“Funny,” Andy said with a laugh. “No, she didn’t cancel. I told her not to come early. You know how she is. She would have showed up and did all the work. She should be here any minute.”
Eddy took another long glance at Samira before turning his attention back to Andy. “You still planning on grilled chicken? Let’s go out and get to it.”
Samira watched the two men in amusement. As Andy’s first mate, Eddy technically worked for Andy. That didn’t mean anything for their dynamic, though. Eddy was around the same age as Andy’s parents, and he seemed to take on a similar role. He walked right over to the refrigerator and took out the container of raw chicken that was marinating next to the pasta salad.
“Might as well get started. Your mother doesn’t much like to wait,” Eddy suggested.
“I feel so out of place,” Samira commented, mostly to herself, once the two men had gone outside.
“Oh, honey, you’re exactly where you should be. Let’s hang the streamer and the happy birthday banner and the rest of the stuff I brought before she gets here,” Mary said.
They had just finished hanging the last sign when the door opened, and Elizabeth walked through. She was dressed in black dress pants and a black sequin top. She wasn’t overdressed, but she was a far cry from the woman at the crab shanty who always wore plain shirts and old jeans. She, too, took an extra-long look at Samira.
“Happy birthday,” Samira said in greeting.
“Thank you,” she responded hesitantly.
“Happy birthday!” Mary shouted.
Elizabeth appeared to relax when she saw Mary. She looked from Mary to Samira and gave a relieved smile. She probably assumed Samira had come to the dinner with her aunt, and Samira wasn’t going to correct her.
“Everything looks great,” Elizabeth commented when she walked the rest of the way into the house and looked around. “Thank you all so much.”
“You only turn 55 once. Twice if you’re lucky,” Mary said as she stepped forward to hug the other woman. “Andy and Eddy are outside manning the grill. Help yourself to what’s set out. Would you like a drink? There’s lemonade, but I also brought over a couple bottles of good wine.”
Elizabeth fixed herself a plate of appetizers and sat at the table with Mary. The two quickly became engaged in conversation, so Samira slipped away to check on the men. She could hear Eddy’s laugh before she had the door open. Andy was laughing as he took a few pieces of chicken off the grill.
“I feel like the fun is out here, and I’m missing it,” Samira teased.
Andy reached out an arm inviting her to join him at his side. She wrapped her sweater a little tighter around herself against the cold breeze and made her way over. As soon as she reached his side, he put his arm around her and pulled her close. She didn’t miss Eddy’s raised eyebrow when he smiled at the two of them.
“Your mom made it here. She’s sitting at the table with my aunt. She looked a little surprised to see me,” she said quietly.
Andy gave her a quick squeeze. “She probably just knows that you and your aunt aren’t on the best terms. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“I’m going to head in and say hi,” Eddy announced. “You two got it covered out here?”
“Yes, Eddy,” Andy answered with a sigh. “We’re fine. We’ll be there in a few. It’s almost done.”
Andy appeared to be completely at ease as he held Samira with one arm and moved food around the grill with the other. Samira stepped closer and leaned against him. Being close to him calmed her nerves. She got the feeling Elizabeth wasn’t happy with the idea of them spending time together, and she had a hard time understanding why. If Elizabeth was that close toSamira’s aunt, it was hard to believe she shared the same view as Andy’s father.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Andy said after a minute.
“Even if your mom isn’t?”
“Yes. The way she feels doesn’t really affect my feelings. I wanted you here for me. Here. Let’s take this inside,” he said as he put the last few pieces of chicken into the pan.
Samira followed him inside and her anxiety quickly melted away. Mary, Elizabeth, and Eddy were sitting at the table laughing and clearly enjoying themselves. Elizabeth raised her wine glass in thanks when she placed the bowl of pasta salad on the table next to the chicken. Eddy and Mary scooted their chairs closer together so there would be enough room for them to all sit at the table.
Andy filled her wine glass while Samira served herself a plate. She settled in and focused on being present in the moment. She hadn’t enjoyed a relaxing evening with family since she was a teenager. For the first time since leaving home, she really felt as if she had missed out by starting a new life. Even with a great apartment, a job she enjoyed, and some close friends, there was nothing like sitting at a table and enjoying a meal with people who had been there from the very beginning.
Samira stood to clear the plates, so they could move on to dessert. Once she had finished, she unfolded the bakery box and carefully moved the cake onto a nice plate since she didn’t see a cake stand. Andy came up behind her and provided her with several packages of candles that totaled fifty-five. When she looked up at him, he had the most devilish grin on his face, and she had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
“Your mother is going to kill you,” she whispered, making sure the others didn’t hear her. She looked at the table and no one seemed to be paying them any attention.
“What’s a birthday cake without candles?” Andy asked through laughter.
She took another glance at the table to make sure Elizabeth wasn’t watching them and then took a package of candles and opened them up to quickly begin placing the candles on top. Andy helped, and somehow, they managed to get all fifty-five candles on the cake.
