Page 47 of Brim Over Boot
“I got it,” I assure him, setting the bags and the basket from Henrietta on the counter to unload. “Plus some fresh greens.”
He grumbles at that, finally looking over, his glasses slipped halfway down his nose. “What you got there?”
“Goat butter,” I tell him. “From the Brookes. Henrietta says hello, by the way.”
He hums. “You gonna—”
“Yes, I’ll cook the steak in the butter.”
“Good,” he grunts.
I chuckle. “Wanna head into town this weekend?”
“What for?” my uncle asks.
I shrug, setting the wrapped steaks on the cutting board. “Just to get out of the house for a bit. We could hit the farmer’s market or see if Bob has any new antiques. Maybe even grab some lunch.”
He hums, considering. “It has been a long time since I’ve been to the antiques market.”
“See? We’ll go visit Bob, then.”
“Fine,” he says, not managing to sound nearly as surly as he’s trying to pull off. “You should get out for yourself, too, Noah. Go have some fun. Do you even remember how?”
“I have fun,” I defend.
He raises an eyebrow. “Yeah? Name the last time.”
I huff. “Earlier today. I hung out with Miss Brownie. That was fun.”
My uncle shakes his head, eyes back on his crossword. “That’s work. It ain’t the same thing.”
“Is for me.”
“Psh.”
I roll my eyes, but apparently, he’s not done.
“How about this? You can drag me to the antiques market tomorrow so long as you go out tonight.”
“What is this?” I ask, amused despite myself. “Some sort of reverse curfew you’re trying to impose? You realize I’m nearly forty years old, right?”
“Forty years going on sixty,” my uncle retorts. “Live a little, Noah. Don’t end up like…well, like me.”
I frown, closing the fridge door and grabbing the empty grocery bags off the counter to put away. “What’s wrong with being like you?”
He sighs. “I’ve lived a very solitary life. You know that. Heck, you’ve been around for a good deal of it. And I don’t regret youone bit. That’s not what I’m saying, so don’t go getting any ideas.” He gives me a stern look, waiting until I nod to go on. “It’s just that sometimes I wonder what my life would be like now if I’d tried a little harder back then to find somebody to share it all with. Might’ve been better. For both of us.”
“Walter,” I say, pulling out a chair to sit down beside my uncle. “You are the best thing that could’ve possibly happened to me. When I lost my home, you opened yours. Do you realize you’ve been a parent to me for longer than my own father ever was?”
He looks shocked by that, but it’s the truth. So much time has passed, even though it barely feels it.
“You did everything right,” I tell him seriously. “I couldn’t have asked for better, not then and not now. And frankly, I’d be proud to end up like you. But…if you’re lonely, it’s not too late to find someone to share your life with. A partner. Friends, even. Youcanstill have that.”
He shakes his head as if the notion is ridiculous, and I don’t push, recognizing the reticence on his face for what it is and knowing I won’t get anywhere tonight if I try. Instead, I give his shoulder a squeeze and let him think about what I said.
“I’m gonna shower, and then I’ll get those steaks on the heat.”
“And tonight?” my uncle says, typing an answer into his crossword. “You’ll go out?”
