Page 12 of Feels Like Home
"Hey, sweetie. It's so good to see you." Her smile lights up her whole face.
She's a bit older now, her messy bun streaked with more gray and the skin around her eyes crinkles more when she smiles, but she still exudes the same no-nonsense warmth she always has.
I stand up and give her a hug. "It's been too long," I say, holding her tight.
She pulls back and cradles my face in her hands. "I remember when you barely came up to my waist, and now I have to crane my neck to see you. Gosh, time flies."
"You still look as good as ever," I say, sitting back down.
"Stop it," she says, letting out a small giggle as her cheeks turn pink. "If you boys need anything else, let me know."
"I think we're good," Court says, eyeing off the impressive banquet. "Thank you so much for this."
"My pleasure. And be sure to leave room for dessert," she says with a wink. "I made berry cobbler."
"My favorite," Court and I say at the same time.
She glances between us a few times, her flushed cheeks plump from smiling so much. "It's good to see you two together again."
And with that, she and the other chefs leave.
Court and I heap up our plates with food and start eating. After a while, I decide to bite the bullet. "So…who's the lucky guy going to be?"
"Huh?"
"Your future husband."
"Oh. I honestly haven't given it any thought yet."
I help myself to some more greens. No one makes greens as good as Lola. They're savory and flavorful, with just the right hint of smoke, garlic, and salt. "For someone so smart, you're overlooking something glaringly obvious."
"What's that?"
I point my fork at my face. "Me."
"You?"
"Yeah. Got any better contenders?"
"No. I just…" He frowns. "You?"
"Why not? We've known each other forever. We get on great. And we don't have sex. We're practically married already."
He finishes chewing then smirks. "And you did offer me a blow job then never followed through on it. Withholding sex is definitely a married person thing."
I grin. "See?"
"But, Buzz… I don't know. Are you sure? I mean, this is a big deal. It'smarriage."
"It is a big deal," I agree. "But this place means a lot to me, too. I spent pretty much all of my childhood here with you. I don't want it sold to some out-of-towner, either. Or even to a local. It's like you said, it belongs to your family. Consider this my small way of helping."
He shuffles in his seat. "What about the other implications?"
"Such as?"
"Such as everyone in town knowing we're married."
I wipe the corners of my mouth with a napkin. "Newsflash, most people around here already think we're together. Gettingmarried will generate a few likes in the Clovelly Facebook group, a few congratulatory champagne and balloon GIFs, and then they'll move on to the next bit of town gossip."
