Page 110 of Red Mountain Burning
Brooks and Adriana both smiled. She pointed to the wordFloridaunder the photo, and he stumbled through the pronunciation until he got it. “Florida!”
“What do you think?” Adriana asked. “It would take us a few days to drive there, but this could be your new home. We’d get a condo with a swimming pool. We could go to the beach, go out on boats, scuba dive.”
“A pool? Um, I’m totally in!” He jumped off the couch and did the happy dance, singing, “I’m getting a pool! I’m getting a pool!”
* * *
Bumping along roadsthat mostly catered to tractors, they drove to Shay and Abby’s new home on the eastern side of Red Mountain. Judging by the way Zack was bouncing even higher than the truck, the young boy wasn’t apparently bothered by the idea of leaving this life behind. Life at seven years old was so much less complicated, Brooks thought, pondering the lengthy list of less glamorous chores he’d need to do as an adult to move across the country.
As Zack gyrated with childish innocence in the back, Adriana and Brooks were both behaving as if they’d taken the lead in a funeral procession.
“How do you think she’ll take it?” Adriana asked, obviously referring to Brooks’s mother.
“I’m imagining the worst.” To lighten up the mood, he said, “If you get out of there alive, you’ll have defied the odds.”
“Funny, Brooks. You know she’s going to blame me.”
“What do you do, A? We all have choices to make. If she wants to follow us to Florida, then that’ll be just fine.”
He could only imagine the face Adriana made before saying, “Let’s not offer that suggestion.”
Brooks put his free hand on her knee. “I’m just kidding. Hey, this is life. We’re doing what’s best for us. We’ll pull the Band-Aid off here in a minute, and then it’s easy sailing.”
“I still have to tell Margot. Once I get that over with, then I’ll get back to being excited.”
Shay and Abby’s new house came into view. It was situated on about five acres of flat land a half-mile east of Épiphanie, which glowed in the distance.
As they climbed out of the truck, Zack went running toward the house. Taking Brooks’s hand, Adriana shook her head and let out a long sigh.
“We’re moving to Florida!” Zack screamed to whoever opened the door.
Brooks suddenly felt like he was falling without a parachute. “That’s not how I’d planned it.”
By the time, they entered, Zack was standing in the living room announcing that he was getting a swimming pool and that everyone was invited to Florida for the winter.
“Hi, guys,” Brooks said, entering first, terrified to look at his mother’s face.
Abby and Shay were the first to greet them.
Wishing he could pivot and run, Brooks offered a hearty, “Hello.”
“Love your house,” Adriana said as a round of hugs and kisses ensued.
Abby thanked her. “We’ve got a long way to go, but not bad for only being here a week.”
“I see lots of room to plant grapes,” Brooks said, delaying the talk of Florida.
Abby nodded slowly to Shay. “One thing at a time, but yeah, we’ve talked about it. We hoped you might help us put some vines in the ground next year, but what’s this about moving to Florida?”
Brooks grabbed Adriana’s waist like he was lost at sea and had suddenly come upon a bobbing buoy. “I guess the cat’s out of the bag. Yeah, we’re moving after harvest.”
“Good for you guys,” Abby said. “I know it’s been on your mind.”
Shay looked at Brooks. “That’s a big decision.”
Brooks dug his fingers into Adriana’s side and asked his brother, “You think you can handle things without me?”
Shay’s face flattened. “I have to admit I’m bummed. Things were almost getting normal around here.”
