“We only have to hold hands when we show up and when we leave. And I don’t expect any PDA while we’re at my parents’ house, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
Funny how many expectations his mother had had when Seth—the one Josie was supposed to be in a relationship with—had so few.
“I could give you a kiss on the cheek for good measure,” Josie offered, only half joking. “And I’ll even throw in a little butt smack if you like.”
“Oh, wow. Yeah. No. That won’t be necessary.” Something that resembled a blush crept just above Seth’s scruff. “Hand holding is fine. Maybe you could also sit by me during the meal?”
“Absolutely. That was my plan.”
Josie sensed the relief in his smile. “I guess the good news is that I never really shared anything about my relationship with Bridgette with my parents, so you won’t have to keep any stories straight.”
“Just the one where we pretend to be madly in love with one another.”
“Yeah.” He chuckled. “Just that one.”
9
Seth
Seth would be shocked if any tread remained on the bottoms of his nephews’ shoes after all of the circles they ran around him. It was like they were competing in some NASCAR race, both vying for the title, increasing in speed at each turn. They zipped about in his periphery, two cyclones of unbound, adolescent energy. At first Seth couldn’t keep from tracking their frenzied movements, but as the night wore on, their presence was more like a persistent gnat buzzing about rather than any real distraction. He easily managed to tune them out.
Seth remembered doing the same thing as a kid when his parents would sit on the back deck with Gramm and Pops, beers in hand and sun suspended low in the late October sky.
Tonight was a replica of those Thursday nights, just a different generation carrying it out. Dad had New Yorks on the grill for the men, petite filets for the women. Amy was always in charge of the side dish; Seth in charge of the dessert. Without fail, Amy would bring a casserole comprised of whatever ingredients she had left in her fridge after cooking for her family for the week. Usually some vegetable slathered in cheese or a sauce he couldn’t quite pinpoint. Seth would bring cookies. No surprise there.
It was always the same, a rerun of every previous family dinner at the ranch. That’s how tradition was created, Seth supposed, week by week, month by month, generation by generation.
But the woman at his side—the one who sparred good-naturedly with his brother, withstood his mother’s blatant, verbal criticisms, and cozied up with the family dog like it was her own—she was the only thing that made the night feel alive rather than the monotonous, drab routine it had progressively become.
Even now as he watched her from the other side of the fire pit, blue flames dancing between them in a hazy, smoke-filled filter, he felt an anticipation that bordered on excitement. Josie was a loose cannon and he not only liked that, he admired it. Everything about her surprised him. Heck, he’d even been surprised by the fact that she was a woman the first time they’d met.
“Josie’s a piece of work, huh?” Tanner pinched the fabric on the knees of his pants to hike them up so he could take a seat next to Seth. He grunted when his backside hit the cushion. “Never met a woman that could match Mama jab for jab like that girl of yours. I can see why you’ve waited so long to bring her around. An impression like that can go one of two ways. Lucky for her, it seems like it’s working in her favor. So far, at least.”
Seth swirled the ice in his empty glass and lowered it to the ledge of the fire pit. Condensation slid off the sides in fat, wet drops that stained the bricks underneath. “It’s not that I intentionally kept her away from you all.”
“Sure, it isn’t.” Tanner’s voice was weighty with sarcasm. He dipped his hand into the cooler next to his chair and withdrew two beers, noticing Seth’s drink had already run dry. He passed one off. “Don’t know why you’re so ashamed of us, brother.”
“You think I’m ashamed of you?” Seth hit the first swallow hard. He had to hiss through the acidic sting before tossing another back.
“Either that or you think you’re too good for us, but maybe those things are one and the same.”
“It’s neither of those things.”
“Really? So you’ve had this girlfriend for a few years running and all of a sudden you not only bring her to the ranch, but move her onto it? I feel like there are some ulterior motives you’re not owning up to.”
“And just what would those be, Tan?” Seth set his beer on the table behind him so he’d really have to reach for it if he wanted another drink. It was too easy to down the entire thing with it resting in his hand. He had to pace himself. At this rate, he’d be two sheets to the wind before their conversation was over.
“You know Dad’s gearing up to retire,” Tanner said.
“Sure. He’s been talking about it for a few years now.”
“And you know this is a family run business.”
“I’m aware. I am part of this family too, Tan.”
Tanner smirked, then covered his sneer with the lip of his beer bottle. “Sure, but your branch of the family tree stops with you. I’ve got two boys to carry on our family name.” He nudged his head toward his rowdy sons who had traded racing for tackling. They were a tangle of gangly legs and arms as they wrestled on the rolling, green slope of the backyard. “Those boys will be set to take on the cattle business once I’m dead and gone. But you don’t have that, do you?” Tanner angled his head back and drained his drink. He burped loudly and hit his chest with a balled up fist before letting another one rip. “All I’m saying is, it’s kinda convenient that you suddenly have a serious girlfriend. Finally taking that next step into manhood.”
Convenient was exactly what it was, but Tanner didn’t need to know those details.
“I think you’re reading way too much into this, brother.”
“Am I, though?” Tanner grunted as he pushed up and out of the chair. He turned to look down at Seth. “I’m not saying I’m not happy for you. Of course, I am. You deserve to be happy. But if your happiness comes at the cost of me losing my fortune, we’re gonna have a real problem on our hands. A real problem.”
Tanner was a lot of talk and Seth knew that. Always had been. He was the sort to use his fists first, words second. For a brief time in his teenage years, Seth had learned from his older brother and picked up on those combative ways. As a grown man, however, Seth realized the act of intimidation rarely got anyone anywhere. A level head was an infinitely better asset than a balled up fist.
Seth watched Tanner’s receding figure turn to shadow, then eventually get swallowed up in the darkening night the further away he got. He could hear Tanner join in his sons’ wrestling match, the grunts and hoots and hollers carrying on the autumn wind like a bird flitting dizzily through the sky. For several moments, Seth trained his eyes back onto the fire, letting the wild flames mesmerize him in a trance that required little focus, which was good because he couldn’t focus right now if his life depended on it.