Page 38 of Wood You Knot

He started whisking the egg and milk mixture. “All I’m saying is, she’s here now, and so are you. You’re both single, and there’s obviously something between you two...”

“I don’t know about ‘obviously.’” I shook my head, trying to cover the small smile his words brought out with my coffee mug. Still, Parker had a point.

“Uncle Nix, if you need help planning a date, we can help you,” Bella said, suddenly appearing at my right elbow. She climbed onto the stool beside me.

“Yeah! We can help you, Uncle Nix,” Brielle echoed, climbing up onto the stool on my other side.

Parker arched a brow at his daughters, pointing the whisk at them each in turn. “What did I tell you two about eavesdropping on adult conversations?”

“We weren’t eavesdropping. We overheard.” Bella rolled her eyes, the sass a carbon copy of her mother.

“Same thing.” Parker shook his head, moving to the stove to see if the frying pan had warmed enough.

“All we’re saying is, we could help. Maybe we could have Daphne come for a sleepover one night so that her mom can go out,” Brielle suggested.

“Yeah. Daphne doesn’t have a daddy, so that would work.” Bella nodded, and Parker tried to hide his amusement with a cough and his hand.

“The rest is up to you, Uncle Nix. You’ll have to ask her mommy out, and I’ll be honest, I’m not sure she’ll say yes.” Brielle shook her head, and Parker couldn’t contain himself any longer. He burst out laughing, doubling over.

“Gee, thanks, girls,” I said dryly, shooting Parker an unamused look.

“Girls, give your uncle a break and stop worrying yourselves about what the adults are doing. Go be kids. I’ll call you when the eggs are ready,” Parker told them sternly. The twins let out heavy sighs and jumped off the stools, heading back into the living room. Once they’d left, Parker smirked at me. “You know, it’s not a bad idea…”

* * *

Sage

The next morning, I awoke around ten o’clock with a pounding headache and the driest mouth. All I wanted to do was pull the covers over my head and sleep away the hangover, but I couldn’t. Auntie Em had gone out of her way to plan a barbecue and my cousins were all coming to town for it. Even Cate, who lived in LA and had an insane work schedule would be there.

I hadn’t seen my cousins in so long, and I really was looking forward to it.

I dragged myself out of my bed and to the kitchen for a glass of water and some ibuprofen. Then I walked down the hall to the bathroom, hoping a shower would wash away the night of sangrias off me. I alternated between hot and cold water, and by the time I got out, I was feeling almost human again. After blow-drying my hair and applying some makeup, I felt like myself again.

It was nearly noon when I finally arrived at Uncle Ed and Auntie Em’s. Two unfamiliar cars, a black BMW and a dark silver Camry, were parked in the driveway, likely belonging to my cousins.

Before I could raise my hand to knock, the front door swung open, and my cousin, Cate, squealed and enveloped me in a hug. “Oh my gosh, Sage! It’s been forever!” she exclaimed. “I can’t believe how much Daphne’s grown, she’s so sweet!”

“Thank you.” I laughed, hugging her back. “I know, it’s been ages. How are you?”

“I’m great!” Cate exclaimed, stepping back. Her blue eyes were shining. “I’m just finishing up a project in Edmonton right now, which is why I’m able to be here. Dad picked me up from the airport late last night, and I’ve got to be back tomorrow morning.”

“That’s awesome. What project?” I asked, stepping inside the foyer and closing the door behind me.

“It’s an adaptation of a popular thriller book by Clairice Saltzman,” she replied, her smile widening as we walked through the house together.

“That’s so cool!” I exclaimed, grinning back at her. I think out of all my cousins, I was most impressed by Cate’s achievements. She’d gone to school for film and television production and had a bachelor’s degree. Shortly after graduating, she started working on-set at a popular teen drama show in Toronto. After that, she landed representation with a big talent agency and ended up moving to LA to work, occasionally taking on projects in Canada.

Cate’s accomplishments grew every year. She had directed several incredible films and televisions series and had a bunch of recognitions and awards under her belt already at the age of thirty-two.

A lot of her projects involved bringing disabled stories to the big screen. Cate had a rare skeletal disorder called Ollier’s disease, a condition where greater than normal growth of the cartilage in the long bones of the legs and arms causes abnormal growth and makes the outer layer of the bone become thin and more fragile. The masses of cartilage are benign tumours called enchondromas. The enchondromas have a 30% chance of undergoing malignant changes to a cancer called chondrosarcomas, although luckily—Cate hadn’t had that issue.

The enchondromas can also cause limb deformities, and Cate had had several surgeries throughout her childhood and youth to correct the deformities of affected limbs, and she did experience aching pain and swelling. But for the most part, she didn’t let it slow her down. If anything, her condition fuelled her.

“Yeah, it’s pretty neat. Clairice has an incredible mind, it’s kind of terrifying. Working with her has been a highlight of my career, for sure,” Cate laughed lightly, tucking her dark hair behind her ear and sending me a curious look. “What about you, have you decided to pursue photography yet?”

“Kind of,” I admitted. “Daphne roped me into doing the photo booth at the Fall Fun Fundraiser.”

“Mom told us, that’s awesome. I know you’ll do great!”

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