Page 38 of Joy
“Yeah? Miss us?”
I did, actually. And it made me smile.
“You know, I do. But I don’t think I’ll be moving back into the B&B.”
“Are you leaving Lancaster already? But your car’s still at our place.”
“No, I, uhm… it’s crazy, but I’m moving in with Silas.”
Bridget gave me a look. “Yeah?”
“I am,” I confirmed.
Then she held her arms out and hugged me excitedly. “I heard about you two! How exciting! Didn’t I tell you he was a real good guy?” Bridget pulled back and looked up at me. “I did hear your date the other day ended in flames.” She winced.
“Yeah… yesterday wasn’t much better,” I admitted. “But third time’s a charm, right?”
“That’s what they say.”
THIRD TIMEwas not the charm.
Not fourth or even fifth—two weeks of Silas and I going on special dates, and I swear to God, each one was catastrophic in its own unique and terrifying way. Headed south to see a classic black-and-white film playing, the projector broke five minutes into the movie. Went fishing, got caught by the hook and ended up at the hospital. Drove out to a farmers’ market, got a flat tire and missed it.
My car was fixed at least, and George and I were in the middle of testing my menu, but I couldn’t help but feel like I was the shittiest boyfriend on the planet. I couldn’t treat Silas to anything without something going wrong, and if I lost him, what was the point of all of this? Life was once again reminding me that I always ended up sucking at the one thing I wanted to be best at.
Not tattoos.
Not cooking.
Being someone Silas deserved. That’s what I wanted to be great at.
Hell, I wasn’t even mediocre.
“You’re not cursed,” Silas said as he parked in front of George’s house and got out of the car.
“That’s easy for you to say,” I replied.
“This isn’t a date, so take a deep breath, Gideon,” Silas said, reaching out to rub the back of my neck with one hand.
George and his wife, Annie, had invited us over for a barbeque on his day off. And yeah, maybe it wasn’t a date, but the fact that Silas and I were out together made me brace for something awful to land in our laps.
He kissed me. “It’s all right,” he said again.
“Uncle Silas!”
Silas turned as Ellen ran out the front door, and he crouched down to pick her up and spin her around above his head. He gave her a hug and kiss. “Hi, Ellie. Have you been good?”
She nodded obediently and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Silas turned and reached for my hand. “You met Gideon, right?”
“Yes. Is he your husband?”
Silas’s hold tightened. “Uhm… no.” He cleared his throat. “But Uncle Silas and Gideon do like each other a lot.”
A lot, a lot, I mentally added.Too bad I’m fucking it all to hell.
Silas held Ellen in one arm with ease, keeping his other hand in mine as he led the way around the house and into the massive backyard. The barbeque was already going, and the smell of burgers and hotdogs filled the air.
