CHAPTER SIXTEEN
At two o’clock the following day, Sebastian approached the Colemans’ house carrying a wrapped birthday present.
All year long, he received a steady stream of reminder texts from CeCe and Ben’s sisters.Don’t forget to send flowers for Great-Aunt Clarice’s funeral, poor dear. Just don’t send roses. She hated roses, remember. OrCousin Drew got a promotion at work so you might want to shoot him a congratulations text. We’re trying to give him lots of positive reinforcement because we all feared he’d never amount to anything.
Almost every week the Colemans gathered to celebrate someone’s birthday, anniversary, or accomplishment. It was more than he could keep up with. He attended only when he was in town and when they were meeting for a reason he cared about even slightly.
He cared more than slightly about today’s party, which was in honor of Hadley Jane’s fourth birthday.
Ben’s dad greeted Sebastian with a hug. “Love you, man. Glad you’re here.”
“Is that you, Sebastian?” CeCe yelled from the direction of the dining room.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Get in here right now. We’re about to sing.”
He set his present on a coffee table full of gifts, then he and Hersh jammed themselves into the dining room. The family welcomedhim with an assortment of hugs, fist bumps, and smiles. Ben, seated across the table from him, gave Sebastian a friendly nod.
Guilt pulled at him.
Sebastian had been making an extra effort to communicate with Ben in their usual ways. Even so, their friendship wasn’t normal right now. Again this morning, he’d asked Ben if it really was okay with him if Sebastian went out with Leah. Ben had said that it was, but then he’d said, “Can you do me a favor, man, and not talk to me about her for a while?”
CeCe walked in carrying a Barbie doll standing in the center of a dome of cake and frosting. The doll wore a silver top and crown. Pink candles stuck out of the cake, which was only big enough to feed about four of the forty-plus people who were present. Not that he really wanted to eat cake that had been pressed up against plastic doll legs, anyway.
Hadley Jane crouched on her knees on the chair at the head of the table. Her silver-and-white dress matched the Barbie’s. She stilled, wide-eyed, as everyone sang “Happy Birthday.”
She blew out her candles. Sebastian clapped along with everyone else, then took the long way around to the kitchen. He found CeCe there, cutting the cake skirt, surrounded by her sister, a daughter, and a son-in-law. Holding a knife covered in frosting, she paused long enough to give him one of her assessing looks before hauling him down into a one-armed hug. “I saw your face in there when I brought in the cake. You were thinking that it’s too small for everyone.” She clucked her tongue. “As if I’d feed this whole group a little itty-bitty cake! Those—” she waved the knife in the direction of two enormous sheet cakes—“are the cakes for the family.”
“I deeply apologize for my doubt. I should have known better.”
“You missed lunch, so it’s not good enough at this point for you to stand there apologizing and looking pretty as a mess of fried catfish. Come over here and start delivering cake.”
He’d missed lunch because he’d been buying supplies for tonight’s dinner with Leah. He served cake until everyone had the size of slice they preferred.
“Sit down, Sebastian,” CeCe ordered. “I saved you a plate.”
He settled at the kitchen table, which overlooked the back deck. A meal of pot roast, carrots, and mashed potatoes landed in front of him.
“Thank you.” His mouth watered, and he remembered how hungry he’d been the first time he’d come to this house and she’d fed him. Starving, really. For much more than food.
Ben and several others took the remaining chairs and made progress on their cake. After a time, CeCe demanded, “Eugene! Where are you hiding? Don’t think you’re going to get away from here without playing your saxophone for us!”
“Yeah,” Hersh seconded.
For CeCe, no Coleman event would be complete without one of Eugene’s mediocre sax solos. Everyone responded with enthusiasm larger than Eugene’s talent. The older man retrieved his instrument and played something that sounded like it might be the soft jazz hit “Just the Two of Us.”
Hadley Jane appeared at Sebastian’s side. He pushed his chair back so she had room to climb onto his lap. “Thank you for the dollhouse,” she said just loud enough for him to hear.
“You haven’t even opened your gifts yet.”
“But I know that’s what you got me.”
The last time he’d seen her, she’d asked him very seriously to buy her a bright pink L.O.L. Surprise! Cottage for her birthday. He had mad respect for her because she’d chosen her mark well. She’d known he was good for it.
She reached up and twisted the hair at the back of his neck around one of her fingers. How long did he have before she’d stop doing that? Another year? Two? It hurt to love children who kept insisting on growing all the time.
“Can we play fighting horses?” she asked him.
