Page 79 of Every Now and Then
Outside, the sky is growing darker by the second, and the wind howls through the trees. The clouds hang low and heavy with impending precipitation, holding back for now, but the promise of a monster storm looms in the air.
In the middle of prepping a big salad, I put down the knife I was using to slice tomatoes. Annabelle and I look at each other in alarm when we hear Josh’s voice. Wiping my hands on a dish towel, I throw it on the kitchen counter and stalk to the front of the house as James, Rowdy, and Bailey stream inside behind Josh, stomping their boots and shivering in their coats.
Bailey is bouncing with excitement, eager to meet Annabelle. Rowdy doesn’t look any more chill than his wife, which makes me grin. James plays it cool, merely nodding hello in Annabelle’s direction, but I know they’re all curious to get to know the woman who has stolen my heart. As members of my family, I really want them to hit it off with Annabelle.
“What’s going on?” I ask Josh. “Glad y’all made it safely, but dinner isn’t for another hour.”
“The power’s out in all the cabins.”
“Damn,” I mutter, shuffling things around in mind.
Annabelle looks at me questioningly. “The power’s out? It came back on after the lights flickered.”
“That’s because this cheapass—”
“Hey, little ears,” Bailey chides Josh as Grace and Claire scramble into the foyer to stand by their mom after hearing the cacophony of voices.
Flustered, Josh apologizes quickly.
Sensing an opportunity, Grace pops her hands on her hips, offering, “That’ll be two bucks. Two bucks for the first swear and one buck for every swear after. House rules.” Her eyes dart to me as if asking permission. I bite my lip so as not to laugh and nod. “But I’ll cut you a special deal if you want to pay upfront. $10 for the first 15 swears or $20 for unlimited bad words.”
“Grace!” Annabelle screeches as we all burst out into laughter.
Josh breaks out his wallet and hands Grace a twenty-dollar bill. "Money well spent."
Unrepentant, Grace pockets the money.
Shaking her head, Annabelle looks around at us. “Y’all are going to be terrible influences, aren’t you?”
Speaking for the first time since arriving, James confirms it. “Probably so.”
“Don’t listen to them,” Bailey admonishes, introducing herself and giving Annabelle a hug. Shamelessly, I watch Annabelle and Bailey interact. I knew Bailey would love her, but it does something to my heart to see them get along.
I’m only half listening to the guys as they discuss the lack of power in the cabins. Pete’s house and the main house have back-up generators, so when we lost electricity, the generator kicked on and restored power. But as Josh alluded earlier, I was a cheap ass and didn’t put the cabins on generators. Didn’t see the need since people only stay there for the odd weekend here and there.
But that means we’ll need to shuffle around the bedrooms in the main house to accommodate everyone. I smile because that also meansthat Annabelle will have a ready-made excuse to have a sleepover in my room with me again tonight.
Josh nudges me with his elbow, bringing my attention back to him. “Bambi, focus. Did you hear anything we were saying?”
Before I can respond, Annabelle chirps, “Bambi? Y’all call him Bambi?”
Delight and mischief dance in her eyes when Dumb and Dumber start cackling.
Oh, fuck, no.
Pinning Annabelle with a stare, I raise my eyebrows and shake my head nice and slow. “Don’t even think about it, Yankee.”
“Oh, Bambi, it’s too late. Weren’t you the one who said I needed to wait for the perfect nickname? Well, I think I just found it. Or rather, it found me.”
I roll my eyes and look heavenward. Grace tugs on my hand. “Hayes, why do they call you Bambi?”
Rowdy answers for me. “Because after the first time he met your mama, he was instantly smitten. He looked like a deer in headlights, so we started calling him Bambi.”
Which isn't how the nickname originated at all, but it's better than the truth, I suppose.
Grace squints as she tries out the name, “Bambi.”
“Smitten. Smitten rhymes with kitten,” Claire giggles. “Smitten kitten, smitten kitten!”
