Page 51 of The Problem with Perfect

“I come with apology gifts,” I tell them. “Stuff with the brewery has been kind of nuts, and I’m sorry for bailing. Hopefully this will make it up to you.” I hoist a six-pack of beer out of a duffle, thunk it into the middle of the table, and then follow it with a second.

Stan grins and instantly plucks one from the cardboard carrier, popping off the cap with the opener he always has on hand and taking a long pull. I don’t even contemplate pointing out the time to him. I figure he’s old enough to make his own decisions.

“Consider yourself forgiven,” Art tells me, leaning back in his chair, his fingers folded together and resting on his large stomach. “Besides, we know you’ve been working extra hard on your business.”

His response is classic Arthur—very paternal, supportive, and without any drama.

Gil, on the other hand, eyes the beer like it’s poisoned.

“A bribe?” he huffs. “I don’t even drink.”

I was waiting for him to say that, and I reach into my bag to pull out one final gift: a 12-bottle box of Mexican Coke. His favorite.

His eyes narrow.

“Come on, Gil. You know I missed you guys, and I promise I won’t miss any more Friday-morning games for the rest of the summer.”

Eventually, he grabs a deck of cards and begins shuffling, his way of telling me he’s accepted my apology.

“Tell us about the brewery, Rusty,” Stan says, lighting a cigarette and inhaling deeply before exhaling into the air above us. “Are we gonna live to see this place become a reality, or what?”

“It’s coming along.” I move the boxes off the table and set them on the floor. “The barn’s been refinished and cleaned up, and they’re working on electrical now. Plumbing, too.”

“I loved the Kelso Barn,” Art says, and I know he’s going to jump into the same thing he always tells us about the old barn that used to belong to the Kelso family. “When I was fifteen, I spent a few months helping Doug out by cleaning the stables.” He shakes his head, a smile on his face. “Worst summer of my life.”

He says it like that every time, and I know there was some kind of formative experience that happened back then. You can’t call something the worst anything and talk about it with that kind of smile.

“You still in business with Patty and Mark’s boy?” Stan asks, puffing out another cloud of smoke as Gil deals the cards.

I nod, smiling as I accept my cards and begin organizing them in my hand. They ask the same round of questions almost every week. It might have been about two months since my last time playing with them, but this information never changes, so it always makes me want to laugh.

“Yup, him and my buddy Jackson.”

“The one who’s datin’ your sister.”

I nod again. “That’s him.”

Gil shakes his head. “Your generation. Back in my day, if a guy went after his best pal’s sister, there’d be fists exchanged.”

“Oh, come off it, Gil,” Art says, laughing. “Don’t act like you weren’t a fan of Peggy Orsen. We all were.”

“Yeah, and she was Marty’s sister, so we didn’t do nothin’ about it, did we?”

The three of them launch into a conversation about somebody named Marty and his sister from back in the day, and I just lean back in my chair and listen. Gil, Art, and Stan all went to Cedar Point School together when it was a K-12, before the town had a boom in the 70s that led to the need to split into primary and secondary.

It’s like this almost every time I visit. Gil pitches a fit about something and Art grins and teases and they all trip over into memories about growing up. I usually listen to them pretty closely, but today the topic of conversation is pushing me into my own memories…aboutmybest friend’s sister.

I never thought I’d be in this position, and Idefinitelydidn’t think it would be with Bellamy. She’s a solid decade younger than me, so the idea of her ever being someone I was interested in just…wasn’t a thing.

But now, things are different. Even if it’s wrong, I can’t seem to help it. There’s something about her that speaks to me, that speaks to my soul, a connection I didn’t think I would ever have with someone again.

After Hailey, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t ever want a relationship, period. She broke things off with me during what was the most difficult, trying time of my life, and you don’t just bounce back from that.

With Bellamy, though, something tells me I’d never need to worry about that. She seems like the kind of woman who, once you’re in with her, it’s a ride-or-die situation. That loyalty is hard to come by because it requires an element of self-sacrifice not everyone is willing to commit to.

I shake my head and try to focus back on what the guys are talking about. I don’t need to wonder about Bellamy’s level of loyalty. She’s Boyd’s sister, and I already promised him things between us are just for show.

“I’m tellin’ ya, he told me she’s coming back to town to watch her grandson in the TBA Swim.”

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