Before I could respond, Muffy poked her head into the office. “Linda and Lyle have arrived,” she squealed. “I’m in line right behind Beth for my hug and don’t you even think about cutting.”
“I wouldn’t dare,” Sunny said to her, pushing to her feet and turning toward the door. “I don’t like people touching me but I wouldn’t miss a hug from Beth’s parents.”
“Hey. Hold on.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward me. With a tug, she dropped into my lap. “You don’t like to be touched?”
“Not really, no. Aside from people I trust like Beth and everyone, I am happier when I have boundaries and personal space.”
I motioned to where she sat but she gave me a slow, confused shake of her head in response. I said, “You’ve never had a problem with me touching you.”
“Yeah, well, I mean, that’s different because”—she paused, dropped her gaze to the floor. “I don’t know. It doesn’t matter.”
“I touched you the day I came back. When you almost face-planted on the patio,” I said.
“When you intentionally misread the situation so you could destroy one of my flowerpots.”
“Yeah.” I’d have to figure this out another time. “I wanted to talk to you. Before Ranger and Gaines and digging up all these old traumas of ours. I wanted to talk about last night.”
“Can we talk about it after we say hi to Beth’s parents? Because I think you’ll be in a better mood after you get a hug from them.”
“I don’t know Beth’s parents. There’s no reason for them to hug me.”
“That does not change the fact that they will hug you,” she said, an adorable grin taking over her face. “They have the energy of amy child was student of the monthbumper sticker. It somehow manages to be both precious and infectious. Trust me, you want in on this.”
That was how I found myself outside Naked Provisions with an older white couple sandwiched on either side of me. To be fair, it was one of the top five hugs I’d received in my whole life and I did step away feeling as though I’d been dunked in warm, heady nostalgia. It was fucking weird.
“I’m Linda,” Beth’s mom said, patting my back. “It’s so wonderful to finally meet you. Beth has told us everything about you.”
I glanced to Beth, hoping that wasn’t accurate. They didn’t need to knoweverything.
“And I’m Lyle,” her dad said, clasping my hand in both of his. “I just have to say, I read a little about the conservation work you folks have done in this cove and I’m so impressed. Not everyone would invest the time and money to look after their community that way. I’m proud of you.”
When I stepped back, a little dizzy from the strangeness of it all, I shot a quick glance between Beth and her parents. In no world would I ever ask how they came to be a family given that they didn’t appear to be genetically related, but I must’ve let confusion flicker across my eyes because Beth said, “I was adopted from the Philippines when I was eighteen months old.”
“And every single day since has been a gift,” Linda said as she and Lyle enveloped Beth in a hug. “Now we want to see this café. Tell us everything. Oh, look at these beautiful flowers! Sunny, did you do this? They have your flair written all over them.”
Sunny gazed up at me with a viciously smug grin. I wanted to bite it off those lips.
“Yes, I did, Linda,” she said. “I’m so happy you like them.”
Once Beth led her parents inside, I said, “We’re going to talk about last night now.”
Sunny’s eyes sparkled with the sadistic joy I knew, loved, feared. It was like she was cracking her knuckles in preparation to slam a sledgehammer down on my buttons. “Allow me to make a deal with you.”
“I am going to get slaughtered in this deal, aren’t I?”
“Probably not, but we won’t know until we go through with it,” she said. “What is suffering if not a journey?”
“Sure. That sounds like my life.” I rubbed my brow. “What are your terms?”
“We can talk about last night and define anything you want on the condition that you let me take you to a festival—and you actually make an effort at enjoying yourself while we’re there.”
“For fuck’s sake, Sunny.” I groaned. “Are you serious?”
“Very,” she said, nudging my arm with her shoulder. “I’ll pick a good one. I promise.”
I ran a hand down her back and let it settle on her hip. I could go to a festival. I could muddle my way through a good time there too. Especially with Sunny as my guide. But I needed some direction from her and I needed it now. “Fine, though you have to tell me what you want.”
With a nod, she melted into me and I could’ve been content with that as an explanation. It could be enough. Then, she glanced up at me, her lips parted and her eyes softer than ever before, as if she’d stepped out from behind a dark cloud.
