Emily, Katie and a friendly looking man who Sienna guessed was Noah Crawford all glanced between her and Cole, but it was Declan Crenshaw who moved forward.
“Isn’t she the spitting image of your mother back in the day?” he asked Jase. “She even has Dana’s eyes.” He stopped when he was directly in front of Sienna. “You gonna take off again if I talk to you tonight?”
She shook her head, ignoring her sweaty palms and pounding heart.
“Good,” he said, “because I got plenty to say.”
“Dad, let’s eat first.” Jase’s voice was gentle.
“It’s been twenty years,” Declan argued. “Food can wait.”
“I’m hungry now,” a small voice said from behind Sienna.
A young boy scooted past, keeping his hands at his sides so he wouldn’t brush against her. A fluffy dog followed, wagging its tail and sniffing at Sienna and Cole before trotting forward to greet everyone else.
“Davey, we have people here for dinner,” Emily said.
“I know,” the boy answered, glancing at his mother before dropping his gaze back to the ground. He held out one hand and the dog immediately moved to his side, tucking herself against his leg. “I want a hot dog.”
“Dogs and burgers are almost ready to come off the grill,” Noah said. “I just checked them.”
Jase touched Davey’s shoulder. “Do you want to say hello to our guest?”
“Hi,” the boy muttered but didn’t make eye contact.
Everyone else seemed to take the behavior in stride. Katie and Noah both greeted Davey and the adorable baby Noah held smiled widely.
Paige had told Sienna that Emily’s son from a previous marriage had Asperger’s, which explained the way he interacted with everyone. She looked toward Emily, who lifted her chin as if in challenge. Clearly, Jase’s wife had been through some battles defending her boy.
Sienna didn’t have much experience with kids, and certainly not special needs children, but she felt a new respect for Emily. “Why don’t we talk over dinner?” she said to Declan. “Davey’s not the only one who’s ready to eat.”
She saw Emily let out a breath, and Jase gave her an approving nod. “Davey, get a plate from your mommy,” he told the boy, setting the wine on the counter, “and you can help me with the burgers and hot dogs.”
“I’m Noah Crawford,” Katie’s husband said as he stepped forward. “This is little Willow.”
“Nice to meet you,” Sienna said, smiling.
She could feel her father’s intense gaze on her and was relieved when Cole turned and engaged Declan in conversation. Emily handed Sienna a bowl of salad across the counter. “Would you bring this to the patio?”
“Sure.” The nerves in Sienna’s stomach began to settle slightly. Other than her dad’s behavior, the evening felt almost normal. Better than normal even. Most of the social events she attended, even the casual summer get-togethers, involved catered food, cloth napkins and usually some kind of dress code. “No formal seating chart, right?” she asked Katie as they stepped outside.
Katie chuckled. “You really did grow up a world away from Crimson.”
They took seats around the wrought-iron table on the large patio that overlooked a lovely yard with a swing set in one corner. Sienna made sure she was at the opposite end from Declan. Something about the way he kept staring at her, like she was a ghost, made her uncomfortable. She’d come to Crimson to face her past but hadn’t considered the fact that her dad might have his own ideas about their relationship.
She’d assumed he wouldn’t care about seeing her. That she could say her piece, once she figured out what it was, then leave again and return to her old life or start creating a new one, since a big part of who she’d been was the next Mrs. Kevin Patterson.
She didn’t have to say much during the meal. The others fell into an easy discussion about the upcoming July Fourth celebration in town and how elaborate the fireworks display over Crimson Mountain was going to be this year.
Sienna forced a smile at the same time she suppressed a shudder. She’d never liked fireworks. The high-pitched whistle and reverberating boom that followed made her edgy, heart hammering and breath coming in shallow pants like she was some kind of scared animal or soldier back from the front lines.
Her reaction had been a constant embarrassment to her mother. Each year, their country club hosted a big Fourth of July soiree, where everyone dressed in patriotic shades of red, white and blue, and the annual member photo would be displayed on the wall of the clubhouse. It was a point of pride for Sienna’s mother that Craig’s family had been one of the founding members of the club, which meant that the Pierces were guaranteed a front-row seat for the evening fireworks display, always spectacular and set to classical music.
The first year they’d attended, Sienna had puked all over the manicured lawn when her mother refused to excuse her as the display started. After that, it had been a battle of wills each summer and Sienna’s fear of the noise and scent of sulfur had only increased.
“You remember,” Declan shouted suddenly, pointing a bony finger at Sienna. “And it still gets to you.”
All eyes turned to Sienna, other than Davey, who continued to pet Ruby, sitting loyally next to his chair.
