes talking with Will and Haley, who I hadn’t seen since the wedding. The newlyweds had purchased their first home two weeks ago—a fixer-upper ranch on the outskirts of town—and they had all sorts of plans for how to renovate it. When the conversation turned into a debate on granite verses quartz countertops, I made my excuses and escaped outside.
It was late enough in the evening that the setting sun had chased away the heat of the day, leaving behind a comfortable coolness and a streak of purple clouds across the sky. The air here smelled how I always imagined summer should—a mix of barbecue and chlorine and freshly cut grass. It was a vast improvement over New York’s standard bouquet of piss on hot pavement and rotting garbage. For a moment, I stood in place and took everything in, and it was only the sound of someone calling my name that finally broke me from my reverie.
“Hellooo, earth to Jackie.”
Across the deck, Isaac, Lee, Alex, Kim, and Nathan were sitting at the patio table. Something about the scene looked wrong, likesomeone had photoshopped out a part of the picture. That was when I realized it was because the eldest set of Walter twins was missing. My ribs grew tight as I thought of Danny. We’d spent the entire summer together, so his absence was disquieting, but he’d decided to stay behind in New York to pursue acting, and I couldn’t begrudge him chasing his dreams.
Alex raised a brow at me, then pushed out the empty chair at his side. “Plan on standing there all night, or are you going to join us?”
A hand wrapped around my wrist.
“No, come sit with me,” Parker said and tugged me toward the lawn. “I haven’t finished telling you about my summer.”
Her smile was too innocent to be trustworthy, but I couldn’t face Alex and Kim yet, not when what happened this afternoon was fresh in my mind. After sending an apologetic smile in Alex’s direction, I let Parker lead me over to a picnic table where the younger kids were eating, and Zack and Benny watched with rapt attention as she directed me to a specific spot on the bench. Jack was intently focused on his food, but it was obvious something was up since his twin was missing. Knowing Jordan, he was probably lurking nearby with their camera, hoping to catch whatever action arose. Following a cursory look under the table (I’d play along provided their plan didn’t involve another encounter with Rumple, Jordan’s corn snake), I sat down and braced myself for whatever was coming.
I didn’t have to wait long.
Parker tried to distract me with outrageous stories about herweek at summer camp, but the Walters didn’t do subtle, and I noticed Jack nod out of the corner of my eye. His signal triggered a strange sputtering noise, and a split second later, a stream of water blasted me in the back. I screamed, more because of the cold temperature than the surprise of the attack, and the kids shrieked with laughter. Hidden in the bushes behind me was a sprinkler, and it sprayed me once more before I could scramble away from the table and out of range.
“What’s going on?” Nathan stood at the edge of the deck, a frown marring his face. Nobody responded, but it only took him a second to survey the scene and figure out what had happened. He snatched a towel off one of the pool chairs and rushed down the steps. “Jackie, are you all right?”
“I’m good,” I said, taking the proffered towel and wrapping it around my shoulders.
