Page 8 of As a Last Resort
“She picked them from the front lawn.Bees were literally swarming around her head, and one stung her on her neck.”
Mom’s face puckered.“Oh goodness.I don’t remember that.”
“She used it as an excuse for me to take care of her.”
“She wouldn’t do that,” Lexi replied.
“Okay, what about the time she slit her own tires, so I’d give her a ride home?”
“She didn’t.”Mom’s mouth hung open.
Lexi pointed the knife at me.“There’s no proof of that.”
I narrowed my eyes on her.“But you admit it’s a possibility.”
“I mean…” Lexi trailed off giggling.
“And she definitely sent me that anonymous valentine senior year, the one that had the hand-drawn picture of a potato on it that saidIf you were a potato you’d be a sweet one…”
“That was actually a really beautiful watercolor of a potato though.”One of Lexi’s admirable qualities—always finding the silver lining.Even in a stalker situation.
“Crayon,” I corrected.“It was crayon, Lexi.”
“Well, everyone certainly has to have a talent.”Mom pursed her lips together to desperately hold in a grin.“Let’s perhaps pass on Mallory as a date option for now.Don’t you worry, I have other options.”
“Singledoesn’t sound so bad now, does it, Mom?”
“Okay, that’s it, you two out back,” she ordered.“I’ve got the rest.Shoo, shoo.”
Lexi and I moved past the patio onto the grassy yard that overlooked the water.It used to be my great-grandmother’s house, one of the first on the island, passed down generation after generation.It was right on a point of the island, jetted out onto a small strip of land.Little crabs ran around the pebbles at sunset.Small waves flopped against the rock barrier to the property.If you sat in the Adirondack chairs my great-grandfather had built with his bare hands and looked straight ahead to the water, it stretched out as far as you could see in almost every direction.It gave the illusion you were sitting at the edge of the world.
“Mom’s not going to let it go.”Lexi settled into one of the chairs’ worn-in grooves.
“And I’ll give her the same answer I always do.I don’t need a date.”
We looked behind us to Dad at the grill, his signatureKISS THECOOKapron hanging around his neck, tongs in hand, and Mom running out another dish of salt-and-oil–tossed veggies she forgot about.He’d bark and complain about there not being enough room and she’d grab his rear as she dropped off yet another thing for him to maneuver onto the hot grate.
They had been high school sweethearts, my dad the quarterback of the football team—yes, the same high school team he coached to states and Rex recently took over—and my mom captain of the math teamandthe cheerleading squad.They were the perfect picture of what young love could morph into once you grew old if your fiancée didn’t leave you for your best friend—boy, girl, a golden retriever, and a house with a view of the water.The only reason wedidn’t have a white picket fence was Mom said it would block the view of her hydrangeas from the street.
“Dinner’s ready!”Mom called out.
“Brace yourself for the inquisition,” Lexi warned with a grin.“I’ll get you some liquid ammo.”She headed inside first to grab a beer for me.
Even though our family dinners were technically relaxed, it was more like the laid-back outdoor setting of a Serena & Lily catalog.The table overflowed with food, Edison lights hung from the trees, and white linen napkins were intentionally crumpled on the table.
“Are we expecting company?”I asked.
“You know how your mother is,” Dad replied.
“Where did the lobster tails come from?”Lexi asked as she dropped my beer off and plopped down in her seat with her own glass of white wine.
“Carl brought in fresh catch and I couldn’t resist.Look at these!”Mom held a tail up and smiled like she was the poster child for Rock Island Lobster Hunting Tours.Without looking down I knew that each of us would have our own little white ramekin dish with melted salted butter.She was always prepared for everything, especially when it came to taking care of others.
“Speaking of,” she continued, “I was thinking since we’re doing the rehearsal dinner in the backyard, we could do a little cold seafood bar.I know you wanted to keep it simple, but maybe an ice bar with a few different options, like lobster, oysters, shrimp, and crab claws?”
“With a huge ice sculpture in the middle in the shape of two swans intertwined or something?”Lexi deadpanned.
“Yes!That’s exactly what I was thinking!”Mom beamed.
