Status: Currently a one shot, but I'd like to develop it...
Wrong
two.
I pulled my sweater tighter around my body and anxiously ran my fingers through my hair. I’d been thinking all day about the night’s impending ‘reunion’. Not only had I had to stress about forgetting it was a particularly special day for my oldest brother, but I also had Chris on my mind.
I’d awoken to find a text from both my father and Damian. Dad’s had sent me into a rush to find the checkbook and get to the Hallmark store before needing to open the bakery for the day. With a check in a sappy anniversary card, I breathed a sigh of relief. I loved my sister-in-law, really I did, but I would never hear the end of it if I forgot about their 12th anniversary.
It wasn’t until a small rush of people all coming after a morning church service to reward their kids that I remembered about my brother’s text. I bagged the last of their take home orders and rang it up at the register before retreating into the back.
As I let a new batch of frosting mix in the blender, I settled onto a stool and apprehensively took out my phone from my hoodie pocket.
New Message from: Damian
He asked about you. Behave at dinner, okay? Don’t ruin it for Blake and Christina.
I scoffed. I would behave, but I wouldn’t like it.
Yet, I still found myself worrying. A lot.
And hours later, walking through the front door of my childhood home to my niece shrieking my name, I was still thinking about it.
“Aunt Ry!” Abigail giggled as she hustled into my arms. “Guess who’s here?”
“Who?” I played along, albeit a little grudgingly. Of course he would beat me to my own family’s dinner party.
“Uncle Damian’s friend, Chris. He’s got nice hair,” she said as we wandered into the kitchen with her in my arms.
“I’m sure he does,” I would never understand the little girl’s fascination with hair.
“He says he knows you,” she babbled on. “Even though he’s older than you are.”
“Abigail,” her mother began. “Go and tell Daddy and Pappap that Ryanne is here.” Her daughter scooted off and it left the two of us alone in the kitchen. “If it helps, I didn’t know he was coming either.”
“It doesn’t,” I sighed. “But thanks. I’m going to be on my best behavior, I promise.”
Christina let out a laugh. “Of course you will be. I’m just glad you’re still here.”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” I assured her in all sincerity. “Here,” I slipped the envelope out of my purse. “For you and Blake.”
She slid her finger under the opening and scanned across the card, the check falling into her palm. Christina looked at it too and her eyes looked up at me in shock. “This is too much. The card would have sufficed-,”
“Don’t,” I stopped her. “The bakery’s been doing well. Use it to buy Abigail the princess bed she’s been asking for.” A princess bed was really just a canopy bed. “For all I care, put it in her saving’s account. I just wouldn’t feel right not giving something.”
“Hey there, baby sister,” Blake’s voice was behind me. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“Happy anniversary, Blake,” I hugged him in return. “Got any more kids on the way?” Abigail was already six.
“Not just yet,” he winked. “But maybe soon.”
Christina wacked her husband. “You’re not the one who has to carry the thing for 9 months and then push it out your-,”
“Young ears entering!” Damian’s voice carried to us. “Stop all this baby talk. It’s giving us single men a rash.”
Single men. Chris was with him. Dammit. I looked for an escape.
I felt Damian snake an arm around my shoulders. “Hiya, sis.”
“Hey, Damian,” I sighed. “What’s new?” I was just stalling.
He gave me a look that obviously called me on my bullshit. He moved out of the way to steal something from the stove and gave me a straight line of sight at his friend.
The moment of truth had arrived.
“Hey,” he slipped his hands into his jeans pockets.
“Hi.”
“Well this is just a bucket of awkwardness,” Blake remarked, earning a fist pump from Damian and a towel snap from his wife. “Ow!”
“Oh, what’s that Dad?” Damian mimed. “Okay, we’re coming!” He grabbed both Blake and Christina by the wrists and dragged them out the door.
“But the corn!” she cried and I dutifully picked up the tongs. Maybe if I busied myself, he’d go away.
“So,” he leaned against the counter a respectful distance away from me. “How are you?”
“Are you really trying to have a conversation with me?” I snapped. “Really?”
“Come on, Ryanne,” Chris sighed. “Aren’t we past that?”
“I don’t know, are we?” I countered.
“Ryanne.”
“Don’t,” I took the last ear of corn from the pot of water. “I’m going to be good for my brother and his wife tonight, but if I had it my way, I’d curse you out so hard, your ears would bleed.”
“You’re still mad?” he hesitated.
I grunted. “Of course I am! You decided I wasn’t worth it and you left! You decided we weren’t worth it.”
“I never believed that you weren’t worth it,” Chris insisted. “I just believed we needed different things.”
I knew that if I opened my mouth again, I would regret whatever came out. I grabbed the plate of corn on the cob, butter, and salt before letting the side door slam shut behind me.
“Hey, kiddo,” my dad smiled warily as I placed the corn onto the table a little too forcefully. “How ‘ya doing?”
“Peachy.”
Damian was already in hot water as we sat down to eat, but he made up for it over the course of dinner dessert. He managed to keep the conversation away from anything that would require Chris and me to say anything to each other. It was a skill he’d mastered since being drafted into the NHL and he was putting it to good use.
By the time the cake that I’d baked in a hurry that afternoon to be picked up by Blake was served, I was two drinks in and in desperate want for another. Or two more. And so, once the table was cleared and my dad had asked me a few business questions, I excused myself for the evening and took to my car. But not before I stopped by the basement fridge to grab a few bottles of beer.
I cruised down to the boardwalk and parked my bar near the beach not feeling guilty at all that I’d bailed on my brother’s anniversary party a little early. With my towel and beers, I ventured off down the beach. Finding my favorite outcropping of rocks, I dropped my towel onto a flat one before plopping my still too sober ass down. Cracking open a beer on a rock, I chugged the neck of one in a quick gulp.
“Still come out here, huh?”
I’d awoken to find a text from both my father and Damian. Dad’s had sent me into a rush to find the checkbook and get to the Hallmark store before needing to open the bakery for the day. With a check in a sappy anniversary card, I breathed a sigh of relief. I loved my sister-in-law, really I did, but I would never hear the end of it if I forgot about their 12th anniversary.
It wasn’t until a small rush of people all coming after a morning church service to reward their kids that I remembered about my brother’s text. I bagged the last of their take home orders and rang it up at the register before retreating into the back.
As I let a new batch of frosting mix in the blender, I settled onto a stool and apprehensively took out my phone from my hoodie pocket.
New Message from: Damian
He asked about you. Behave at dinner, okay? Don’t ruin it for Blake and Christina.
I scoffed. I would behave, but I wouldn’t like it.
Yet, I still found myself worrying. A lot.
And hours later, walking through the front door of my childhood home to my niece shrieking my name, I was still thinking about it.
“Aunt Ry!” Abigail giggled as she hustled into my arms. “Guess who’s here?”
“Who?” I played along, albeit a little grudgingly. Of course he would beat me to my own family’s dinner party.
“Uncle Damian’s friend, Chris. He’s got nice hair,” she said as we wandered into the kitchen with her in my arms.
“I’m sure he does,” I would never understand the little girl’s fascination with hair.
“He says he knows you,” she babbled on. “Even though he’s older than you are.”
“Abigail,” her mother began. “Go and tell Daddy and Pappap that Ryanne is here.” Her daughter scooted off and it left the two of us alone in the kitchen. “If it helps, I didn’t know he was coming either.”
“It doesn’t,” I sighed. “But thanks. I’m going to be on my best behavior, I promise.”
Christina let out a laugh. “Of course you will be. I’m just glad you’re still here.”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” I assured her in all sincerity. “Here,” I slipped the envelope out of my purse. “For you and Blake.”
She slid her finger under the opening and scanned across the card, the check falling into her palm. Christina looked at it too and her eyes looked up at me in shock. “This is too much. The card would have sufficed-,”
“Don’t,” I stopped her. “The bakery’s been doing well. Use it to buy Abigail the princess bed she’s been asking for.” A princess bed was really just a canopy bed. “For all I care, put it in her saving’s account. I just wouldn’t feel right not giving something.”
“Hey there, baby sister,” Blake’s voice was behind me. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“Happy anniversary, Blake,” I hugged him in return. “Got any more kids on the way?” Abigail was already six.
“Not just yet,” he winked. “But maybe soon.”
Christina wacked her husband. “You’re not the one who has to carry the thing for 9 months and then push it out your-,”
“Young ears entering!” Damian’s voice carried to us. “Stop all this baby talk. It’s giving us single men a rash.”
Single men. Chris was with him. Dammit. I looked for an escape.
I felt Damian snake an arm around my shoulders. “Hiya, sis.”
“Hey, Damian,” I sighed. “What’s new?” I was just stalling.
He gave me a look that obviously called me on my bullshit. He moved out of the way to steal something from the stove and gave me a straight line of sight at his friend.
The moment of truth had arrived.
“Hey,” he slipped his hands into his jeans pockets.
“Hi.”
“Well this is just a bucket of awkwardness,” Blake remarked, earning a fist pump from Damian and a towel snap from his wife. “Ow!”
“Oh, what’s that Dad?” Damian mimed. “Okay, we’re coming!” He grabbed both Blake and Christina by the wrists and dragged them out the door.
“But the corn!” she cried and I dutifully picked up the tongs. Maybe if I busied myself, he’d go away.
“So,” he leaned against the counter a respectful distance away from me. “How are you?”
“Are you really trying to have a conversation with me?” I snapped. “Really?”
“Come on, Ryanne,” Chris sighed. “Aren’t we past that?”
“I don’t know, are we?” I countered.
“Ryanne.”
“Don’t,” I took the last ear of corn from the pot of water. “I’m going to be good for my brother and his wife tonight, but if I had it my way, I’d curse you out so hard, your ears would bleed.”
“You’re still mad?” he hesitated.
I grunted. “Of course I am! You decided I wasn’t worth it and you left! You decided we weren’t worth it.”
“I never believed that you weren’t worth it,” Chris insisted. “I just believed we needed different things.”
I knew that if I opened my mouth again, I would regret whatever came out. I grabbed the plate of corn on the cob, butter, and salt before letting the side door slam shut behind me.
“Hey, kiddo,” my dad smiled warily as I placed the corn onto the table a little too forcefully. “How ‘ya doing?”
“Peachy.”
Damian was already in hot water as we sat down to eat, but he made up for it over the course of dinner dessert. He managed to keep the conversation away from anything that would require Chris and me to say anything to each other. It was a skill he’d mastered since being drafted into the NHL and he was putting it to good use.
By the time the cake that I’d baked in a hurry that afternoon to be picked up by Blake was served, I was two drinks in and in desperate want for another. Or two more. And so, once the table was cleared and my dad had asked me a few business questions, I excused myself for the evening and took to my car. But not before I stopped by the basement fridge to grab a few bottles of beer.
I cruised down to the boardwalk and parked my bar near the beach not feeling guilty at all that I’d bailed on my brother’s anniversary party a little early. With my towel and beers, I ventured off down the beach. Finding my favorite outcropping of rocks, I dropped my towel onto a flat one before plopping my still too sober ass down. Cracking open a beer on a rock, I chugged the neck of one in a quick gulp.
“Still come out here, huh?”
♠ ♠ ♠
Number 2!! Sorry that there hasn't been a whole lot of Chris as of yet, but he'll be a main part in the next chapter!Sunday Dinner