Page 29 of Shadowed Rubies
We remained frozen there like statues, uncertain what to do. Max was the first to regain his wits. He moved quickly to the back door and flung it open before suggesting to Mimi, “Get it out of here.”
Mimi scurried across the room with the animal’s tail in her grasp. My mother and I both leaned back as she scooted by us with the most-likely alive wild animal. She gingerly set it down on the back-porch steps before jumping back inside the house. Max slammed the door shut behind her, and I quickly closed the doggy door to keep Jasper in and the critter out. We all moved to stare out the window at the immobile animal.
“I think it’s dead,” Mimi announced, right before my mother said, “I think you should wash your hands, you crazy old broad.”
With that, Mimi cackled with laughter as she walked over to our kitchen sink to comply with the request. After she dried her hands with the kitchen towel that read, ‘There’s no such thing as too much butter,’ Mimi turned to Mom and said, “This is the first time I’ve felt like myself since the fire. Our camping adventure is going to be a hoot!”
I’d never heard my mother mention anything about being interested in camping. She was more of a Hilton kind of lady. I was glad to see, though, that Mimi had taken my advice by coming here, and that the two seemed to be hitting off and planning wild excursions together. I couldn’t begin to imagine the kind of trouble these two could stir up, if today’s kitchen shenanigans were a preview of what was to come.
Evidently back to her ornery self, Mimi turned her sharp, blue gaze up to Max and said, “How can such a strapping young fireman be such a big gosh durn’ chicken?”
Max’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he sheepishly sat down at the kitchen table with the older women. Proving that he was a good sport, he said, “It’s sad isn’t it.”
I plopped down in the last remaining chair at the table and was stunned when, instead of curling up at my feet, Bruiser rested against one of Max’s black leather boots. Warmth and happiness spread throughout my abdomen as my mom reached over to place her hand on top of Max’s and said to him, “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with us.”
When the timer buzzed, Mom got up to don oven mitts before removing a delicious-smelling pan of freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies. The mouth-watering aroma wafted over us as she set the cookie plate in the middle of the table. We scarfed them down like we were starving.
Before stuffing the fourth warm cookie into his mouth, Max said, “These are some of the most delicious cookies I’ve ever tasted. You’re quite a baker, Dr. Waters.”
“Secret family recipe,” my mom said mysteriously before winking at me and adding, “I’ll pass it on to Dani one of these days.”
She let the heavy-handed hint hover in the air that if Max ended up with me, he could enjoy these cookies on a regular basis. I shook my head and smiled at the ridiculous woman. She knew I would never reveal to anyone that her ‘famous’ cookie recipe was simply the instructions on the back of the Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip bag.
When Max got up to help himself to more milk, he tentatively peeked out the kitchen window. His eyes looked startled when he turned back to us and said, “It’s gone!”
We all got up and scurried over to huddle around the window to see for ourselves. Sure enough, there was no sign of the animal Mimi had carried out of the house by its tail.
After much squealing and an exaggerated shiver of disgust from Mimi, we had a good laugh as we sat back down. Sitting at my mother’s table with these wonderful people made it easy to envision a delightful future raising a family in quaint, picturesque Brunswick Bay Harbor with nearly-perfect Max by my side as a true partner.
Too bad my boss was demanding I be back in Boston by January first to resume my career.
Plastering a smile on my face, I decided to relax and enjoy the next few weeks over the holidays with Max. These memories would have to carry me through the long, cold, lonely nights to come in the big city after I went back to my life in Boston that I’d worked so hard to make a reality.
32
Max
Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday of the entire year. How could anyone not like an entire day dedicated to being grateful, eating, and watching football?
Normally, I took the lunch shift at the fire station and let the guys with families of their own have the peak hours of the holiday off. My parents and sister would delay our holiday meal until I was off work, and we’d do our Thanksgiving celebration later in the evening. This year, Dani’s mother had invited us all over for lunch at noon, so I insisted on having the entire day off. It was my turn, and none of my crew dared to complain.
Dani and her mother were making a huge meal. When my mom offered to come over early to help, they insisted that they enjoyed doing it.
Once we were alone, Dani revealed that she believed her mother was trying to stay super busy in order to not have to think about this being the first year without her husband. She said her mother wanted her house to be full of people, noise, and activity. It was sure to include all of that with the addition of my family.
I just hoped that Molly would behave herself. I’d given her a stern warning not to make things awkward with Dean and Josie. She’d batted her long, black eyelashes as if she was the epitome of innocence. Since I knew that she wasn’t, I’d given her my best big-brother stare down, but I doubted it had the same effect as it did when we were kids.
This was the first time our families would all be together. It felt monumental with regard to Dani and me being able to make a real go of our relationship on a longer-term basis. I would throttle Molly if she ruined it.
Molly and I had each driven over to my parents’ house, so that we could all ride over to the Waters’ together. As we stood together as a family on their front porch after I knocked, my hands felt clammy. It was all I could do to hold onto the chilled bottle of Riesling I’d brought as my contribution to the meal. For some reason, this day felt like the key to our future.
Dean answered the door, holding Jaxson, and I felt my shoulders tense. This was the moment of truth.
When my sister turned her lips up into a smile and gushed, “Oh my gosh, he’s getting so big!” as she tickled lightly under the baby’s chin, I felt like crushing her to me in a brotherly hug, but I managed to refrain. That would come once she and I were alone, and I could properly thank her for being so mature.
The meal was boisterous as I razzed Dean for his lackluster turkey carving skills and Jaxson amazed us all by babbling, “Da-da-da.”
Josie grinned at Dean and the proud papa beamed back at her before saying, “Listen to him go… Can all babies do that at just six months old? He’s brilliant!”
