Sage is at home working with our dad, and Gina is pursuing her master’s degree in visual arts.
It’s always been the four of us.
So it was odd being alone, beginning this new chapter of my life.
But it was also refreshing, in a terrifying, exhilarating kind of way. The four of us had always been a unit, moving as one, acting as one. Being alone gave me the chance to be something other than one of the foursome. It gave me the chance to just be me.
I walk into Flagstaff House and immediately feel out of place, even though I’m familiar with it. Med school has made me accustomed to late-night takeout and ramen noodles rather than lobster bisque and filet mignon.
The host leads me to our table where Aunt Mel is already seated, sipping on her martini and looking out over Boulder. Her silvery blond hair is pulled back in a stylish bun, and her green eyes sparkle. Dressed in a tailored blazer and slim black pants, she’s the epitome of mature beauty.
“Angie!” She rises to give me a hug. “You look gorgeous, as usual.”
I take a seat at the window and look out over the lights of Boulder framed by the deep shadows of the surrounding wilderness.
Boulder is the best of both worlds.
The city juxtaposed against the calm, undisturbed wildness just beyond. I let out a deep sigh, feeling the tension in my shoulders ease a bit. Aunt Mel gives me an understanding smile from across the table.
Our server heads over. “Can I get you something to drink?” he asks me.
I glance at Aunt Mel’s martini. It’s Uncle Joe’s favorite, which he turned Aunt Mel on to when they first met over twenty-five years ago.
I shrug dismissively. “Sure. It’s Friday, and I can always catch an Uber if I need to. A glass of Malbec, please.”
I gaze at Aunt Mel. Her eyes are troubled, as they have been since Uncle Joe’s cancer diagnosis nearly a year ago.
I don’t talk to Aunt Mel or my cousins Bradley and Brock about it unless they bring it up, but I hear from my mom and dad that the experimental treatment is going well, which is the best news ever. But Uncle Joe still has a long way to go.
It’s strange that Aunt Mel is here when her husband is ill.
I don’t want to ask.
She takes another sip of her martini. “I suppose you’re wondering why I’m here.”
I smile slightly. “I think you just read my mind.”
“Uncle Joe is good.” She sighs. “I mean, as good as can be expected. He’s weak. He hasn’t been doing much. Attending the wedding a few months ago was about as much as he could take.”
She’s talking about the quadruple wedding where her son Brock, my cousin, along with my brother Dave and my cousins Brianna and Donny all got married.
“And the prognosis?” I ask.
“Still undetermined,” she says with a sigh. “We just have to wait and see.”
I nod.
I hate talking about this. Uncle Joe is Jonah Steel, the oldest of his siblings and the de facto head of our family.
Watching him go through this has us all freaked out.
But he and Aunt Melanie were adamant that we all go on with our lives. I started med school as planned, and the wedding went off without a hitch.
The waiter returns with my wine. “Can I get you another, ma’am?” he asks Aunt Mel.
Aunt Mel’s martini glass is still half full.
“I don’t think so,” she says. “I have a big meeting tomorrow.”
