Page 50 of Spicy or Sweet
NOELLE
I’m not good at taking time off, but I still feel guilty that I didn’t find out about Shay’s birthday until the day was almost over, so when she suggests taking the following Sunday off to spend the day together, I jump at the chance. We’re quickly approaching the end of our time working together, and I want to cling to every moment I can get with her.
A few days ago, pillow-talking breathlessly, I asked Shay where her favorite place in Wintermore was, and she didn’t even have to think before answering. “The reservoir. I love it there. Georgie loved water, and I can see the mountains, so I always feel closer to her and Nico there. I’ve considered renting a boat a few times to go out on the water, but I’ve never rowed a boat before,” she said, and I started planning straight away.
I don’t have a boat, but my parents do. It’s nothing fancy, just a little wooden rowboat that we used to take out on the reservoir when we were kids. My parents still go out for boat picnics every summer, and the storm from earlier this week has left behind an unseasonably warm fall weekend. The perfect weather for a picnic, if you ask me.
When I called to ask if I could borrow the boat, my dad didn’t ask questions. As I park my car outside their house, I realizeI’m not going to get away so easily: my mom is helping my dad secure the boat on the bed of their truck, a wicker basket at her feet. I should’ve known.
“Hi, honey!” she calls as I get out of my car.
“Hey.”
I grabmypicnic basket (tote bag) from the trunk, even though I know it won’t be half as impressive as whatever my mom has put together. When you treat every day like Christmas, every day is a cause for celebration, and every celebration deserves a feast—that’s my mom’s outlook, anyway. And no one in their right mind would ever turn down any kind of food packed by either of my parents. I fell in love with the kitchen, standing on a little wooden step stool so I could reach the counters and bake with them, but my food will never taste as good as theirs. They put so much love into everything they do.
“Thank you for getting the boat out for me and letting me use the truck,” I say, hugging my dad, then my mom.
“Anytime, kiddo.”
“What’s the occasion?” My mom leans against the truck, the fall sunshine catching the threads of gold in her auburn hair.
“Does there need to be an occasion? It’s a beautiful day,” I counter, and she snorts.
“Don’t bullshit us. You never do this kind of thing, and your dad isn’t nearly nosy enough.” She prods him in the side, and he yelps. “Who, pray tell, are you taking on a romantic boat trip on this beautiful day?”
“You called it romantic, not me,” I point out, but there’s no point in dodging around it. Quinn already spotted Shay and me together; it’s only a matter of time before someone else does, and this town is a breeding ground for gossip.
“Shay and I are… seeing each other, I guess.”
“You guess? What does that mean?” my dad asks, frowning at me.
“It means it’s complicated,” I answer, because I really don’t want to explain the ins and outs of whatever the hell is going on between us. Mostly because I can’t. We’re sleeping together… casually. We snuggled on her couch and watchedGilmore Girlsuntil we both fell asleep a couple of days ago… casually. I’m taking her on a romantic boat trip today… casually.
“But you’re interested in her?” my mom asks, looking completely unsurprised. I assume the rumor mill is already turning.
“I am. We’re just figuring things out.”
“Well, we’re happy for you either way, kiddo,” my dad says, squeezing my shoulder. “I know she’s a bit older than you, but hey, at least she’s not family-adjacent.”
I snort. “I suppose it would be hard to scandalize you after Rora and Uncle Henry.”
“Don’t say that around Felix,” my mom warns with a shudder. “I hate to think how he would take it as a challenge.”
She talks me through everything she packed in the picnic basket—half the contents of her kitchen, it seems—until I eventually drag myself away, tossing them my car keys in case they need the car, and climbing into their truck with a wave.
Shay is standing outside when I pull up. I didn’t tell her the plan for today, just to dress to be outside, and her eyes widen as she takes in my parents’ truck with the rowboat strapped to the bed.
Croissant winds around her feet, meowing as I jump down from the truck and round the cab.
“Hi, baby,” I coo, crouching down and gathering him into my arms. I stand up, stepping closer to his mom.
“You know, when you said you had a surprise for me, I was expecting you to show up with The Grinch butt plug,” she says, surprising a laugh from me.
“Even I don’t love Christmas enough to use The Grinch butt plug.” I lean in to kiss her. “Hi, sweetheart.”
“Hi. That’s a boat.”
“Sure is. What do you reckon?” I ask Croissant, scratching his chin. “You want to come with your mama and I for a picnic on the reservoir?” He meows, and I take that as a yes.
